The central puzzle of the dictator Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, who died on Sunday at the age of 91, was that until recently he retained admirers in Chile and abroad, especially among people emerging from Communism. He masked his corruption and brutality by tailoring his level of repression to just what he needed to retain power and prestige. General Pinochet was head of the army in 1973 when he led a coup against the socialist Salvador Allende, whose chaotic presidency had been further destabilised by the Nixon administration. In the first three years, General Pinochet’s regime killed almost 3,000 people. Thousands more were tortured.

Pinochet exploited Chileans’ need for legality. In 1980, he passed a Constitution providing for a plebiscite in 1988 on whether to hold free elections. When the plebiscite arrived, the government tried to rig it. But even members of the junta objected, and Pinochet was forced to hold elections in 1989. The opposition won. Out of office, Pinochet’s reputation slowly disintegrated. At the time of his death, he was under indictment for kidnapping, torture and murder, as well as corruption-related charges of tax evasion and possession of false passports. Time has revealed that the once-admired General Pinochet was accomplished only at holding power.