The regimes of August Pinochet in Chile and Francisco Franco in Spain developed on different continents and in different time frames, but they had a common enemy: communism. The following thesis presents measures and methods of repression of Marxism and its supporters, with an emphasis on the repressive elements of the regimes like the secret police, its mode of operation and purpose, the infrastructure which was used to remove the ‘Marxist mob’ and the forms of physical and psychological torture that the state carried out against its own population. Methods of torture will be presented and supported by examples of testimonies of victims of repression. Each section will be preceded by a presentation of the historical background and an outline of general developments during the both regimes to facilitate understanding of repressive phenomena such as physical torture.
|