Juan Domingo Peron
1) 1) Origins, Development and nature of the regime
· Juan Peron was democratically elected to the presidential office in 1946, but soon turned his position into that of a dictator. Before he assumed office though, there was a large dissent between the working class and the upper class. When Peron was in power he worked to connect with the lower classes and established the Peronist Party creating a devout following. This movement was aided by his wife and her work with the people as well.
o Once Peron took power, he worked to reform argentina socially and agriculturely. He implemented minimum wage, caps on work hours, benefits, and with help from Eva, a connection to the working class. What this did was form a very large base of support that would have a hard time protesting the authoritarian state down the road. For the people it would be hard to turn against the leader that provided them with so much.
o Eva’s influence over the people placed Peron on a pedestal. He had the ability to act how he wanted without taking heat from the public. Eva played a large role in how Peron remained so popular, even after jailing and torturing political opponents. She provided the humanitarian aspect to Peron’s administration, creating endless propaganda that benefitted his image. The people loved Eva no matter what and in turn they loved Juan Peron and his administration, even if it was dictatorial.
o This picture depicts the power Eva had in Argentina, and how she somewhat overshadowed Juan.
o As a Colonel, Peron was very connected to the military during his beginnings in argentine politics. But in addition to this military background he had a fascination with Nazi culture, and the fascists in general. This type of idolization infers authoritarian behavior, because the Nazis and other fascist regimes were just that, authoritarian dictatorships. And with the background he had in the military, the authoritarian state was inevitable.
· Aims of Juan Peron
o Peron was a complex leader. Many argue that he was a fascist, but at the same time he worked tirelessly for the rights of the workers, presenting a socialist aspect to his leadership. One aim he was fervent about was that every argentine must pull his/her own weight for Argentina as a whole. He wished to make a new Argentina different from the Argentina of previous administrations.
o Peron wanted to create a new Argentina.
§ He sought to bring more equality to the people, replacing the exploitation of capitalism, with a fairer socialist system in which all those that contribute can share the wealth
§ He sought economic independence. He wanted this for one, because of the foothold England already had in Argentina, with the railways and the Falkland Islands. He didn’t want Argentina to be reliant upon any powerful countries, and this ideology actually aided in keeping Argentina out of the Cold War. This was also an ideology of his because after WWII, technology and fuel imports stopped, and a fair majority of Argentina’s exports halted as well, leaving no choice but to move toward self sufficiency
o Based on this graph, it is easy to see that once Peron implemented his aim of economic independence, Argentinas economic development increased significantly
o He sought to create a corporate state much like that of Mussolini
§ Groups or unions (industrialists) would be formed by government officials to aid in the influence and progression of the working class, in their constant need to meet the quotas (his five year plans).
§ He wanted to provide the workers with more rights, but at the same time control them
· Ideologies of Peron
o Socialist ideology
§ Peron’s ideas were centered around helping the people through social justice, but realistically, this ideology was for the benefit of Argentina and his new Presidency.
o Nationalist ideology
§ Peron was very nationalistic, and had thorough ideas about what Argentina could become
§ He expressed this ideology through his aims of economic independence
· Juan Peron and the Peronist Party had a distinct ideology (policies of the Peronists) that stood in stark contrast to previous administrations
· Totalitarian Rule?
o Totalitarian Rule is a system of government where the leader controls ever facet of the country, economically, politically and socially.
o Peron was democratically elected, and the Peronist Party won complete control of both the Senate and the Congress, granting him unlimited power. He silenced opposition usually through torture and death and re wrote the constitution, allowing him to run in the election of 1951. However, because he was democratically re elected in 1951, the people still had a voice in politics and chose him as their leader. With this being said, his regime was definitely authoritarian, meaning he had significantly more control and power than a president, but he definitely did not have total control.
2) Establishment of Power
· Peron was democratically elected into office, with his party taking control of both the senate and the Congress.
o He was however highly involved in the military coup that took over Argentina shortly before he was elected. His position as head of the Department of Labor, after the coup, allowed him to create a support base with the people and the workers, and ultimately led to his election as President.
