NICOLÁS LINDLEY LÓPEZ: BIOGRAPHY, GOVERNMENT AND WORKS - HISTORY - 2025

Nicolás Lindley López (1908-1995) was a Peruvian military man who came to occupy the presidency of the country for a short period of time. Lindley participated in a coup led by General Ricardo Pérez Godoy in 1962, becoming part of the Military Junta that went on to govern the country.

This Junta had promised to remain in power only until organizing elections the following year. However, Lindley feared that Pérez Godoy would try to perpetuate himself in office and staged a new uprising to prevent it. After achieving his goal, he fulfilled his promise to call elections on time.

Source: By Jose Joaquin Brunner, undefined

Born in Lima in 1908, Nicolás Lindley's professional life was always linked to the army. He studied at several different military academies, including one in the United States. Before becoming head of government, he held numerous positions in the military ranks.

His government was very brief, but he had time to launch some initiatives. The most prominent was his agrarian reform project, although it was completed by his successor. Likewise, I create an economic program to help Peruvian development.

Biography

Nicolás Lindley López came to the world in Lima on November 16, 1908. His family was quite well off, since his grandfather had founded the Inca Kola company. Nicolás' parents and his other two brothers never got married.

Studies

Young Nicolás completed his secondary studies at the Colegio Anglo-Peruano de Lima. At the end of this stage, in 1926, he entered the Chorrillos Military School as a cadet. He spent four years there, until he became a lieutenant of cavalry, obtaining the number one of his promotion.

Military career

For the next two years, from 1930 to 1932, Lindley was a platoon commander in the Cavalry Regiment and the following year he was promoted to lieutenant. His next assignment, in which he spent another two years, was in the President's Escort Regiment. That work earned him a new promotion, this time to captain.

After that period, he continued his training at the Superior War School of Peru (1939-1940). As in the previous center, he ended that stage being the first of the promotion.

In 1941, as a major in the army, he worked as secretary of the Superior War College, as well as professor of General Tactics and the General Staff.

United States and return to Peru

Somewhat later, in 1946, Lindley moved to the United States. There he remained as an instructor for a year at the Fort Leavenworth School of Command and Staff, Kansas.

After that experience abroad, he returned to Peru. In his country, he taught at the Superior School of War and got the position of director of the School of Cavalry.

In 1951, his superiors sent him as a military attaché to Chile. His two years in that position earned him promotion to the rank of colonel.

From that point on, Lindley's career was a succession of promotions. He was chief of staff of the First Light Division (1953), chief of staff of the Military Training Center (1954) and general commander of the latter (1955-1958).

Likewise, he obtained the post of Brigadier General (1956) and Inspector General of the Army (1958-1960). Eventually, he became Major General in 1960, Army Chief of Staff, and Army Commander General.

Coup

The elections held in 1962 did not grant any party the majority necessary to govern alone. The winner was the candidate of APRA, a left-wing party. The presidential appointment thus remained in the hands of Congress and the alliances between the different groups.

The favorite was Manuel Odria, from the Unión Nacional Odriista, whom the Apristas were willing to vote for. However, the Armed Forces intervened earlier and staged a coup.

The excuse offered by the military was an alleged electoral fraud, although they never presented any evidence. The leader of the coup was General Ricardo Pérez Godoy, who was supported by Nicolás Lindley.

After the uprising, a Military Junta was established to govern the country. In theory, he only had to remain in power until new elections were called on July 28, 1963. Lindley served as Minister of War as a member of that Board.

Take power

A few months later the situation changed. Pérez Godoy, leader of the Military Junta, began to show signs of wanting to remain in power for longer than promised. At that, Lindley promoted a new coup. On March 3, 1963, he himself became head of the Board.

In the few months in which he served as president, Lindley purged the electoral roll, in addition to continuing the legislative work that the Board had previously started.

Nicolás Lindley kept his promise to call elections. The new votes took place in a very calm political climate. The winner was Fernando Belaúnde Terry.

Death

Once he left the position in the Military Junta and with a democratic government in the country, Lindley was sent as ambassador of Peru to Spain. There he remained from 1964 to 1975, when he returned to his country.

Nicolás Lindley died in the capital, Lima, on May 3, 1995, at the age of 86.

Characteristics of his government

As noted above, Lindley ruled for a very few months. Even counting the time in which he was one of the members of the Military Junta chaired by Pérez Godoy, the total duration did not reach a full year.

Lindley, who considered it essential to fulfill the promise to call elections within the established period, did not even occupy the Government Palace. Likewise, I never wear the presidential sash either.

Historians point out that the relationship between Pérez Godoy and Lindley was very tense during the time they shared the government. The discussions were constant and the points of view very distant.

Political aspect

There is no doubt that the government established by the Military Junta was a dictatorship. The excuse for the coup, an alleged electoral fraud, was never proven.

Rather, experts point out that it was due to the social upheaval that the country was experiencing. To this must be added the real possibility that a left party will take power by winning the votes.

Despite the latter, the military government developed a reformist policy quite focused on improving social conditions. His proposal for agrarian reform or his will to plan economic policy do not fit in with the conservative ideology so frequent in other military regimes.

Plays

Nicolás Lindley was only in office for about five months. During that time, he promoted a purging of the electoral roll, in addition to trying to stabilize the country.

On the anniversary of the coup, July 18, 1963, Lindley recounted the achievements that, according to him, the Military Junta had achieved.

Agrarian reform

Although it did not complete the proposal, it was the Lindley government that initiated the agrarian reform project in Peru. Through this law, it was planned to expropriate land from large multinationals and hand it over to medium and small farmers. In addition, it regulated hiring in the field and was committed to social justice.

To a large extent, the motive for developing this agrarian reform was to end peasant mobilizations in the country. It would be the subsequent democratic government that concluded the drafting of the law.

National Economic and Social Development Planning System of Peru

The National Planning System for the Economic and Social Development of Peru aimed to coordinate the action of the State with the private initiative to improve the economic development of the country.

Likewise, it proposed using international contributions to increase the welfare of the most disadvantaged classes. With the Belaúnde government, it was renamed the National Planning Institute (INP).

living place

Housing was one of the big problems in Peru. To try to improve the situation, the National Housing Board and the Housing Bank were created. Similarly, the green light was given to the formation of private banks to promote construction.

The military government also promulgated an expropriation law in order to obtain land to build popular housing.

Education

Education was decentralized and literacy campaigns were organized. The government promoted the construction of many schools and increased classrooms.

job

Policies to boost employment began with the creation of training centers to improve the technical level of workers. Along with this, a minimum wage was established and wage increases were decreed for the state sector.

Other legislative actions

Nicolás Lindley's government also developed policies that affected other sectors. He drew up, for example, the so-called Program Budget, which ordered the public administration.

In the health field, the construction of several hospitals and health centers stood out, in an attempt to improve access to medical care for the popular classes.

References

1. Search Biographies. Nicolás Lindley López. Retrieved from Buscabiografias.com
2. Peru and History. Nicolas Lindley. Retrieved from peruehistoria.weebly.com
3. History of Peru. Nicolás Lindley López. Obtained from knowinghistorydelperu.blogspot.com
4. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Lindley López, Nicolás (1908–1995). Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
5. Ortiz de Zárate, Roberto. Leaders of Peru. Obtained from zarate.eu
6. Revolvy. Nicolás Lindley López. Retrieved from revolvy.com