Dictatorship and democracy since 1970

Augusto Pinochet at the head of the nation for almost seventeen years, until March 1990. In Argentina, Generals Jorge Rafael Videla, Roberto Viola and Leopolda Galtieri imposed a particularly violent dictatorship (1976-83). In Honduras and El Salvador, the military took over the government in 1978-82 and 1979-83 respectively, after brief spells of democratic rule.