Saber noise or saber rattling (spelled sabre-rattling in British English,[1]Spanish: ruido de sables) is any indirect indication of military aggressiveness. It differs from a threat or ultimatum in that the possibility of military action is implied, not stated explicitly. Saber rattling can be expressed through political speeches, diplomatic protests, or promoting war hawks to positions of power. Military exercises can also serve as a form of saber rattling, by displaying military capabilities to adversaries.[citation needed]
The metaphorical use of the term dates back to at least the 1880s, though its origin is obscure. One suggestion is that it derived from the Hungarian cavalry's manner of brandishing their sabers prior to charging their enemies, but that is considered unlikely to be correct.[2] It first appears in British newspapers, and spread to the United States by the early 20th century.[2]
In Chilean political history, ruido de sables (lit.'saber noise') refers to an event on 3 September 1924, when a group of young military officers protested against the political class and the postponement of social measures by rattling the scabbards (chapes) of their sabers against the floor.[3]
Ruido de sables
In 1924, Chile was in the throes of an economic and political crisis. The economy, heavily dependent on the export of nitrates, was suffering the effects of the discovery of artificial nitrates during World War I. At the same time, Chile was politically paralyzed by a conflict between President Arturo Alessandri and the conservatively controlled congress, who refused to discuss any of the drafts that he sent them.
On February 1, 1924, the political parties signed an agreement to change the parliamentary procedures in order to limit the censure votes (a procedure used to force cabinet ministers to resign), to allow the closure of debates by simple majority and in general to eliminate all dilatory tactics, especially those dealing with the national budget. As an additional measure, they agreed to create a parliamentary stipend (30.000 pesos for the senators, 15.000 pesos for the deputies). This program was received with public outcry, mainly because it was the only law that had been produced by the governing coalition while the social measures prepared by President Alessandri had been postponed time and again. In the Army, the news was especially bitter since they had been waiting for a salary increase for a long time.
On September 3, 1924, a group of 56 young military officers (mostly lieutenants and sub-lieutenants coming from middle classes or working classes), led by Colonel Marmaduke Grove and Major Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, attended the session where the congressional salary discussion was to take place. They quietly sat in the public tribunes, and waited for the topic to be broached. At that point the president of the chamber, feeling intimidated, demanded that the public be cleared, as the discussion was to be secret. As the officers silently started to leave, they began to rattle the scabbards (chapes) of the sabers they wore as part of their dress uniform against the floor, as a way to indicate their discontent with the political class in general, and in sign of support to Alessandri's social agenda.[3]
This event was the culmination of a process that marked the increasing desire by the military corps of a more active participation in Chilean politics. Since the 1891 Chilean Civil War, the military had been excluded although they were very dependent from all political groups for their advancement. It is also one of the events that mark the end of the so-called "Parliamentary Republic" (1891-1925), also known as the "pseudo-parliamentary period" because the executive was subject to the legislative but checks and balances of executive over legislative were weakened.
The very next day the same group of young military officers involved led by Colonel Marmaduke Grove and Major Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, created a "military committee" to defend themselves from possible punishments by the government. On September 5, the "military committee" demanded that President Arturo Alessandri dismiss three of his ministers, including the minister of War and Navy Gaspar Mora; the enactment of a labor code, the passage of an income tax law, and the improvement of the military salaries.
Faced with almost open military insurrection, Alessandri had no option but to appoint General Luis Altamirano, the Army Inspector General (Chief of the Army), as head of a new cabinet. On September 8, General Altamirano appeared in front of Congress to demand the passage of eight laws, including Alessandri's labor code. Congress dared not to protest, and the laws, which had been languishing for years, were passed in a matter of hours. These included the Eight-hour day, suppression of child labour, clear rules for collective bargaining, legislation on occupational safety, legalization of trade unions, a law on cooperatives and the creation of courts of conciliation and labour arbitrage.
At that point Alessandri felt that he had become just a pawn of the military, and, on September 9, he resigned and requested asylum at the US Embassy. Congress refused to accept his resignation, and instead granted him a six-months constitutional leave of absence. He left the country immediately for Italy. General Altamirano assumed power as Vice President, and on the 11th, a military Junta was established to rule the country on the absence of the titular president, Alessandri.
See also
Look up sabre-rattling in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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The Socialist Party of Chile is a centre-left political party. Its historic leader was President of Chile Salvador Allende, who was deposed in a coup d'état by General Augusto Pinochet in 1973. Twenty-seven years later, Ricardo Lagos Escobar represented the Socialist Party in the 1999–2000 Chilean presidential election. He won 48.0% in the first round of voting and was elected with 51.3% in the second round. In the 2001 Chilean parliamentary election, as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy, the party won 10 out of 117 seats in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and 5 out of 38 elected seats in the Senate. After the 2005 Chilean parliamentary election, the party increased its seats to 15 and 8, respectively. In the 2009 Chilean parliamentary election, it retained 11 Congressional and 5 Senate seats.
