1955-1972 1983-1991






Argentina 1972-1983



In 1972 the military government decided to return to civilian rule. General JUAN PERON was pardoned; age 77, he returned from Spanish exile and won the 1973 elections, appointing his wife Isabel vice president. Peron died in 1974, succeeded by his wife Isabel.
Argentina experienced a recession, an increasing inflation, a depreciation of her currency. The military government already had found it difficult to keep up law and order; hopes that the charismatic septuagenarian Peron could reestablish law and order and revive the economy were disappointed.
Episodic unrest among the students, which had peaked in the occupations of the city of Cordoba by the latter in 1969 and 1971, were blamed on communism, partially foreign-influenced (charismatic communist rebel ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA had been born in Argentina). Organizations such as the MONTONEROS and the REVOLUTIONARY ARMY OF THE PEOPLE sought to establish social justice by overthrowing the government and political system. The most notorious act of the Montoneros was the 1970 abduction and murder of ex-General Pedro Aramburu, who had lead the government 1955-1958.
Measures by state authorities against real and suspected subversives in 1975-1983 escalated into what is generally referred to as the DIRTY WAR; legal procedures were often disregarded, 10,000s of victims simply disappeared. A policy at least condoned by US authorities.
The economy went from bad to worse, the inflation rate reaching 1000 % in 1975; president Isabel Peron was impeached. In 1976 the military again took power; General Videla assumed the presidency in 1976. The dirty war intensified, the ERP virtually eliminated in 1976.
In 1977 the MOTHERS OF THE PLAZA DEL MAYO, mothers of persons whose disappearance was blamed to the state authorities (in the Dirty War), began to organize peaceful, silent protest. In 1978 the soccer world cup was held in Argentina, the home team winning the final against favourite Netherlands 3-1 in overtime. After the turbulent year 1975 the economic situation somewhat stabilized; the Argentine currency losing only about half her value per annum until 1978, even less until 1980. In 1981 President General Videla handed over power to General Viola; facing public opposition, he soon resigned, succeeded by General LEOPOLDO GALTIERI. Galtieri sought to gain popularity by distributing food to the needy. The economy was in a freefall, the inflation rate reaching 5,000 %. General Galtieri sought to distract the Argentinos from the desparate economic situation by focussing on border disputes; assuming that Britain might not want to go to war over the disputed FALKLAND ISLANDS (Islas Malvinas in Argentinian diction), he ordered Argentine forces to occupy the islands (April 2nd 1982). The ensuing war, from Argentinian view, was a disaster; the British counterinvasion May 21th made quick progress; the Argentinian forces on the islands surrendered on June 14th. Galtieri offered his resignation. In 1983 elections were held and Argentina returned to civilian rule.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from infoplease : Argentina
Historia del Pais, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, in Spanish, illustrated (on Argentina)
Website Madres del Plaza del Mayo, in Spanish; English version in preparation
Presidencia Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri 1981-1982, Civiles e Militares, 1955-1983, from Todo Argentina, in Spanish
Jonathan Mann, Macabre new details emerge about Argentina's Dirty War, 1996, from CNN News
Ronald Hilton, Argentina : an Argentine View of the Military on the Dirty War, the Montoneros etc.
The Tragedy of Argentina, from National Vanguard, 1984
L'Argentina des de la Junta Militar fins al retorn de la democracia (1976-1986), from La Pagina de la Historia, in Catalan (Argentina from the Military Junta to the Return of Democracy)
CASCON Case CAR : Chile-Argentina (Beagle Channel) 1977-85, by L.P. Bloomfield, L. Moulton
CASCON Case FAM : Falklands (Malvinas) 1982-, by L.P. Bloomfield, L. Moulton
DOCUMENTS F.A. Harris, Fighting the Dirty War, 1977, from AFSA
National Security Archive : Files on Argentina's Dirty War declassified
Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay: Agreement on Parana River Projects (Done at President Stroessner City, Paraguay, October 19, 1979) from International Water Law Project
Estimates of Death Toll in Dirty War, posted by Matthew White, scroll down for Argentina
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 1974 pp.97-98, 1975 pp.84-85, 1976 pp.138-139, 1977 pp.142-143, 1978 pp.198-199, 1979 pp.197-198, 1980 pp.191-192, 1981 pp.191-192, 1982 pp.192-193, 1983 pp.188-190, 1984 pp.185-187 [G]
Article : Argentina, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1975-1976 pp.743-752, 1975-1976 pp.750-760, 1978-1979 pp.88-97, 1979-1980 pp.87-95, 1980-1981 pp.87-95, 1981-1982 pp.87-95, 1983-1984 pp.89-95 [G]
Article : Argentina, in : The World in Figures 1st ed. 1976 pp.108-110, 2nd ed. 1978 pp.108-110 [G]
Article : Argentina, in : Americana Annual 1973 pp.99-101, 1974 pp.97-98, 336, 1976 pp.94-95 [G]
Article : Argentina, in : Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia Year Book 1983 pp.74-76 [G]
Article : Argentina, in : Yearbook on International Communist Affairs, 1976, pp.431-438 (Robert J. Alexander), 1980 pp.317-321 (R.J.A.) [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on February 9th 2003, last revised on March 17th 2007

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