Which Chilean leader came to power after a 1973 coup supported by the United States and ruled until 1990?

• A. Salvador Allende
• B. Augusto Pinochet
• C. Michelle Bachelet
• D. Pablo Neruda

Answer: (B)

Augusto Pinochet came to power after the 1973 coup, which had significant backing from the United States, and he ruled Chile as a military dictator through 1990. This period followed the overthrow of the democratically elected socialist president Salvador Allende in 1973, marking a shift from civilian government to a military regime. Pinochet’s leadership solidified a partisan, anti-communist crackdown and a set of economic reforms, while opponents faced repression. The end of his rule in 1990 coincided with Chile returning to civilian government and elections, even though Pinochet remained influential in the country’s military and politics for years afterward. The other options don’t fit this sequence: Allende was the leader overthrown in the coup, Bachelet later became president in the 2000s, and Neruda was a renowned poet and political figure, not a head of state.