Hayek directly legitimized Pinochet’s dictatorship as more liberal than unrestricted democracy.

Evidence

Guzmán clearly drew on Hayek in distinguishing between authoritarianism and totalitarianism in order to justify a state’s use of repressive measures when they are required, and deployed tools to shield a free market order against perceived totalitarian ( = socialist) tendencies. During his second visit in Chile, Hayek had clarified his understanding of (neo)liberalism in this regard in an interview for El Mercurio: “A dictatorship can restrict itself and a dictatorship which deliberatively is restricting itself can be more liberal in its policies than a democratic assembly which has no limits” (Hayek 1981). Not surprisingly, Hayek went to some lengths to bestow legitimacy on the new Chilean constitution, since he had been personally consulted by the Chilean government in the process leading up to the final draft. During his first visit to Chile in 1978, Pinochet had invited him to a personal meeting. Hayek’s influence extended beyond the merely personal, however. One member of the commission in charge of drafting the constitution, Carlos Cáceres, was a close follower of Hayek and eventually joined the MPS in 1980 (Walpen and Plehwe 2001). — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1592

Categorization

• SEED: Angles for an essay: ‘democratic deficits and liberal excuses’ — how a Nobel laureate justified dictatorship as self-limiting. Directly contestable and historically charged.
• XREF: Connects to the MPS network chapters — this shows the personal-institutional nexus (Hayek, Cáceres, MPS membership) radiating from Chile. — connects to: A German pro-market economist excused Pinochet-era repression while resenting traffic lights at home — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 344; Hayek and Friedman personally advised and legitimized the Pinochet dictatorship. — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 305; Hayek actively defended the Pinochet regime against human rights criticism. — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 304 (+12 more)
• SHARE: For anyone following the neoliberal historiography debate — this El Mercurio quote is a primary-source smoking gun.

Broader Connections

• Hayek claimed a self-limiting dictatorship can out-liberalize an unbounded democracy #expands (1.00) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1638
• Even allied neoliberal media refused to publish Hayek’s defense of Pinochet #corroborates (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1618