Argentina’s “Dirty War”

Argentina’s “Dirty War”

PowerPoint Presentation

Textbook page 586-588

Liliana Aimeta1954-1976

Blanca Estela Angerosa

1958-1978

José Aguilar Bracesco

1954-1976

Beatríz Le Fur

1954-1976

Los DesaparecidosLos Desaparecidos• These people are now called “los

desaparecidos,” or “the disappeared.” They were just four of the 30,000 victims of Argentina’s “Dirty War” of 1976-1983.

Los DesaparecidosLos Desaparecidos• Over 30,000 people disappeared

during the Dirty War. Even today, the fate of most is unknown.

• Argentina’s government still refuses to seek out information about the victims.

This is Argentina, for those of you who are wondering….

Problems in ArgentinaProblems in Argentina

• The problems began with Juan Peron, dictator of Argentina since 1946.

• Although Peron was not the worst dictator in the country’s history, his rule was marked by inflation, unemployment, and economic ruin.

Juan and Eva (Evita) Peron, dictators of Argentina before the “Dirty War”

Problems in ArgentinaProblems in Argentina

• Also, urban guerillas and lawless people robbed and looted Buenos Aires, the capital.

• Argentina had crime problems, debt problems, and worst of all, a dictator who could not fix them.

The The JuntaJunta Takeover Takeover• In 1976, a military-supported terrorist

group called the Junta took control of the country.

• They believed that by cutting help for the poor and aid to small businesses, the economic problems could be solved.

The The JuntaJunta Takeover Takeover• To make sure they succeeded, the Junta

targeted and eliminated anyone who disagreed with them.

• Government “Death Squads” moved through the streets, picking up anyone they suspected of disloyalty to the Junta.

The The JuntaJunta Takeover Takeover• The Junta targeted the certain kinds of

people:

• Students - 21%

• Teachers - 10.7%

• Journalists/Reporters 15.7%

• Priests/Clergy - 5%

• Pregnant Women (unknown)

The The JuntaJunta Takeover Takeover• The Junta also practiced censorship - only

allowing certain information to reach the people.

• They silenced the media, killed authors, and set up censorship committees to read every letter that went in and out of Argentina.

The Resistance The Resistance •

The ResistanceThe Resistance • By the 1980’s it was clear that the

Junta’s economic policies did not work. They had failed to solve the problems of inflation and unemployment.

• Argentina was in very bad shape again.

The ResistanceThe Resistance• Also, in 1982 England soundly defeated

Argentina in a war over the Falkland Islands.

• People grew bold. They spoke out openly against the government.The first cracks in the Junta began to appear.

The ResistanceThe Resistance• A Group known as the Mothers of

the Plaza de Mayo met without fear in a city square.

• They demanded to know the fate of their loved ones, the disappeared.

The ResistanceThe Resistance• The Plaza

de Mayo, where the Mothers of the disappear-ed meet every week.

The ResistanceThe Resistance • In 1983, the Junta fell to pressure

from inside and outside of the government.

• Raul Alfonsin was the first democratically elected president since the early 1970s.

The End of the The End of the JuntaJunta

• A “memory wall” has been erected in memorial of the disappeared. It contains over 30,000 photos.

• The full extent of the murders, kidnappings and tortures may never be known.