Jacques Chonchol (26 March 1926 – 5 October 2023) was a Chilean politician and professor known for his work in the

land reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...

movement during the 1960s and early 1970s. Chonchol served from 1970 to 1972 as

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

in the government of President

Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until Death of Salvador Allende, his death in 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973. As a ...

. He took refuge in a foreign embassy during

the coup The Coup is an American hip hop band from Oakland, California. Their music is an amalgamation of influences, including funk, punk, hip hop, and soul. Frontman Boots Riley's revolutionarily-charged lyrics rank The Coup as a renowned politica ...

and was allowed to leave Chile for Venezuela. He then moved to France, but returned to Chile in 1994. He was director of the Institute for Advanced Latin American Studies, in Paris, between 1982 and 1993.

Land reform

In 1965, in the middle of the

Chilean land reform The Chilean land reform () was a process of land ownership restructuring that occurred from 1962 to 1973 in different phases. For much of the 20th century agriculture was one of the most backward sectors of Chilean economy. The land reform was i ...

, President

Eduardo Frei Montalva Eduardo Nicanor Frei Montalva (; 16 January 1911 – 22 January 1982) was a Chileans, Chilean political leader. In his long political career, he was Minister of Public Works, president of his Christian Democratic Party (Chile), Christia ...

appointed him to head the Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP). Cholchol allowed the transformation of the institution from a technical agency to a "peasant league". Still, unhappy with the land reform not going fast enough he left INDAP in 1968 and in 1969 he became a founding member of

Popular Unitary Action Movement The Popular Unitary Action Movement or MAPU () was a small Left-wing politics, leftist political party in Chile. It was part of the Popular Unity (Chile), Popular Unity coalition during the government of Salvador Allende. MAPU was political rep ...

(MAPU). In 1970 he was appointed by President Salvador Allende to be

, a position he held until 1972. Interviews conducted with him in 2013 and 2014 were published in 2016.

Death

Jacques Chonchol died on 5 October 2023, at the age of 97.

Books

*Paysans a venir: Les societes rurales du Tiers Monde, French edition published by La Découverte (1986) *Por una nueva Reforma Agraria para Chile (2021)

References

1926 births 2023 deaths Ministers of agriculture of Chile Chilean expatriates in Cuba Chilean expatriates in France Chilean expatriates in Venezuela Chilean exiles 20th-century Chilean politicians 20th-century Chilean male writers Christian Democratic Party (Chile) politicians Popular Unitary Action Movement politicians Citizen Left politicians Christian Left (Chile) politicians {{Chile-politician-stub