The Peron’s: A Political Dynasty

1. The Peron’s: A Political Dynasty By Nick Elders

2. The Trifecta of Power • Three members-Juan, Eva, and Isabel • Each had a lasting effect on Argentine politics • All three courted the masses for support Picture taken from http://www.almargen.com.ar/sitio/seccion/politica/fraude

3. El Lider, Juan Domingo Peron • Born October 8, 1895 in Lobos • Second child of Mario Tomas Peron and Juana Sosa Toledo • Mario was not married to Juana when Juan was born • Mario was the son of a doctor, and Juana was a servant • Mario and Juana married when Juan was six Picture taken from http://www.usatoday.com

4. Juan’s Military Career and First Marriage • At fifteen, entered the Colegio Militar de la Nacion, after having attended the Colegio Internacional de Olivos and the Colegio Internacional Politecnica • Graduated in 1913 with a commission as a sublieutenant of the infantry • In 1924, he left the Sargento Cabral officers’ school as a captain

5. The First Mrs. Peron • In 1925, Peron met Aurelia Tizon, whom he nicknamed Potota • When they married, Peron was almost thirty,while Aurelia was barely into her twenties • Aurelia so respected her husband that she called him only Commander • They tried to have children, but Juan was most likely sterile • In 1938, after 13 years of marriage, Aurelia died of Uterine Cancer • A year after Aurelia’s death, Peron embarked on a Military mission to Europe, which lasted from 1939 to 1941

6. Background of Argentina Argentina, the largest country in Latin America after Brazil, achieved its independence from Spain in 1816. The Argentine economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries developed based on the export of food such as wheat and meat and the importation of manufactured and luxury goods, largely coming from Europe. Industrial development was mostly restricted to meatpacking and refrigerating factories to facilitate the exports of food to distant markets. The arrival of immigrants from Europe provided the country with a rural working class and skilled urban labourers, which in turn fuelled a continuous increase in the agricultural output. European – and later US – capital was invested in developing the Argentine railways and meatpacking, communications and service industries, and Buenos Aires became a major port for exports. The ruling class in the country represented the land-owning families who defended the economic agro-exporting model, which enjoyed a sustained level of growth until the Great Depression of 1929.

7. The Infamous Decade (1930–43) As a result of the Depression, the prices of commodities plummeted and by 1933 they were at 50 per cent of their 1928 level. The drop in prices was less severe for manufactured than industrial goods. This situation eroded the terms of trade for Argentina, and it was not long before the country faced difficulties in affording the importation of the industrial and luxury goods which it did not produce.

8. The economic problems affecting the nation contributed to political instability and in 1930 caused the overthrow oft he Unión Cívica Radical (UCR; Radical Party) democratic government, led by Hipólito Yrigoyen, by army officers with popular support. This event was followed by a period of autocratic conservative rule known as the ‘Infamous Decade’, The Great Depression Economic crisis that began in the USA in 1929 with the collapse of the stock market, and which led to the financial ruin of banks in Europe and the USA and impacted on economies worldwide during the 1930s.11 PROOF •which, despite its name, extended for 13 years. Argentine Presidents came to office eitherthrough coups d’état or fraud in elections. The period inaugurated by the 1930 coup brought many changes to the Argentine economy and society. Although the immediate economic effects of the Depression were relatively short-lived, it became clear that there was a need to overcome the country’s economic vulnerability. The governments after 1930 began to develop national industries to substitute importations and reduce dependency. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the idea that Argentina needed to gain economic independence was strengthened During the Infamous Decade, traditional political parties were banned from participating in elections; opponents to the regime were persecuted, imprisoned and tortured. Corruption was widespread. People lost faith in the political system and rejected the prevailing corruption and government impunity.

9. Long-term factors • Govts of the Infamous Decade very unpopular • lack of genuine democracy and the widespread corruption prevailing during those years. At a political level, we could add that the middleclass felt their voices were not heard; intellectuals felt politically frustrated, since they couldn’t voice their thoughts and were unable to fight against fraud and nepotism. • the working class lacked the organization – and perhaps even the political awareness – to fight against this system, while the middle class had not yet found a leading figure to organize the opposition. • Juan Perón is best known as the first political figure to address effectively the many problems of the working class. Governments before 1943 had done very little to grant the social legislation that protected workers in other countries. No laws protecting workers’ • rights existed, to the advantage of employers. Labour movements and socialist parties had limited political participation and had not brought about significant changes in these conditions.

