By

Nick Elders

Three members-Juan, Eva, and Isabel

Each had a lasting effect on Argentine politics

All three courted the masses for support

Picture taken from http://www.almargen.com.ar/sitio/seccion/politica/fraude

Born October 8, 1895 in Lobos

Second child of Mario Tomas Peron and Juana Sosa Toledo

Mario was not married to Juana when Juan was born

Mario was the son of a doctor, and Juana was a servant

Mario and Juana married when Juan was six Picture taken from

http://www.usatoday.com

At fifteen, entered the Colegio Militar de la Nacion, after having attended the Colegio Internacional de Olivos and the Colegio Internacional Politecnica

Graduated in 1913 with a commission as a sublieutenant of the infantry

In 1924, he left the Sargento Cabral officers’ school as a captain

In 1925, Peron met Aurelia Tizon, whom he nicknamed Potota

When they married, Peron was almost thirty,while Aurelia was barely into her twenties

Aurelia so respected her husband that she called him only Commander

They tried to have children, but Juan was most likely sterile

In 1938, after 13 years of marriage, Aurelia died of Uterine Cancer

A year after Aurelia’s death, Peron embarked on a Military mission to Europe, which lasted from 1939 to 1941

Argentina, the largest country in Latin America after Brazil,achieved its independence from Spain in 1816. The Argentine economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries developed based onthe export of food such as wheat and meat and the importationof manufactured and luxury goods, largely coming from Europe.Industrial development was mostly restricted to meatpackingand refrigerating factories to facilitate the exports of foodto distant markets. The arrival of immigrants from Europeprovided the country with a rural working class and skilledurban labourers, which in turn fuelled a continuous increase inthe agricultural output. European – and later US – capital was invested in developing the Argentine railways

and meatpacking,communications and service industries, and Buenos Airesbecame a major port for exports. The ruling class in the country represented the land-owning families who defended the

economicagro-exporting model, which enjoyed a sustained level of growth until the Great

Depression of 1929.

As a result of the Depression, the prices of commodities

plummeted and by 1933 they were at 50 per cent of their 1928

level. The drop in prices was less severe for manufactured than

industrial goods. This situation eroded the terms of trade for

Argentina, and it was not long before the country faced difficulties

in affording the importation of the industrial and luxury goods

which it did not produce.

The economic problems affecting the nation contributed to political instability and in 1930 caused the overthrow oft he Unión Cívica Radical (UCR; Radical Party) democratic government, led by Hipólito Yrigoyen, by army officers with popular support. This event was followed by a period of autocratic conservative rule known as the ‘Infamous Decade’,

The Great Depression Economic crisis that began in the USA in 1929 with the collapse of the stock market, and which led to the financial ruin of banks in Europe and

the USA and impacted on economies worldwide during the 1930s.11 PROOF •which, despite its name, extended for 13 years. Argentine Presidents came to office eitherthrough coups d’état or fraud in elections.

The period inaugurated by the 1930 coup brought many changes to the Argentine economy

and society. Although the immediate economic effects of the Depression were relatively

short-lived, it became clear that there was a need to overcome the country’s economic

vulnerability. The governments after 1930 began to develop national industries to substitute

importations and reduce dependency.

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the idea that Argentina needed to gain economic independence was strengthened During the Infamous Decade, traditional political parties were banned from participating in elections; opponents to the regime were persecuted, imprisoned and tortured. Corruption was widespread. People lost faith in the political system and rejected the prevailing corruption and government impunity.

Govts of the Infamous Decade very unpopular lack of genuine democracy and the widespread corruption

prevailing during those years. At a political level, we could add that the middleclass felt their voices were not heard; intellectuals felt politically frustrated, since they couldn’t voice their thoughts and were unable to fight against fraud and nepotism.

the working class lacked the organization – and perhaps even the political awareness – to fight against this system, while the middle class had not yet found a leading figure to organize the opposition.

Juan Perón is best known as the first political figure to address effectively the many problems of the working class. Governments before 1943 had done very little to grant the social legislation that protected workers in other countries. No laws protecting workers’

rights existed, to the advantage of employers. Labour movements and socialist parties had limited political participation and had not brought about significant changes in these conditions.

