Fatherland and Liberty

He founded the party on April 1, 1971, at an event at the stadium Nathaniel in the heart of the capital, later becoming head.^[8] It emerged as an opposition to the government of Salvador Allende and which had supposed support from the CIA.^[9] He preached nationalist and fascist ideals (especially Italian fascism) and that parliament, along with traditional parties, were responsible for the economic crisis.^[10]

The movement did not have many members, but it had some power in politics. The movement carried out terrorist acts and sabotage against the Allende government, such as the murder of Arturo Araya Peeters.^[11] They attempted a strike in 1972, but failed. The movement had contact with Armored Regiments (Nº2), in which they attempted a coup in June 1973, with tanks in the streets and bomb attacks, in which it became known as “Tanquetazo”, which was also unsuccessful.^[5][12][13] After the failed coup attempt, he and other officials sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy, living in Quito for two months, returning to Chile clandestinely from Argentina.^[14][15]

Military dictatorship

He dissolved the movement after Pinochet's coup in 1973. He tried to gain Pinochet's trust, even though he disagreed with the economic policy adopted, which was liberal and he was corporatist.^[16] Pinochet ignored many of Rodríguez's advice and did not have much influence on the regime, even though he played a leading role in the coup that toppled Allende. He advised Pinochet not to respect the courts and crack down on Christian Democracy, saying that his supporters wanted the Junta Militar to fail and that the University of Chile became an "umbrella for Christian Democracy." He expressed his loyalty to the regime after saying: "I am the most modest soldier, the most humble, but the most loyal to this cause" and that: "...our position is one of absolute and unconditional support for the government".^[17]

In 1983, Rodríguez, Federico Willoughby-MacDonald and Gastón Acuña founded the National Action Movement (MAN), after the political opening in 1983 by minister Sérgio Onofre Jarpa. In 1987, the MAN disbanded after leader Federico Willoughby left the party.^[18]

1989 presidential candidate

Between 1988 and 1989 he tried to be a candidate for the presidency in the presidential elections by National Advance, in which he hoped to receive the support of the government, but he failed after the lack of support from sectors of the right (especially UDI and RN) and the government, in which he supported the candidacy of Hernan Buchi.^[19]

After Patricio Aylwin's victory in the 1989 elections, Pinochet called an urgent meeting in the city of La Moneda with some representatives, in which Rodríguez was one of them. He showed Pinochet a typewriter and introduced him by stating "With this typewriter I can write a letter by virtue of which this gentleman's election is legally null and void.", in which Pinochet looked at him silently, but then ignored.^[20]

Other later participations in politics

He focused on law after losing the 1989 election, in which, after defending Pinochet from criminal proceedings, he became the target of protests in 2006, against his terrorist past and his relationship with human rights violations, among others. On average, there were 500 people at the protest, in which protesters held up signs calling him a terrorist.^[21][22]

In the same (2006), they tried to reconstitute Fatherland and Liberty, but the proposal did not receive support and Rodríguez himself rejected it, stating: “Under my leadership, Fatherland and Liberty will never be reconstituted”.^[23]

Augusto Pinochet's lawyer

He was Pinochet's lawyer until his death in 2006.^[14] He defended Pinochet on the criminal charges that came under his rule, even though he was disappointed in Chilean justice.^[27] Pinochet died on December 10, 2006, leaving several cases pending.^[28]

Other cases

He is a partner at the law firm Rodríguez Vergara y Compañía, along with 3 other partners.^[36]

Rodríguez defended the savers of the union-run financial company La Familia, which had gone bankrupt in 1977, causing Rodríguez to issue an arrest warrant against Jaime Guzmán, being informed of the warrant at an airport, in which Rodríguez was criticized by unionists and Chicago boys.^[6][37]

He also defended walmart from accusations of violating the Consumer Protection Act in 2013, along with Pedro Pablo Vergara, in which he claimed the law came to establish 6 months before the lawsuit.^[38][39]

Judicial works

• Memoria: Estudio crítico de la porción conyugal y los bienes reservados de la mujer casada (1962).
• De la relatividad jurídica (1965);
• Teoría de la interpretación jurídica (1990);
• De las posesiones inútiles en la legislación chilena (1991 y 1995);
• La obligación como deber de conducta típica: la teoría de la imprevisión (1992);
• Instituciones de Derecho Sucesorio, volumen I (1993) y volumen II (1994);
• Inexistencia y nulidad en el Código Civil chileno (1995);
• Regímenes patrimoniales (1996 y 1997);
• El abuso del derecho y el abuso circunstancial (1998 y 1999);
• El derecho como creación colectiva (1999);
• Responsabilidad extracontractual (1999 y 2002);
• Estructura funcional del derecho (2001);
• Responsabilidad contractual (2003);
• Extinción convencional de las obligaciones, volumen I (2006);
• Sobre el origen, funcionamiento y contenido valórico del derecho, (2006);

Other works

• Entre la democracia y la tiranía (1972)
• Bálsamo de juventud: (poemas) (1975)
• ¿Democracia liberal o democracia orgánica? (1977)
• Perspectivas del proceso institucional chileno (1985) (coautor: René Abeliuk Manasevich);
• El mito de la democracia en Chile (1985);