· Peron is a complex leader to classify as either left or right. The leftist label falls on an individual who radically believes in social justice and embraces new ideologies, looking more to the future rather than the past. Based upon Peron’s aims and ideologies, he was seen as more left than right. This is based off of his implementation of social reforms, and the creations of government controlled unions. He was a progressive leader that wanted to change Argentina rather than embrace the past. But within the same ideologies and aims, he also portrayed rightist ideals. A rightist leader believes in bringing back the strength of the past (Hitler and the Third Reich). They rule with a stern fist and are highly nationalistic. Peron was highly nationalistic about Argentina and got many of his ideas from European Fascists (Hitler, Franco, Mussolini). He jailed opposition leaders and journalists if they spoke out against him and brought the press and broadcasting organizations under government rule. But for the majority of his presidency he followed the democratic guidelines of Argentina, unlike many other fascists of his time. His ideologies may have been socialist, but he was not. It is hard to put him into the category of left or right, because as a leader he embodied aspects from both sides.
· Even with all the support Peron had from the people and the Military, he was still very frightened of opposition
o He replaced opposing justices of the supreme court with members of the Peronist party
o Nearly 70% of argentine professors were purged and Political activity on college campuses was forbidden
o He passed legislation that set up jail terms for outspoken individuals opposed to his regime
§ Many oppositionists were jailed, and restrictions against non Peronist parties were put into place
o The steps Peron took against his opposition were quite successful. Although it is unknown whether it was truly needed, Peron maintained a large support base from the people and the military, and had no trouble getting re elected in 1951
3) Domestic Policies and Impact
· I previously stated that when Juan Peron was elected president, his party made up the majority of both the senate and congress
o This allowed Peron to pass any legislation he wanted, much like the passing of legislation that made the imprisonment of opposition Legal
o The structure of Argentinas government was similar to the U.S. government, but because of his mass support throughout the levels of government and throughout the population of Argentina, Peron was able to make a democratic system a behind the scenes dictatorship.
· Juan Peron’s political policies that allowed him to stay in power were circumstantial, but primarily it was his treatment of the Argentine people and in turn their support of him. But once Peron had established power, through circumstance or not, he did not want to lose it.
"Now, it would be difficult to imagine a more advantageous situation than ours—a national government composed entirely of
Peronistas, 16 provincial governments composed entirely of Peronistas, and all the national territories run entirely by Peronistas . . ." The time had come, the President suggested, for consolidation: "We must gradually convert [the Peronista movement] from a mass movement into a political institution." "It will be necessary ... to carry out the permanent task of indoctrinating the mass. If we aren't capable of forming a mass that thinks in the same manner, has the same aim, and acts in the same way, it would almost be better not to try; because when men think differently, then they fight . . .(Time Magazine Online).
o He understood that the Peronist Party was growing increasingly more powerful in the government, and his political policy to maintain power was to solidify the Peronist movement into the framework of Argentina.
· Juan and Eva Peron were masterful in disguising beneficial propaganda behind the Eva Peron Foundation
o This foundation worked to establish many things for the poor (new schools, hospitals, and houses), but Juan Peron benefitted from the philanthropic image this foundation gave him. Every day, photographers for newspapers waited to snap shots of Eva helping disheveled individuals personally. These pictures were then posted in the papers, where everyone could witness the humanitarian aspect of his regime, re enforcing with the people, the idea that Peron was connected to them and was there for them.
Bibliography
1. "Peron's Real Aim." Time Magazine. 12 May 1952: Print.
2. "Nestor and Cristina Kirchner= Juan and Isabel Peron?." Plawlotic. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec 2010.
3. Smitha, Frank E. "Juan Peron and Eva to Eva's death in 1952." Macro history and world report. N.p., 2010. Web. 14 Dec 2010.
4. "Peron." Casahistoria . N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec 2010.
5. "Juan Domingo Peron (1895-1974):Justicialismo ." Modern History Sourcebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec 2010.
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