The military dictatorship of Chile (Spanish: dictadura militar de Chile) was an authoritarian military government that ruled Chile between 1973 and 1990. The dictatorship was established after the democratically-elected socialist government of Salvador Allende was overthrown by a CIA-backed coup d'état on 11 September 1973. The dictatorship was headed by a military junta presided by General Augusto Pinochet. The perceived breakdown of democracy and the economic crisis that took place during Allende's presidency were justifications used by the military to seize power. The dictatorship presented its mission as a "national reconstruction." Despite the fact that it was a dictatorship it still turned Chile into the richest, most educated and globalised Latin American nation.

The regime was characterized by the systematic suppression of political parties and the persecution of dissidents to an extent unprecedented in the history of Chile. Overall, the regime left over 3,000 dead or missing, tortured tens of thousands of prisoners, and drove an estimated 200,000 Chileans into exile. The dictatorship shaped much of modern Chile's political and economic life. Two years after its ascension it implemented radical neoliberal economic reforms in sharp contrast to Allende's statist policies, advised by a team of free-market economists educated in American universities known as the Chicago Boys. Later, in 1980, the regime replaced the Constitution of 1925 with one crafted by regime collaborators. Pinochet's plans to remain in power were thwarted in 1988 when the regime admitted defeat in a referendum that opened the way for the reestablishment of democracy in 1990. However, the regime took great care to ensure that the military would be out of civilian control in the years after the end of dictatorship.

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