1946-1955 1972-1983






Argentina 1955-1972



In 1955 Peron was toppled by the army, and the constitution of 1873 reintroduced - a return to multiparty democracy. Juan Peron went into exile (to Franco's Spain, which Argentina in the years after the war had provided with credit when it was shunned by western nations).
The economy was liberalized, price controls were abolished. Improved relations with the USA resulted in the lifting of sanctions the USA had raised against the Peronist regime.The Argentine peso was devalued (1958).
In 1957 the military dictatorship was ended; ARTURO FRONDIZI emerged victorious in the elections. The economic policy under the military dictators again was revised, trade restrictions reimplemented in order to support the nascent Argentinian industry, a policy intended to placate the voters who used to vote Peronist. It produced little results.
Following a strong showing of the Peronists in the elections of 1962, the army intervened, arresting President Frondize and outlawing both the Peronist and Communist parties. The economic situation deteriorated, unemployment rose; the Argentine Peso was repeatedly devalued, Argentine's agricultural exports suffering from the EEC's agrarian policy of subsidizing European agriculture to reach self-sufficiency in food production. ARTURO ILLIA won the election of 1963; he cancelled the concessions held by foreign oil companies, which again lead to a decrease in foreign investment in Argentina. On the other hand, farm production and export of agricultural products expanded in 1963-1966.
An attempt by Juan Peron to return to Argentina in 1964 was prevented. To forestall another Peronist revival, military officers in 1966 staged a coup d'etat, forming a junta lead by Gen. JUAN CARLOS ONGANIA. He placed the universities under state control, to combat liberal and communist tendencies there. He also gave a new management to the state-owned transportation sector (railroad, ports) to break the influende of the (Peronist) unions. While the government's economic policy showed signs of success, a sinking inflation rate and rising revenue from exports, it lacked popular support. Student protests in Cordoba in May 1969 escalated in riots which lasted two days.
Ongania held on to his office until he was replaced by yet another military junta (June 10, 1970). However the junta failed to establish a working government, as the various non-Peronist factions were unwilling to cooperate with each other. In this situation, JUAN PERON was allowed to return.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from infoplease : Argentina
Historia del Pais, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, in Spanish, illustrated (on Argentina)
L'Argentina des de la caiguda de Peron fins a la Junta Militar (1955-1976), from La Pagina de la Historia, in Catalan (Argentina from the Fall of Peron to the Military Junta, 1955-1976)
DOCUMENTS Agreement Between the Argentine Republic and the Republic of Paraguay Concerning a Study of the Utilization of the Water Power of the Apipe Falls, signed at Buenos Aires, 23 January 1958, from International Water Law Project
REFERENCE David Rock, Argentina 1516-1987, Univ. of California Press, 1989, KMLA Lib. Call Sign 982 R682a
Daniel K. Lewis, The History of Argentina, Greenwood 2001, 240 pp., KMLA Lib. Call Sign 982 L673h
Article : Argentina, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1957 pp.116-117, 1958 pp.56-57, 1959 pp.57-58, 1960 pp.55-56, 1961 pp.58-59, 1962 pp.41-42, 1963 pp.161-163, 1964 pp.136-137, 1965 pp.143-144, 1966 pp.105-106, 1967 pp.107-109, 1968 pp.104-105, 1969 pp.111-112, 1970 pp.109-110, 1971 pp.103-104, 1972 pp.93-94, 1973 pp.89-90 [G]
Article : Argentina, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1970-1971 pp.733-742 (data of 1969-1970) [G]
Article : Argentina, in : Americana Annual 1957 pp.48-51, 1961 pp.48-50, 1962 pp.47-49, 1963 pp.62-64, 1964 pp.63-65, 1965 pp.80-82, 1967 pp.73-74, 1968 pp.68-70, 1969 pp.88-89, 1970 pp.92-93, 1971 pp.106-107, 1972 pp.106-108, 396 [G]
Article : Argentina, in : Funk & Wagnall's New Standard Encyclopedia Year Book 1961 pp.23-24 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on February 8th 2003, last revised on March 17th 2007

Click here to go Home
Click here to go to Information about KMLA, WHKMLA, the author and webmaster
Click here to go to Statistics