Populism and Perón (1930-1955)

Support for the new military regime turned to disgust when it proved to be not only ineffective, but corrupt and heavy handed. Elections continued to be held during this infamous decade, as it came to be known, but were clearly rigged by the junta even as power passed back to civilian hands in 1938. Against a backdrop of economic stagnation, government repression, and a striking workforce, a renegade faction of military officers conspired to overthrow the government—which they did in 1943.

The military coup of 1943 met with public ambivalence. 10,000 troops stormed through the city to the Plaza de Mayo, but despite this impressive display the civilian population stayed home. No one knew quite what to think of the new regime, headed by General Edelmiro Farrell. Nobody expected that it would launch the career of the most remarkable politician Argentina had ever seen.

Colonel Juan Domingo Perón, one of the coup's organizers, got his first taste of real power as the head of President Farrell's labor department. An industrial workforce had emerged in Buenos Aires and other large cities across Argentina in the 1930s, working for long hours under abusive conditions and for little pay. These workers formed unions but had yet to gain representation in government. Perón's genius lay in cultivating the new urban working class as a power base, while maintaining his influence in the military and even making inroads into the middle class.

As minister of labor, Perón managed to improve the lives of workers, and in return gained their devotion. When Perón's rivals had him arrested and imprisoned 1945, hundreds of thousands of workers marched for his freedom in Buenos Aires and in other major industrial cities. Perón emerged that night on the balcony of the Casa Rosada, overlooking an enormous crowd of his roaring followers. He was a free man and more powerful than ever.

Perón won the election of 1946, the arguably cleanest since the 1920s, and embarked upon his program of "national unity". Famously saying that "we are all descamisados (shirtless ones)", he gave workers both symbolic dignity and some of the material benefits they craved, while at the same time bringing their unions under government control. He nationalized the railroads and other industries, strengthened the military, and spoke of a "third way"—neither communist or capitalist, simply Argentine.

Perón's hugely successful public relations campaign was buoyed by an economic boom during his first term, and by the efforts of his wife, who was soon to become a national legend. Eva Perón (also known as Evita) ignited crowds with her passionate speeches about poverty, women's rights, the evils of the ruling class, and the wonders of Perón. Her highly publicized acts of generosity, while benefiting only the lucky few, became a potent symbol of Perón's commitment to the working class and poor in general.

Perón granted women the right to vote in 1947 and their support helped assure his re-election in 1951, but the president would have a tough time of his second term. Tragically, Evita died of cancer in 1952 at age 33; many wanted to make her a saint, but the Pope refused. Meanwhile, the ugly underside of Perón's first term was coming back to haunt him: deficit spending had caused inflation to rise, the nationalized industries were running poorly, and a culture of corruption had permeated a rapidly expanding bureaucracy.

At the same time, Perón's progressive instincts and growing power were starting to get him into trouble with the church and the military, twin pillars of conservative Argentine power. He had legalized prostitution and challenged the church in countless other ways; when he tried to secularize the government in 1955 with a constitutional amendment, middle class Catholics hit the streets in revolt. Counter-protests by Peronist workers were strafed by rebel pilots sympathetic to the church, leaving over a hundred dead. In response, the Peronists looted several churches. Several weeks later, a military coup ousted Perón and forced him into exile abroad.

The Guerrilla Movement