Download The Rise and Fall of Juan Peron

THE RISE OF JUAN PERON
1943-1955
RISE TO POWER
 Peron first became part of the Argentine government in
1943 (Grupo de Officiales Unidos – GOU)
 The GOU was made up of army officers frustrated with
civilian government because:
1. THE ARGENTINE SYSTEM OF GOV AT THE TIME
WAS NOT WORKING
Officially a democracy, but some political parties were
banned, opponents persecuted, leaders came to power
through coups, fraud and corruption were common
2. ECONOMIC PROBLEMS THAT HAD BEEN MADE
WORSE BY THE GREAT DEPRESSION
Agrarian economy that wasn’t modern, diverse or industrial.
Price of imports was high, land-owning elite reluctant to
reform the economy and risk losing their power
RISE TO POWER
3. LARGE SOCIAL DIVISIONS
Resentment by the middle and working classes (descamisados –shirtless
ones). GOU, and Peron in particular, were able to use this resentment to
united the people against a perceived common enemy.
4. FEAR OF COMMUNISM
There was fear that the socio-economic conditions of a chaotic Argentina
could lead to the rise of communism, as in Russia in 1917. The GOU
successfully exploited these fears to advance their own ideas.
5. SUPPORT FOR GOU POLICIES BY FRUSTRATED MASSES
Many Argentines were from Italy and Germany and they admired the
order and progress brought by Hitler and Mussolini to those countries, so
tendencies by the GOU and Peron in this direction were supported.
RISE TO POWER
 The GOU led a coup d’etat against the Castillo
government, which brought an end to the ‘Infamous
Decade’ and signaled the start of a military
dictatorship.
 Peron was appointed the Minister of Labor and
gained popularity through his charisma and use of
benefits and incentives – quickly became VicePresident
 Other members of the GOU felt threatened and
distrusted his populist policies – had Peron jailed.
- supporters staged massive anti-government
protests, which led to his release
Small farms
ruined by
GD
Started ISI
policies
Rise of
popular
discontent
Coup of
1943 by
GOU
Economic
crisis
RISE TO POWER
When Peron ran for election in 1946, he used Argentine nationalism
to gain further support. Attempts by the US Ambassador to label him
a fascist only served to make him more popular (since the “common
enemy” was the US and foreign powers)
Reasons for Rise to Power
(Long-Term)
Reasons for Rise to Power
(Short-Term)
• Corrupt and ineffective government during
the ‘Infamous Decade’
• Economic problems caused by Great
Depression
• Social divisions brought on by economic
problems
• Exploitation of popular fears of communism
• Ideological approval of GOU policies
• Charisma and strength
• Ability to capitalize on resources granted him
by his position as Minister of Labor –
development of strong relationship with
trade unions, working classes
• Use of nationalism, particularly building on
resentment of economic dependence on
foreign powers
MAINTAINING POWER
There were 3 primary ways in which Peron maintained power in Argentina:
Fear
Gain
Belief
FEAR
 National Liberating Alliance (paramilitary org) was used to intimidate opponents and
force them into exile.
 Effective on members of middle class, academics and intellectuals (started to resent
Peron’s focus on the working class)
 Close relationship with organized labor ensured that working dissidents could be
weeded out and sent to jail.
MAINTAINING POWER
The popularity of Peron’s
wife, Eva, helped to
boost his own appeal
among the Argentine
people.
GAIN
 Peron successfully provided many short-term, immediate benefits
to workers who rewarded him with committed support.
 Benefits included pensions, improved healthcare, better education (none of which
had been previously accessible to the descamisados)
 Began process of industrialization with the intent to rid Argentina from foreign
influence (started ISI measures that were initially successful, but unsustainable)
 Used budget surplus from post-WWII years to institute a series of spending
initiatives that won him a lot of support (nationalization of foreign-owned central
bank, bought US-owned telephone network, bought French-owned dock yards,
bought British-owned railroads, paid of foreign debts) – part of Justicialismo
MAINTAINING POWER
 He also increased military budgets and offered industrialists
lucrative government contracts – Peron basically bought the
loyalty of a wide proportion of the Argentine people.
BELIEF
The belief, and support, of Peron was held up by 3 things:
1. his charisma (very charming, relatable, empathetic)
2. his wife, Eva (former actress, started Eva Peron Foundation that focused on
education, healthcare and women’s initiatives)
3. the political dogma of Justicialism0 (belief in reaching a compromise between
achieving social justice and freeing the country from foreign influence – basically
the belief that he would protect the masses from exploitation while ensuring
that all “enemies” were prevented from standing in the way of Argentina’s
destiny of greatness. Also known as “Peronism”.