And some scholars have suggested that the military actually exercised remarkable restraint toward its hard-left opposition after the uprising. But the near-universal condemnation remains. As most of the world demonizes him, Vargas claims that the General's existing support derives from the economy doing so well and creating so much wealth over the course of his 17-year rule. This is likely the case for conservative commentators outside of Chile, who praise the broad privatization measures, and low taxes and tariffs Chile adopted during the regime. And Chile experienced some of the highest economic growth rates in the world during his rule.
Chile is the only historical example of a Marxist taking power through democratic means.
Those regimes were headed by apolitical pawns, with the sole purpose of maintaining power for the privileged few, often employing extreme statist measures, such as high taxes and state-controlled monetary policy. Pinochet, on the other hand, restored the institutions of private property and free trade, while limiting the role of government in the economy, giving Chile the most modern and dynamic economy in all of Latin America. And after comparing the human rights abuses of this veritable right-wing revolution to any leftist revolution, it becomes astonishingly clear that revolutions from the right involve far less bloodshed than those from the Left. Not bad when compared to the hundred million killed worldwide in the name of the hammer and sickle. Thus, the rhetorical damage inflicted on the Left by Pinochet's economic record pales in comparison with his overall record.