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An update from Evaneos
Argentina

Between dictatorships and violence: a history of Argentina

It was the Spanish who first invaded Argentina...

From its discovery to the creation of Buenos Aires, the capital

The Spanish discovered Argentina during the 16th Century and proceeded to colonise the country. Then, in 1805, the English arrived and settled in Buenos Aires. With Spain losing global power due to the French occupation, Argentina declared its independence in 1816, the result of a civil war between loyalists and separatists. Between 1819 and 1829 it was the unitarians and federalists who locked horns. The unitarians wanted a unified state centred around Buenos Aires (which you must visit during your Argentinian holiday), whilst the federalists wanted the provinces to retain their power. Juan Manuel de Rosas took power and imposed an authoritarian regime that lasted from 1830 to 1852. Argentina remained divided until 1861. It was then that the internal conflicts began to subside and in 1880 Buenos Aires was declared the federal capital.

The country's economic development

In the decade that followed, the Argentinian economy grew, under Julio A. Roca's conservative government. Exports flourished and the country saw an increase in immigration. The regime began to democratise under pressure from the UCR (Radical Civic Union) and in 1912 the country adopted universal suffrage. Democratic reforms were introduced in response to demands from the working class.

History of Argentina

Years of violence

1930 saw the start of the 'Dirty War'. Argentina went through huge economic and social changes, as a result of the 1929 depression. Far right organisations quickly grew in power shortly before the 1937 presidential elections. In 1943 a group of nationalist officers, including Colonel Juan Domingo Peron, took power. The government promised the working class that land would be evenly distributed, wages would increase and a social security system put in place. They won the 1946 election. But Peron was overthrown by a military coup in 1955. Fondizi was elected President in 1958, with Peronist support. But in 1966, the military once again took over and chose a succession of Presidents. The country was torn apart by violence, strikes, riots and terrorist attacks, the economy plummeting all the while. Peron was re-elected in 1973 but died a year later. His wife, Isabel Peron, succeeded him. She was the first female President to be elected in modern Latin America.

The end of the Argentinian dictatorship.

After many a loss, the Argentinian dictatorship ceased in 1983. Raul Alfonsin was elected President, putting certain military chiefs on trial and re-organising the budget. Other governments came and went, none capable of improving the country's economic and social situation. The global financial crisis only made things worse. In 2001, the country saw an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which greatly affected meat exports on which the country was so reliant. In 2003, the Peronist Nestor Kirchner was elected. He refused the IMF's recommendations, which, according to him, would negatively affect a population already scarred by the economic crisis. His wife, Christina Kirchner, succeeded him in 2007 and since 2009 the economic situation has improved. 

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