10. Buenos Aires ruled over the country. This • rule was not only in political terms, but also in economic terms. The railroads designed • by the British in the 19th century connected the provinces to Buenos Aires, but not the • provinces to each other. • Levels of illiteracy and malnutrition very high in the interior migration to Buenos Aires poor living and working conditions

11. Short term factors • 1939 WW2 broke out- Argentina declared its neutrality in the conflict. • Great Britain welcomed this declaration because, as neutral vessels, the Argentine ships • could continue to sail and supply Allied Europe without facing attacks from the enemy. • However, after its entry into the war in 1941, the USA began to put pressure on the • Argentine government to break diplomatic relations with the Axis. The Argentines were • divided between those who wanted to declare war against the Axis and those who felt that • Argentina should maintain its tradition of neutrality. Although there was a small group who • sympathized with the Axis, represented, for example, by certain circles in the armed forces, • they did not openly express this and tended to join those who favoured neutrality

12. On 4 June 1943, the military intervened in the political life of Argentina again, leading a • coup that overthrew President Ramón S. Castillo and ended the Infamous Decade. The • ostensible aim was to prevent another fraudulent election from taking place. However, there • were other reasons for the coup. Some sectors of the armed forces had grounds to believe • that the candidate who would have won the elections by fraud had intentions of declaring war against the Axis.

13. The armed forces interfered in political life to prevent this from • happening and to continue with the position of neutrality. This position was interpreted • both within the country as well as by the USA as an implicit support of the Axis.

14. GOU- United Officer’s Group • They claimed they had come to end corruption and fraud and to restore the Argentine constitution. • • They believed that Argentina had to develop its national industry and strengthen its defences. • • Fearful of the possible expansion of communism after the end of World War II, they considered it was better to introduce improvements in the living and working conditions of employees from above, to avoid them being attracted by left-wing ideas. • • At an international level, they defended the idea that Argentina should remain in a position of neutrality towards the war and resisted US pressure to declare war on the Axis.

15. Peron’s rise to political power • When he returned from Europe, Peron joined the Grupo de Oficiales Unidos, a group that sympathized with the fascists • 1943- Peron helps oust President Ramon Castillo and is made undersecretary of war and chief of staff of the military under General Pedro Pablo Ramirez • Also made the director of the National Department of Labor, which he changed into the Secretariat of Welfare and Labor

16. Peron’s rise continues • As he rose through the political ranks, Peron garnered more clout with the working classes • He played a key role in ending the Ramirez administration and putting General Edelmiro Farrell in power • Under Farrell, Peron was the Secretary of Labor and Welfare, Minister of War, and Vice-President • Peron was rumored to have the real power at this time • It was during this period that, at a benefit for earthquake victims in Nicaragua, he met his second wife, Eva

17. Eva Maria Duarte de Peron • Born May 7, 1919 in Los Toldos • Fifth child and fourth daughter of Juana Ibarguren, a Basque cook, and Juan Duarte, a wealthy land owner • Juan and Juana never married, so Eva was illegitimate • Juan had a wife, Estela Grisolia and three daughters in Chivilcoy • He left Juana and her brood in 1920 and died in a car accident on January 8, 1926

18. Eva’s Early Years

19. Eva’s Early Years • Eva was always conscious of her status as an illegitimate child, and wanted to rise above it • She resolved to become a great actress to do it • She ran away to Buenos Aires with a tango singer, Augustin Magaldi, at fifteen • Magaldi was the first of Eva’s many lovers, whom she used to get ahead in the world • She ended her habit of dating and discarding men when she met Peron

20. Peron – Secretary of labour and Welfare • The process of industrialization that began in the early 1930s caused a rush of internal • migration – that is people moving within a country – from the countryside to the major • cities in search of employment in the factories. This exponential growth met with severe • problems in terms of housing and the very poor living conditions for those arriving to join • the urban workforce, many of whom did not find jobs fast enough. Consequently, slums • developed outside the industrial areas of the large cities, but the government provided • them with very little social assistance. Also, trade unions were poorly prepared to absorb • the masses of workers, of which only a limited number had unionized before 1943. The • urban and rural workers, now formed largely by native Argentines rather than immigrants, • felt their interests and needs were not taken into account either by the government nor • the trade union leaders. This is significant because native Argentines, as opposed to • immigrants, could vote.