Buenos Aires ruled over the country. This rule was not only in political terms, but

also in economic terms. The railroads designed

by the British in the 19th century connected the provinces to Buenos Aires, but not the

provinces to each other. Levels of illiteracy and malnutrition very

high in the interior migration to Buenos Aires poor living and working conditions

1939 WW2 broke out- Argentina declared its neutrality in the conflict.

Great Britain welcomed this declaration because, as neutral vessels, the Argentine ships

could continue to sail and supply Allied Europe without facing attacks from the enemy.

However, after its entry into the war in 1941, the USA began to put pressure on the

Argentine government to break diplomatic relations with the Axis. The Argentines were

divided between those who wanted to declare war against the Axis and those who felt that

Argentina should maintain its tradition of neutrality. Although there was a small group who

sympathized with the Axis, represented, for example, by certain circles in the armed forces,

they did not openly express this and tended to join those who favoured neutrality

On 4 June 1943, the military intervened in the political life of Argentina again, leading a

coup that overthrew President Ramón S. Castillo and ended the Infamous Decade. The

ostensible aim was to prevent another fraudulent election from taking place. However, there

were other reasons for the coup. Some sectors of the armed forces had grounds to believe

that the candidate who would have won the elections by fraud had intentions of declaring war against the Axis.

The armed forces interfered in political life to prevent this from

happening and to continue with the position of neutrality. This position was interpreted

both within the country as well as by the USA as an implicit support of the Axis.

They claimed they had come to end corruption and fraud and to restore the Argentine constitution.

• They believed that Argentina had to develop its national industry and strengthen its defences.

• Fearful of the possible expansion of communism after the end of World War II, they considered it was better to introduce improvements in the living and working conditions of employees from above, to avoid them being attracted by left-wing ideas.

• At an international level, they defended the idea that Argentina should remain in a position of neutrality towards the war and resisted US pressure to declare war on the Axis.

When he returned from Europe, Peron joined the Grupo de Oficiales Unidos, a group that sympathized with the fascists

1943- Peron helps oust President Ramon Castillo and is made undersecretary of war and chief of staff of the military under General Pedro Pablo Ramirez

Also made the director of the National Department of Labor, which he changed into the Secretariat of Welfare and Labor

As he rose through the political ranks, Peron garnered more clout with the working classes

He played a key role in ending the Ramirez administration and putting General Edelmiro Farrell in power

Under Farrell, Peron was the Secretary of Labor and Welfare, Minister of War, and Vice-President

Peron was rumored to have the real power at this time

It was during this period that, at a benefit for earthquake victims in Nicaragua, he met his second wife, Eva

Born May 7, 1919 in Los Toldos Fifth child and fourth daughter of

Juana Ibarguren, a Basque cook, and Juan Duarte, a wealthy land owner

Juan and Juana never married, so Eva was illegitimate

Juan had a wife, Estela Grisolia and three daughters in Chivilcoy

He left Juana and her brood in 1920 and died in a car accident on January 8, 1926

Eva’s Early Years

Eva was always conscious of her status as an illegitimate child, and wanted to rise above it

She resolved to become a great actress to do it

She ran away to Buenos Aires with a tango singer, Augustin Magaldi, at fifteen

Magaldi was the first of Eva’s many lovers, whom she used to get ahead in the world

She ended her habit of dating and discarding men when she met Peron

The process of industrialization that began in the early 1930s caused a rush of internal

migration – that is people moving within a country – from the countryside to the major

cities in search of employment in the factories. This exponential growth met with severe

problems in terms of housing and the very poor living conditions for those arriving to join

the urban workforce, many of whom did not find jobs fast enough. Consequently, slums

developed outside the industrial areas of the large cities, but the government provided

them with very little social assistance. Also, trade unions were poorly prepared to absorb

the masses of workers, of which only a limited number had unionized before 1943. The

urban and rural workers, now formed largely by native Argentines rather than immigrants,

felt their interests and needs were not taken into account either by the government nor

the trade union leaders. This is significant because native Argentines, as opposed to

immigrants, could vote.

