Democracy, Militarism, and Nationalism in Argentina, 1930–1966: An Interpretation

Marvin Goldwert

Published by University of Texas Press 1972

Democracy, Militarism, and Nationalism in Argentina, 1930–1966

An Interpretation

Marvin Goldwert

In the series LLILAS Latin American Monograph Series

https://doi.org/10.7560/715004

About this book

Until 1930, Argentina was one of the great hopes for stable democracy in Latin America. Argentines themselves believed in the destiny of their nation to become the leading Latin American country in wealth, power, and culture. But the revolution of 1930 unleashed the scourges of modern militarism and chronic instability in the land. Between 1930 and 1966, the Argentine armed forces, or factions of the armed forces, overthrew the government five times.

For several decades, militarism was the central problem in Argentine political life. In this study, Marvin Goldwert interprets the rise, growth, and development of militarism in Argentina from 1930 to 1966. The tortuous course of Argentine militarism is explained through an integrating hypothesis. The army is viewed as a “power factor,” torn by a permanent dichotomy of values, which rendered it incapable of bringing modernization to Argentina. Caught between conflicting drives for social order and modernization, the army was an ambivalent force for change. First frustrated by incompetent politicians (1916–1943), the army was later driven by Colonel Juan D. Perón into an uneasy alliance with labor (1943–1955). Peronism initially represented the means by which army officers could have their cake—nationalistic modernization—and still eat it in peace, with the masses organized in captive unions tied to an authoritarian state.

After 1955, when Perón was overthrown, a deeply divided army struggled to contain the remnants of its own dictatorial creation. In 1966, the army, dedicated to staunch anti-Peronism, again seized the state and revived the dream of reconciling social order and modernization through military rule.

Although militarism has been a central problem in Argentine political life, it is also the fever that suggests deeper maladies in the body politic. Marvin Goldwert seeks to relate developments in the military to the larger political, social, and economic developments in Argentine history. The army and its factions are viewed as integral parts of the whole political spectrum during the period under study.

Author / Editor information

Marvin Goldwert (1935–1995) received his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and taught history at New York Institute of Technology.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Introduction. Approach, Hypotheses, and Terminology Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Democracy, Militarism, and Nationalism in Argentina, 1930-1966
PART I. DEMOCRACY AND THE RISE OF MODERN MILITARISM, 1880-1930 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
PART II. MILITARISM AND NATIONALISM, 1930-1946 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
PART III. PERONISM AND THE ARMY, 1946-1955 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
PART IV. THE LEGACY: A DIVIDED ARMY IN A DIVIDED NATION, 1955-1966 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
Postscript. A Guide to Current Politico-Military Crises Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203
Bibliographical Essay Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	225
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	241

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Copyright year: 1972
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 274

eBook

Published: December 15, 2014
ISBN: 9781477301852