21. His work as Secretary of Labour and Welfare, from November 1943 to • October 1945, achieved far more for the workers that anything the unions had achieved • since 1930. Instead of repressing the workers, as the government had done in the past, or • allowing them to be attracted by the leftist political parties, Perón listened to them and • acted upon their demands and needs. His reforms included

22. Improvement in labour legislation (such as the establishment of labour courts to rule in • conflicts between employers and employees). • • Regulations against arbitrary job dismissal. • • The right to paid holidays for workers. • • Regulations covering the apprenticeship of minors. • • Retirement benefits for workers. • • New syndicates were created for those economic activities that had not been unionized • before. • • Commissions were formed by representatives of workers and employers to negotiate • matters related to work conditions and pay. • • Wages were increased. • • The passing of the Peasant Statute: for the first time, rural workers were unionized and • their working and living conditions subject to the law rather than to the goodwill of • their employers. • • Other measures included the freezing of the rent paid on fields to the owners and the • suspension of peasants’ evictions.

23. How did Peron’s work as Secretary of Labour contribute to his rise • There are two main reasons why Peron’s role in the Secretariat of Labour strengthened • his position. First, the fact that Perón fulfilled many of the demands of the unions meant • that traditional left-wing parties, which claimed to represent the interests of the workers, • lost their appeal. Workers realized that it was more likely that conflicts were resolved and • demands met if they went to Perón and accepted his role in the negotiations. Second, • and equally important, was the extent to which Perón was personally associated with the • newly acquired rights. This meant that the workers – who feared the loss of their benefits – • became unconditional supporters of Perón

24. Perón: Minister of War and Vice-President In January 1944, Argentina abandoned its neutrality and broke relations with the Axis. Argentina only declared war on the Axis in 1945, the year the war ended. This shift in policy led to President Ramírez’s resignation and the appointment of General Edelmiro Farrell as President. As a consequence of these changes in cabinet, Perón took office in the War Ministry (without abandoning his position of Secretary of Labour), which had been under the command of now President Farrell. Perón launched a massive expansion of the armed forces. He increased both the army’s size and its budget: the army’s manpower tripled by 1945 and army expenditure more than doubled between 1943 and 1945. He ordered the purchase of new military equipment, expanded local factories for the production of military material, raised officers’ pay and improved military barracks and living quarters. These policies gained Perón the support of the army. In July 1944, Perón also became Vice-President of Argentina

25. Influences on Peron’s thoughts • One great influence on Perón was his time serving in the military. Life in the army gave • Perón the opportunity to travel across Argentina and to witness the hardships of the • provinces first hand. This experience made Perón very aware of the conditions of inequality • in the country. He came to the conclusion that if those conditions were not redressed by the • government, a violent revolution following the Bolshevik example could follow. • Military values also played a part in shaping Perón’s thoughts. Discipline and a sense of • ‘spiritual unity’ – the idea that one single thought had to dominate the entire group and • that disagreement should not be tolerated – were important to him. As you shall see, his • domestic policies were planned accordingly.

26. The influence of Catholicism • The members of the GOU were Catholics and, as such, shared with the Catholic Church • in Argentina the view that the conditions of the working class needed attention. They also • believed that remedying social injustice was an effective tool to prevent the expansion • of revolutionary ideologies such as Marxism, which were strongly anti-religious. Perón legitimized his ideas by echoing the Catholic doctrine with his ideas of solidarity. He was • aware of the importance of the Church in the largely Catholic Argentine society, and • contributed to the Catholic cause by promoting the inclusion of religious education at • schools, which in turn, granted him the support of the Church.