His work as Secretary of Labour and Welfare, from November 1943 to

October 1945, achieved far more for the workers that anything the unions had achieved

since 1930. Instead of repressing the workers, as the government had done in the past, or

allowing them to be attracted by the leftist political parties, Perón listened to them and

acted upon their demands and needs. His reforms included

Improvement in labour legislation (such as the establishment of labour courts to rule in conflicts between employers and employees). • Regulations against arbitrary job dismissal. • The right to paid holidays for workers. • Regulations covering the apprenticeship of minors. • Retirement benefits for workers. • New syndicates were created for those economic activities that had not been

unionized before. • Commissions were formed by representatives of workers and employers to negotiate matters related to work conditions and pay. • Wages were increased. • The passing of the Peasant Statute: for the first time, rural workers were unionized

and their working and living conditions subject to the law rather than to the goodwill of their employers. • Other measures included the freezing of the rent paid on fields to the owners and the suspension of peasants’ evictions.

There are two main reasons why Peron’s role in the Secretariat of Labour strengthened

his position. First, the fact that Perón fulfilled many of the demands of the unions meant

that traditional left-wing parties, which claimed to represent the interests of the workers,

lost their appeal. Workers realized that it was more likely that conflicts were resolved and

demands met if they went to Perón and accepted his role in the negotiations. Second,

and equally important, was the extent to which Perón was personally associated with the

newly acquired rights. This meant that the workers – who feared the loss of their benefits –

became unconditional supporters of Perón

In January 1944, Argentina abandoned its neutrality and brokerelations with the Axis. Argentina only declared war on the Axis in1945, the year the war ended. This shift in policy led to PresidentRamírez’s resignation and the appointment of General EdelmiroFarrell as President. As a consequence of these changes in cabinet,Perón took office in the War Ministry (without abandoninghis position of Secretary of Labour), which had been under thecommand of now President Farrell.Perón launched a massive expansion of the armed forces. Heincreased both the army’s size and its budget: the army’s

manpowertripled by 1945 and army expenditure more than doubledbetween 1943 and 1945. He ordered the purchase of new militaryequipment, expanded local factories for the production of militarymaterial, raised officers’ pay and improved military barracks andliving quarters. These policies gained Perón the support of thearmy. In July 1944, Perón also became Vice-President of Argentina

One great influence on Perón was his time serving in the military. Life in the army gave

Perón the opportunity to travel across Argentina and to witness the hardships of the

provinces first hand. This experience made Perón very aware of the conditions of inequality

in the country. He came to the conclusion that if those conditions were not redressed by the

government, a violent revolution following the Bolshevik example could follow.

Military values also played a part in shaping Perón’s thoughts. Discipline and a sense of

‘spiritual unity’ – the idea that one single thought had to dominate the entire group and

that disagreement should not be tolerated – were important to him. As you shall see, his

domestic policies were planned accordingly.

The members of the GOU were Catholics and, as such, shared with the Catholic Church

in Argentina the view that the conditions of the working class needed attention. They also

believed that remedying social injustice was an effective tool to prevent the expansion

of revolutionary ideologies such as Marxism, which were strongly anti-religious. Perón legitimized his ideas by echoing the Catholic doctrine with his ideas of solidarity. He was

aware of the importance of the Church in the largely Catholic Argentine society, and

contributed to the Catholic cause by promoting the inclusion of religious education at

schools, which in turn, granted him the support of the Church.

Perón’s trip to Europe between 1939 and 1941 allowed him to come into contact with the

Nazi regime in Germany and with Mussolini’s fascism in Italy. He imitated some of the

aspects of these right-wing ideologies which, at the time of Perón’s visit, were experiencing

popularity at home. In the same way as Perón felt attracted by some features of European

fascism, he rejected Marxist ideas as well as liberalism. He preferred to describe his

movement as a ‘Third Position

Peron made constant reference to the concept of ‘social justice’. Like many of the elements

in Peronist thought, this was not a new idea. The term refers to the idea that wealth or

privileges in a society had to be distributed to achieve a fairer order.

