| República Argentina |
By Erwin van Dijkman
Argentina is a country of extremes: high mountain ranges, inhabitable plains, desert highlands, dense jungle and huge cities. It is known for the tango, luscious meat dishes and stunning Iguazu falls but also for a dark past of oppression and economic troubles.
Before the first Spaniards came along in 1540 and later in 1580 founding Buenos Aires, Argentina was inhabited by tribes with settlements in various parts of the country. The colony was not very prosperous because of trade restrictions imposed by Spain, but the non-native population grew steadily profiting from the general increase in trade and importance of Buenos Aires' harbour. By the early nineteenth century the colonists in the Rio Plata area around Buenos Aires revolted against Spain and finally gained independence in 1816.
But Argentina was not a country to be ruled easily from BA and a civil war broke between its inhabitants (unitarists) and the country folk (federalists). This led to the countries first dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, a federalist who ruled from 1829 until he was ousted in 1852. The unitarists instated a liberal constitution and encouraged trade. The decades after that saw prosperity grow. However, the gap between rich and poor, the latter category increasing rapidly mainly because of immigration, grew wider and wider. The seeds were sown for a downfall of government.
During the 1929 depression the military took the power form the ineffective civilian government but it was not until the mid-forties before something for the majority of the population was set in motion. Juan Perón was elected president in 1946 and his social policies benefited the working class. His wife Eva was influential as well. In the mean time he forged a bond between rich and poor, not always with clean hands: intimidation and oppression of free press and political dissidents was common. The country was fairly stable nonetheless. The late forties and early fifties saw economic destabilisation. A couple of years after Eva Peron's death her husband's government was overthrown by the military and Juan Perón fled the country. A period of instability followed, things seemed to look better in 1973 when Perón, having returned from his exile, had won the presidential elections. Unluckily he died a year later and Argentina was at the brink of its darkest period in history.
The reign of terror that followed was led by general Jorge Videla. He ruled with iron glove oppressing the followers of Perón, who were engaged in some violent anti-ruling class actions. Everybody that was expressing even the slightest opposition was not sure of his life and many people disappeared in this period known as the Guerra Sucia (dirty war). Some kept on resisting, like the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo (protesting mothers who demanded to know the fate of their children), but the downfall of the government was due. After a short reign of general Roberto Viola, general Leopoldo Galtieri tried to distract the peoples attention form the economic problems and bad government by invading the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands). After the defeat the military was weakened and so was the country, a downfall was imminent. The military government withdrew and Argentina elected Raúl Alfonsín in 1983. Under his presidency some of the generals were convicted, but the Menem government (1989-1999) really succeeded in making a difference, halting inflation. The present situation is one of a deteriorating economy that also hits the armed forces hard. Mass unemployment, high inflation and little prospect seem to be the key words. To end on a positive note: the only way for Argentina seems to be up and the first signs are there.
Source
www.lonelyplanet.nl
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Photo: Cees-Jan van der Ende
Photo: Cees-Jan van der Ende
Photo: Baires Aviation
Photo: Cees-Jan van der Ende
Photo: Cees-Jan van der Ende
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Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA)