27. The influence of contemporary ideologies • Perón’s trip to Europe between 1939 and 1941 allowed him to come into contact with the • Nazi regime in Germany and with Mussolini’s fascism in Italy. He imitated some of the • aspects of these right-wing ideologies which, at the time of Perón’s visit, were experiencing • popularity at home. In the same way as Perón felt attracted by some features of European • fascism, he rejected Marxist ideas as well as liberalism. He preferred to describe his • movement as a ‘Third Position

28. Social justice: The integration of the working classes • Peron made constant reference to the concept of ‘social justice’. Like many of the elements • in Peronist thought, this was not a new idea. The term refers to the idea that wealth or • privileges in a society had to be distributed to achieve a fairer order. • In order to avoid huge gaps between the different social classes, Perón thought that the state • should share and distribute wealth with discipline. In Perón’s words: ‘We aim at eliminating • class struggle, replacing it by a fair agreement between workers and employers under the • law which derives from the state’. Most of the labour reforms carried out by the Secretariat • of Labour and Welfare were attempts to bring about social justice

29. Political sovereignty: The role of the state in society • In the light of the social conflicts that needed to be addressed, Perón gave great importance • to the role of the state. Under the governments that had preceded the 1943 coup, the state • had represented the interests of a specific social class, the landowners. Perón proposed a • change in how the state stood in relation to the different social classes. It was the role of the • state to determine the aims of the country and mobilize all necessary resources to achieve • them. The state stood above all social classes and was understood as the engine of progress. • As such, it had to play an active part in social and economic developments, mediating • where interests clashed.

30. Economic independence: An appeal to nationalistelements • Autarky • Nationalisation of foreign companies • Protectionist policies

31. Juan and Eva become a Team • Eva became Juan’s mistress shortly after they met • In October of 1945, however, Juan was arrested by the president and sent to a secret location that even Eva didn’t know • The people came to his aid and staged a rally to free him, which worked • Shortly after his release, Juan married Eva, which legitimized her in a way • Together, they planned for Juan’s run at the presidency in 1946

32. President and First Lady • Juan was elected to his first term as president in 1946 • Eva was now the first lady, the most powerful woman in Argentina • The rich had a hard time accepting her, as evidenced by the Charitable Society, a women’s organization, denying Eva the honorary position of President • Eva retaliated against this by cutting of the society’s federal funding and starting her own foundation, The Eva Peron Foundation

33. In 1946, Juan Perón ran for president with the help of his wife Eva Durate de Perên. The impact Perón had on Argentina’s political parties. Perónism, which is the name given to Perón’s party is the largest political party in Argentina.). His party was mainly based on rapid growth in the industrialization and making the economy selfsufficient Perón’s goal in making the country economical selfsufficient may have looked good to the people of Argentina, but that view only lasted a short time. The economy eventually started to suffer and Perón was blamed for many of the mistakes in the economy. He was later forced out of the country by the military. Even though he was thrown out of the country, he still remained popular. During his presidency he was not the only person to become popular, his wife Eva became very popular with the working class.

34. Eva becomes the friend of the poor • Eva’s foundation helped the poor get jobs, food, clothing, money, and anything else they could want • There are no financial records for the foundation, so it is not known how much money was taken in and how much was kept • The people adored Eva for what she did for them,a and considered her a saint

35. Eva’s involvement with the working class reflected on Juan’s presidency. She was actively involved in social aid programs, that were meant to help the working class of Argentina. • During Juan’s presidency she created the Social Aid Foundation, where she would hand out charities personally Eva’s achievements did not end there, she also won women in Argentina the right to vote in 1947 Eva’s was involved also in equalizing work and pay for women in Argentina Eva was just as much influential in Argentina’s history as Juan was and was greatly missed upon her death during Juan’s presidency.

