- Carlos Keller
Carlos Keller Rueff (
January 3 ,1898 –February 28 ,1974 ) was a far-right Chilean writer, historian, and political figure.Keller was born in
Concepción, Chile , into a family of German origin and completed his education at universities in Germany. He received his doctorate in 1921 and soon became known as a student of Chilean historianAlberto Edwards andOswald Spengler , with whom he had struck up a friendship in Germany. His first book, "Spengler y la Situaciòn Politica Cultural de la America Iberica" (1927) argued for a strong hierarchical basis to Latin American politics in order to preserve Spanish identity.Keller went to work for the Department of Census and Statistics from 1927, becoming director general in 1931. He also served as a professor at a number of Chilean universities and a journalist. His 1931 book "La Eterna Crisis Chilena" continued his political work, with him arguing that Chile faced a crisis because it failed to fully adopt Western ways and instead just crudely imitated them. Keller soon met
Jorge González von Marées and soon launched theNational Socialist Movement of Chile with him. Keller was not a strict follower of German-styleNazism but instead he saw Chilean "nacismo" as seeking to do away with the corruption indemocracy . He looked to the example ofDiego Portales as a strong modernizing dictator and sought to develop Chilean economic independence through the growth of amiddle class .When the "Nacis" attempted a
coup in 1938 Keller was arrested, although a presidential decree fromPedro Aguirre Cerda saw him released and he returned to study. Keller largely stayed aloof from politics after this (he did not join the rebranded Vanguardia Popular Socialista) and his 1949 novel "La Locura de Juan Bernales" was seen as an attack on Jorge González von Marées, with whom he had become disillusioned. Keller lived out the remainder of his life as an academic, taking no further role in political activity.Bibliography
*
Philip Rees , "Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890 "External links
* [http://www.carloskeller.cl/default.aspx Carlos Keller website in Spanish]
* [http://www.carloskeller.cl/Bibliografia/instituto_de_historia.htm A pro-Keller essay from the above source in English]
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