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as President twice, first between 1927 and 1931, and then from 1952 to 1958, serving for 10 years in office.
Gabriel Enrique González Videla was a Chilean politician and lawyer who served as the 24th president of Chile from 1946 to 1952. He had previously been a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1930 to 1941 and senator for Tarapacá and Antofagasta from 1945 to 1946. A long-time member and leader in the Radical Party, he left the party in 1971 over its support for socialist president Salvador Allende. From 1973 until his death in 1980 he became an active collaborator and participant in the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, acting as vice president of the Council of State from 1976 onwards. As vice president of the council, he helped draft the current Chilean constitution of 1980.
Jorge Eduardo Alessandri Rodríguez was the 27th President of Chile from 1958 to 1964, and was the candidate of the Chilean right in the crucial presidential election of 1970, which he lost to Salvador Allende. He was the son of Arturo Alessandri, who was president from 1920 to 1925 and again from 1932 to 1938.
Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer who served thrice as president of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to 1938.
Luis Altamirano Talavera was a Chilean military officer, minister, Vice President of the Republic and finally president of the Government Junta of Chile between 1924 and 1925.
Marmaduke Grove Vallejo, his name erroneously spelled Marmaduque Grobeh, was a Chilean Air Force officer, political figure and member of the Government Junta of the Socialist Republic of Chile in 1932.
Government Junta of Chile, was the political structure established to rule Chile following the anti-conservative military coup that assumed power after first interfering in progressive President Arturo Alessandri's deadlocked government. It ruled the country until it was ousted by yet another military coup, and gave way to the January Junta.
Division General Juan Pablo Bennett Argandoña was a Chilean military officer and member of the Government Junta that ruled Chile between 1924 and 1925.
Government Junta of Chile, was the political structure established to restore power to President Arturo Alessandri, after he had been deposed in 1924. On January 23, 1925, a military movement of young officers, wrestled power from the previous September Junta. Then they organized a new Junta and recalled president Alessandri back to his post. The Junta lasted until Alessandri's resumption of power.
Division General Pedro Pablo Dartnell Encina was a Chilean military officer and member of the Government Junta of Chile in 1925.
The Chilean coup d'état of 1925 took place on January 23, 1925, when the Chilean military overthrew the September Junta. Led by Colonel Marmaduque Grove, the troops arrested the Junta's President, General Luis Altamirano, and then handed the power to General Pedro Dartnell as interim President. The organizers of the coup hoped to recall former president Arturo Alessandri Palma, who had been forced into exile after the September Junta's coming to power. However, General Dartnell ultimately refused to rule alone and formed the January Junta a few days later, handing power to Emilio Bello Codesido. Alessandri only returned from exile on March 20, 1925, putting an end to the junta.
The Conservative Party of Chile was one of the principal Chilean political parties since its foundation in 1836 until 1948, when it broke apart. In 1953 it reformed as the United Conservative Party and in 1966 joined with the Liberal Party to form the National Party. The Conservative Party was a right-wing party, originally created to be the clericalist, pro-Catholic Church group.
Government Junta of Chile, was a political structure established during the anarchy that followed the resignation of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. It proclaimed the Socialist Republic of Chile. The short-lived state ended with the election of Arturo Alessandri as new president of Chile.
The Socialist Republic of Chile was a short-lived political entity in Chile, that was proclaimed by the Government Junta that took over that year.
The Parliamentary Era in Chile began in 1891, at the end of the Civil War, and spanned until 1925 and the establishment of the 1925 Constitution. Also called "pseudo-parliamentary" period or "Parliamentary Republic", this period was thus named because it established a quasi-parliamentary system based on the interpretation of the 1833 Constitution following the defeat of President José Manuel Balmaceda during the Civil War. As opposed to a "true parliamentary" system, the executive was not subject to the legislative power but checks and balances of executive over the legislature were weakened. The President remained the head of state but its powers and control of the government were reduced. The Parliamentary Republic lasted until the 1925 Constitution drafted by President Arturo Alessandri and his minister José Maza. The new Constitution created a presidential system, which lasted, with several modifications, until the 1973 coup d'état.
The Presidential Republic is the period in the history of Chile spanning from the approval of the 1925 Constitution on 18 September 1925, under the government of Arturo Alessandri Palma, to the fall of the Popular Unity government headed by the President Salvador Allende on 11 September 1973. The period spans the same time as the "Development inwards" period in Chilean economic history.
The following lists events that happened during 1924 in Chile.
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