JUAN PERÓN AND ARGENTINE POLITICS, 1946–1955

Juan Perón (1895–1974), the most popular leader in Argentina’s history, was born into a middle-class family. He graduated from the national military academy and made good progress as an army officer. Posted to Italy in the 1930s, he was quite impressed with fascism and especially with Benito Mussolini’s fascist economic policies. In 1943, back in Argentina, he joined a group of disgruntled army officers who seized power in a coup d’état. Initially Perón served as under-secretary of labor and welfare; later he became vice president and minister of war. In 1946 Perón was elected president, winning 54 percent of the vote. He immediately threw his support to the large labor unions and the urban workers. Perón insisted he was the new champion of the workers and encouraged them to strike for better wages and working conditions. This policy was immensely popular with the poorest Argentineans (the descamisados, or the shirtless ones).

Perón’s political philosophy, which he called Justicialism, was an amalgam of beliefs quite similar to fascism. Like the European fascists, Perón favored the military, promised a more equitable distribution of wealth, and urged national unity. Perón pledged to abolish civil strife, promote social justice, and ensure that the children would be the only privileged members of Argentinean society. Perón had little regard for civil liberties. He used the military and the labor unions to stifle political opposition. Perón’s greatest political asset was his second wife, Eva Duarte de Perón. Affectionately known as Evita, she had superb political instincts. Evita quickly became the most popular woman in Argentina because of her well-publicized charitable work among the poor.

Perón’s policies were popular enough to ensure that he was reelected president in 1951, winning 67 percent of the vote. In 1952, however, tragedy struck. Evita Perón, at thirty-three, died of cancer. Bereft of his best advisor and faced with deepening economic problems, Perón attacked the Roman Catholic Church, initiated an authoritative style of rule, and failed to root out corruption in his government. Perónism, though still popular with the descamisados, was increasingly distrusted by the military. In September 1955, the military forced Perón into exile and attempted to purge his supporters. The appeal of Perónism, however, did not die, and in 1972 Juan Peroón returned to Argentina. He won the presidential elections of 1973 and, along with his third wife, Isabel, whom he named vice president, appeared destined to recapture his old popularity. Ten months after his election on 1 July 1974, Juan Perón died. Isabel Perón succeeded him, but she was unable to overcome severe economic problems and was forced out of power by the military in l976. Perón’s political legacy is mixed. His authoritative style of rule assisted the military in governing Argentina in the 1980s. But his social legislation was popular enough to ensure that Carlos Saúl Menem, a Perónist, was elected president of Argentina in 1988 and reelected in 1995.
Suggestions for Term Papers
1. After reading Perón’s statement of Justicialism (see Suggested Sources), write a paper explaining his economic policies.
2. What exactly was Perón’s appeal? Why was Argentina in the 1940s ripe for a leader like Perón?
3. Who are the descamisados? Write a comparative study of their role in Perónist politics and in present-day politics.
4. How can one account for Evita’s popularity? Investigate her life and write a biographical sketch that focuses on reasons for her popularity in Argentina.
5. Investigate the circumstances that led the military to force Isabel Perón from power in 1976.
6. Compare and contrast the nature of the Perónist party of Carlos Saúl Menem with that of its founder. In what ways is the party different today? Why is this?

Research Suggestions

In addition to the boldfaced items, look under the entries for “The Nazi ‘Seizure of Power’ in 1933” (#24), “The Guatemalan Coup, 1954” (#50), and “The Overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile, 1973” (#76). Search under fascism. SUGGESTED SOURCES

Primary Sources

Perón, Eva. My Mission in Life. Translated by Ethel Cherry. New York: Vantage Press, 1953. A powerful reminder of how important Eva was to her husband’s appeal.

Perón, Juan Domingo. Perón Expounds His Doctrine. Buenos Aires, 1948. New York: AMS Press, 1973. Accessible selections of Perón’s speeches and writings.

———. Perónist Doctrine. Buenos Aires: Perónist Party, 1952. This contains the twenty truths of Justicialism.

Secondary Sources

Barager, Joseph R., ed. Why Perón Came to Power: The Background to Peronism in Argentina. New York: Knopf, 1968. This provides differing perspectives on Perón’s appeal during the 1940s.

Barnes, John. Evita, First Lady: A Biography of Eva Perón. New York: Grove Press, 1996. A brief but readable introduction to Evita.

Blanksten, George. Perón’s Argentina. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1953. Despite its age this is a good introduction to the initial Perón era (1946–1955).

Crassweller, Robert D. Perón and the Enigmas of Argentina. New York: W. W. Norton, 1987. A useful study that situates Perón and his policies in the context of Argentine history.

Di Tella, Guido. Argentina under Perón, 1973–76: The Nation’s Experience with a Labour-Based Government. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1983. A careful examination of the appeal of Perón among the descamisados.

Dujovne Ortiz, Alicia. Eva Perón. Translated by Shawn Fields. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996. A readable translation of a standard biography.

McGuire, James W. Peronism Without Perón: Unions, Parties, and Democracy in Argentina. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997. The most complete study of Perón’s political legacy.

Page, Joseph A. Perón. New York: Random House, 1983. This remains the best English-language biography.

Taylor, J. M. Eva Perón: The Myths of a Woman. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979. This study shows the enduring appeal of Evita in and beyond Argentina.

Turner, Frederick C., and José Enrique Miguens, eds. Juan Perón and the Reshaping of Argentina. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1983. A useful set of essays examining Perón’s influence on Argentina.