2. Social
• Status of women
• Education
• Arts, media and cenzorship
• Propaganda
3. Economic policies
• producer of raw materials when Europe was
recovering from war.
• accumulated revenues in its foreign accounts
from its exports during WWII.
• plenty resources and strong demand for A.’s
goods economy was in a positive direction
4. Economic policies
Economic aims – independent Argentina:
• autarky: repatriation of foreign debt + transfer
of foreign-owned companies to the state
• strong state presence in the economy
• nationalism: own industries: armament and
heavy industry
– aimed at full-employment rates
5. Economic policies
Policies implemented:
• protectionism: tariffs on imported goods
• state subsidies to new industries
• nationalization: railway, gas, power plants (from the
wartime profits)
• state control of river and air transportation (taken away
from private companies)
• export control of meat, grains: state bought directly from
producers at fix price and sold it on international markets
for much more
• state control of currency exchange
• nationalization of the Central Bank of Argentina: designed
the banking policies all banks had to follow
7. Economic policies
1946-48:
• construction industry expanded – thanks to
the govt investments in public works
• exports increased
– more money to buy the essential imports for
industrialization
• working class living standards increased
• in 1948: industry output surpassed
agricultural output
8. Economic policies
Questionable policies:
• wage increases: w/o considering if all sectors made
enough to pay for them
• price controls – to keep prices low (while increasing
salaries) many problems
– rise of salaries: production costs increased
– producers not allowed to sell at higher prices:
• stopped producing
• or sold their products on the black market for higher prices (to cover
their increasing costs)
• currency revaluation (making the peso stronger)
– OK, imports are more affordable,
– but what about export revenues??? A. products are now a lot
more expensive for foreigners
9. Economic policies
Agricultural output fell, because of:
• taxes, control of exports, currency revaluation
this led to a smaller export rev. less money
to buy imported capital goods less industrial
progress
rising levels of prices and inflation
State companies were making losses had to
be covered from the govt budget (increasing its
expenditures)
10. Economic policies
1951 – because of the above mentioned problems:
• agricultural export regulations made more flexible to
promote growth
• policies to attract foreign investments accepted US
participation in exploiting A. subsoil
– for this he had to give up his ideology of autarky and nationalization
• so the economic problems were really huge!
• opponents: immediate criticizims – about letting US investors
in
– reminded P. that the 1949 constitution prohibited the transfer of energy resources to foreign hands
• biggest mistake:
– they thought that the comparative advantage that A. had in the early days would be enjoyed
infinitely BUT
• Europe recovered very fast from the WWII
• wartime profits were spent on nationalization
• Cold War did not develop into WWIII A. is not needed that much as a supplier of primary
products
These problems led to social unrest and the rise of the
opposition.
11. • Source P – pic of workers in a car factory
• Source Q – „New Argentina” not so new
ideologies of policymakers choosing the „Third
Way” (between capitalism and communism)
Economic policies
12. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
since 1946: workers living conditions rose, but
also, the economy wasn’t doing great…
13. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
after 1951: the economic problems led to the
opposition’s rise
• the living standard of the middle class was not really improved
– the freezing of the rents made their extra income freeze as
well
• landowning class: lot of their export revenues taken away
• industrialists experienced tight control of imports
• economic problems slowly began to be felt on the working class
too trade unions organized strikes
• financial difficulties – negotiations to attract foreign investment
that goes completely against original Peronism!!!
• „The Peronist dream of a united nation showed signs of rifts.” p.
44
14. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
What was the govts response to this
situation???
• increased persecution of opponents
• limited the freedom of speech
• reinforced the cult of the Leaders Eva and
Perón
• P. wanted to make Eva Vice-President
– bad reaction from traditionalist armed
forces, middle, upper classes
15. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
• Eva stepped down (perhaps because of her cancer OR the
pressure on Perón).
• Sep 1951: attempted coup by General Benjamin Menéndez
– failed.
• as a response P. declared „internal state of war” could
suspend constitutional freedoms and increased his power
• 1952 summer: P. re-elected for the 2nd time
• 26 July 1952: Eva Perón dies of cancer – her supporters
devastated her cult grew to near-religios highs
irritating the Catolic Church and the more traditional armed
forces Catholic groups started to organize themselves
politically P. felt threatened imprisoned Catholic
priests, closed Catholic newspapers and banned religious
processions.
16. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
Source A - Perón and the Church: first for each
other then competitors, later enemies.
17. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
• April 1953: CGT demonstration for P. – bomb – 5 dead
• in response Jockey Club attacked by extreme Peronists
• June 1955: Corpus Christi Day– Catholics accused of
burning an Argentina flag – they said it was the police
to provoke people against them
• navy and armed forces bombarded the Presidential
Palace hundreds of civils dead, P. alive.
• Peronists set Churches and anti-Peronist buildings on
fire
• Perón offers his resignation and fires some of the govts
key people – not enough for the opposition.
18. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
Perón did nor react:
• as a military man, he didn’t want to go against
the military
• did not want to antagonize the enemy and
lose his supporters from the army that was
still loyal to him
• did not want more chaos, especially not a civil
war between: Peronists and non-Peronists
31 Aug 1955: CGT domnstration for P.
19. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
Source B: P’s speech: „To violence we will
respond with a greater violence”
Liberating Revolution: 16 Sep 1955 Perón’s govt
fell taken over by a military junta P.
escaped to Paraguay and stayed there till 1973.
Source C – pic of the Liberating Revolution on
the Plaza de Mayo
20. The rise of opposition and the fall of
Perón
HW: Student Study Section pp.48-49