36. The Rainbow Tour • Eva decided to go to Europe to push Peron’s policies in other countries, in hopes of making alliances with the more powerful heads of state • Spain was her first stop, and while there, she received the highest honor from Francisco Franco, the cross of Isabella the Catholic • Franco declared a holiday so the workers could see Eva

38. Italy and the rest of the tour • Italy was slightly colder than Spain and more disappointing • Eva had hoped that the pope would honor her with a Marquisette for her work with the poor • She got a twenty minute audience and a gold rosary instead • Eva next went to Paris and made quite a splash there • The tour was to culminate with her staying in Buckingham Palace with the royal family, but they wouldn’t officially invite her, so she decided against going to Great Britain

40. Perón’s relationship with the United States reflected the ideas of his political party the Perónist. He dislike the United States involvement in world affairs and their involvement in war trade. United States did not support the Perónist party because they were based on European fascist and communism. Perón did not argue on • many of the same issues as the United States, so this put a major boundary between the two countries. Perón stated this “We are not anitAmerican, but we do not desire to march to the beat of foreign drums”. This statement not only talks about the United States, he also refers to the rest of the world. Perón wanted to have a selfsufficient country, so this affected his image the rest of the world had on him. Imagine the rest of the world had on Perón, did not affect the image and popularity he had in Argentina. This helped Perón become president for the second time in Argentina

41. Once in office, Perón pursued social policies aimed at empowering the working class. He greatly expanded the number of unionized workers and supported the increasingly powerful General Confederation of Labor (CGT), created in 1930. He called his movement the "third way," or justicialismo, a supposed path between capitalism and communism. Later populist/nationalist leaders in Latin America would adopt many elements of Peronism. Perón also pushed hard to industrialize the country. In 1947 he announced the first five-year plan to boost newly nationalized industries. His ideology would be dubbed Peronism and became a central influence in Argentine political parties.

42. Who opposed Peron? • Middle and upper class Argentines, Perón's pro-labor policies were considered far too socialistic. Negative feelings among the upper classes also abounded toward the industrial workers from rural areas. Perón also made enemies internationally because of his willingness to shelter fleeing Nazi war criminals, like Erich Priebke who arrived in Argentina in 1947, Josef Mengele who arrived in 1949 and Adolf Eichmann in 1950

43. Consolidation of power • He dissolved all the forces that had supported him and replaced them with a single party- Partido Unica de la Revolucion. • This party was under his control and a part of the atate apparatus • Dissolution of Labour Party was met with resistance, Luis Gay, the leader was removed from leadership • Cipriano Reyes was arrested and tortured and remained imprisoned until Peron’s fall in 1955 for opposing him

44. Candidates for different offices were appointed by Peron without consultations or elections. Once appointed, they had to vote with the party • Disciplining the unions: • Ordered all trade unions to become members of the official CGT- those who opposed were persecuted and imprisoned

45. Political parties found it difficult to work in Congress. • Opposition had limited access to the media, their meetings were frequently disbanded by the police. • Those who opposed were expelled from the legislative • Civil servants had to become members of the Peronist Party to keep their jobs. • Criminal laws were passed to discourage expression of dissent and participants in any strike that the govt. declared illegal were punished.

46. 1948-Peronist Party won the parliamentary elections with 62% of the votes • Peron obtained approval to call for a Constituent assembly to reform the constitution

47. 1949 constitution • Social rights-(for working class) • State could decide on the goods to be exported and imported and fix the price • Special place to family-protect marriage, assist mothers and children, elderly were legal responsibility of their families. • Public services were nationalised • All sources of energy were national property • Property and capital had to fulfil a social role and belong to those who would work them

48. Social policies • Centralizing social policies to make more efficient and aid available to all argentines • 1948- cetralize social aid through a new and parallel organization- Fundacion Eva Peron • FEP focussed on welfare of children and elderly, healthcare, housing, recreation • Provision of working tools • Educational facilities, hospitals with modern facilities and houses built in working class suburbs

49. Orphanages, elderly homes and worker’s resorts • Nursing school established • Sanitation campaign organised • Hospital train that travelled across Argentina- to detect cases of malnutrition, perform surgery, vaccination campaigns, preventive measures • Individuals assisted by govt to gain skills- training and necessary equipment to work

50. Status of women • 1947- women given right to vote • No massive campaign for women to join the labour force- catholic views