Gabriel Gonzalez Videla

Several important men occupied the presidential chair in Chile, one of them, Gabriel González Videla , considered to be the last radical president to govern the country between 1946 and 1952 , a period in which he carried out actions of the utmost importance in favor of his country and increasing the development of the industry in it.

What did

Gabriel Gonzáles Videla was an important president of Chile who carried out several important activities that made him one of the most important leaders of the Radical Party . A president who achieved for the economic development of the country, for the creation of several companies in the State and for promoting the development of the province of Coquimbo thanks to his Plan Serena as an initiative to ensure the rights that Chile had over Antarctica .

Biography of Gabriel González Videla

He was born on November 22, 1989 in La Serena . He studied at the Liceo de La Serena and at the University of Chile , and worked hard to pay for all his studies. He also participated in military service and worked as an army officer in 1920 when the War of Don Ladislao occurred . He managed to graduate from university and shortly after he had to take care of his family after his father was paralyzed.

Death

After his government ended, he continued to collaborate with various political campaigns and in 1971 he totally resigned from the party due to various disagreements. He continued to continue, collaborating with Augusto Pinochet as vice president of the Council of State until his death on August 22, 1980 in La Serena.

Political career

While in college, he decided to join the Radical Youth group and served as its president for several terms. In 1936 , the radicals created the Popular Front together with those on the left to be able to fight against Arturo Alessandri Palma, here he was appointed as president of the National Executive Committee of the Popular Front . Later he held positions as ambassador to France , Luxembourg and Belgium . In 1941 he decided to applyas a candidate for the presidency of his country by his party but at that time he decided to stop to give his support to Juan Antonio Ríos Morales and later, he was appointed as ambassador to Brazil.

In 1946 , President Ríos had to leave his post because he was very ill with cancer and after his death, presidential elections had to be called again . It was then that in the Radical Convention of 1946 he decided to raise his candidacy for the presidency, which had very strong support from the Democratic Alliance.

Government of Gabriel González Videla

On September 4, 1946 , he was the winner at the polls, however, as he did not reach the absolute majority of the votes, he had to be ratified by the National Congress and thanks to the help of the Liberal Party he managed to be appointed with a final of 136 votes against 46 of Eduardo Cruz-Coke . He assumed the presidency on November 3 of the year 1946 and thereafter will on 3 November of the year 1952 .

During his government, he was in charge of giving great importance to the entire field of national industry . It continued to apply the program of the Production Development Corporation that had been established by the Aguirre Cerda government and significantly promoted the exploitation of oil in the springs. Through his Plan Serena , he managed to protect the historical heritage, he was able to recover a large part of the public spaces and gave special attention to the field of agriculture and mining . He also worked hard so that all people had access to education .

What study

González Videla studied at the Liceo de la Serena . He completed his university studies while at the same time participating in the military service and officer of the Army . He carried out his law degree at the Faculty of Law at the University of Chile, from where he finally graduated on December 2, 1922 . He began to work in the General Directorate of Statistics with the aim of being able to pay for his studies. While working as an ambassador he studied sociology and economics at the Sorbonne University.

Ideology

Its ideology was based on the same as the Radical Party of Chile, which was characterized by being egalitarian and democratic socialist. His main ideals always laid their foundations on liberty , equality and fraternity .

Contributions of Gabriel González Videla

Among his main contributions are the following:

• He managed to finish the construction of the steel plant of the Acero del Pacifico company.
• Construction began on the Paipote smelter , a company dedicated to refining gold and copper .
• He founded the Industria Azucarera Nacional SA .
• He approved the construction of several hydroelectric plants .
• It approved the Corrida Week Pay Law and laid off private employees.
• He created the Serena Plan .
• He secured the rights of Chile in Antarctica being the first president who traveled to the site.
• He signed the Declaration of Santiago which proclaimed the sovereignty of Chile over 200 nautical miles and declared it as an Exclusive Economic Zone .
• He promulgated the law that granted the right to vote for women in elections for the presidency and parliament , thus achieving civic equality in his country.

Physical characteristics

He was a man of thin build , tall in stature, his skin was white , his hair was black and thin , straight. His nose was quite pointed and his eyes were black.

Gabriel González Videla’s personality

Many said that her personality type was bright but at the same time a little explosive in some situations. He liked to investigate and discover new things, he was persevering, he had good leadership skills . He was also intuitive , he liked to analyze situations and in addition to being intelligent , he had the courage to bring his ideas to others as well as his principles based on social justice .

Parents

His father was Gabriel González Castillo and his mother was María Teresa Videla , a woman who came from Murcia.

Relations

His wife was Rosa Markmann , who was the daughter of a senior official at Banco de Chile. He met his wife in Santiago, when she was only fourteen years old and he was a university student. They got married when she was just 17 years old.

Sons

With his wife he had three children who were named Silvia , Rosita and Gabriel.

Importance of Gabriel González Videla

Gabriel González Videla was an important president because he managed to translate his ideals in the country. He was a defender of the freedoms of the inhabitants, he advocated for equal suffrage and to improve the education of the people.

Acknowledgments

Some of the awards given to Gabriel González Videla were the following:

• The Presidente Gabriel González Videla Antarctic Base was founded in 1957 in recognition of having been the first president in the world to visit the “white continent.”
• The Gabriel Gonzáles Videla Museum was created in his honor , located where his mansion was once known as La Serena .
• He was also decorated with the Grand Military Cross of Portugal .
• He received the award to the Commander of the Legion of Honor .

Motto

González Videla did not have a specific slogan created by him to mark his government as many of his predecessors did. Basically, he did his job under the same slogan as one of the previous presidents, which said “to govern is to produce, “ because for him, construction in his country was of vital importance.

Phrases

There are no records of important phrases that have been mentioned by Gabriel González Videla.

Curiosities

One of the curiosities around Gabriel González Videla was that his own grandchildren were in charge of destroying one of his mansions located in Ñuñoa , a situation that caused unrest in his neighbors because they argued that it was a National Heritage of the country. His election campaign was in the hands of the famous poet Pablo Neruda who was also part of the Communist Party and dedicated several poems to him, insulting him for having promulgated a law known as the Damned Law .

He started the tradition of spending weekends in the Presidential Palace located on Cerro Castillo and decorated the Palacio de la Moneda with his wife with many French furniture and works of art that reach an incalculable value.