In order to avoid huge gaps between the different social classes, Perón thought that the state

should share and distribute wealth with discipline. In Perón’s words: ‘We aim at eliminating

class struggle, replacing it by a fair agreement between workers and employers under the

law which derives from the state’. Most of the labour reforms carried out by the Secretariat

of Labour and Welfare were attempts to bring about social justice

In the light of the social conflicts that needed to be addressed, Perón gave great importance

to the role of the state. Under the governments that had preceded the 1943 coup, the state

had represented the interests of a specific social class, the landowners. Perón proposed a

change in how the state stood in relation to the different social classes. It was the role of the

state to determine the aims of the country and mobilize all necessary resources to achieve

them. The state stood above all social classes and was understood as the engine of progress.

As such, it had to play an active part in social and economic developments, mediating

where interests clashed.

Autarky Nationalisation of foreign companies Protectionist policies

Eva became Juan’s mistress shortly after they met

In October of 1945, however, Juan was arrested by the president and sent to a secret location that even Eva didn’t know

The people came to his aid and staged a rally to free him, which worked

Shortly after his release, Juan married Eva, which legitimized her in a way

Together, they planned for Juan’s run at the presidency in 1946

Juan was elected to his first term as president in 1946

Eva was now the first lady, the most powerful woman in Argentina

The rich had a hard time accepting her, as evidenced by the Charitable Society, a women’s organization, denying Eva the honorary position of President

Eva retaliated against this by cutting of the society’s federal funding and starting her own foundation, The Eva Peron Foundation

In 1946, Juan Perón ran for president with the help of his wife Eva Durate de

Perên.

The impact Perón had on Argentina’s political parties.

Perónism, which is the name given to Perón’s party is the largest political party

in Argentina.). His party was mainly based on rapid growth in the industrialization and making the economy selfsufficient

Perón’s goal in making the country economical selfsufficient may have looked good to the people of Argentina, but that view only lasted a short time. The economy eventually started to suffer and Perón was blamed for many of the mistakes in the economy. He was later forced out of the country by the military. Even though he was thrown out of the country, he still remained popular. During his presidency he was not the only person to become popular, his wife Eva became very popular with the working class.

Eva’s foundation helped the poor get jobs, food, clothing, money, and anything else they could want

There are no financial records for the foundation, so it is not known how much money was taken in and how much was kept

The people adored Eva for what she did for them,a and considered her a saint

Eva’s involvement with the working class reflected on Juan’s presidency. She was actively involved in social aid programs, that were meant to help the working class of Argentina.

During Juan’s presidency she created the Social Aid Foundation, where she would hand out charities personally Eva’s achievements did not end there, she also won women in Argentina the right to vote in 1947 Eva’s was involved also in equalizing work and pay for women in Argentina Eva was just as much influential in Argentina’s history as Juan was and was greatly missed upon her death during Juan’s presidency.

Eva decided to go to Europe to push Peron’s policies in other countries, in hopes of making alliances with the more powerful heads of state

Spain was her first stop, and while there, she received the highest honor from Francisco Franco, the cross of Isabella the Catholic

Franco declared a holiday so the workers could see Eva

Italy was slightly colder than Spain and more disappointing

Eva had hoped that the pope would honor her with a Marquisette for her work with the poor

She got a twenty minute audience and a gold rosary instead

Eva next went to Paris and made quite a splash there

The tour was to culminate with her staying in Buckingham Palace with the royal family, but they wouldn’t officially invite her, so she decided against going to Great Britain

Perón’s relationship with the United States reflected the ideas of his political party the Perónist. He dislike the United States involvement in world affairs and their involvement in war trade. United States did not support the Perónist party because they were based on European fascist and communism. Perón did not argue on

many of the same issues as the United States, so this put a major boundary between the two countries. Perón stated this “We are not anitAmerican, but we do not desire to march to the beat of foreign drums”. This statement not only talks about the United States, he also refers to the rest of the world. Perón wanted to have a selfsufficient country, so this affected his image the rest of the world had on him. Imagine the rest of the world had on Perón, did not affect the image and popularity he had in Argentina. This helped Perón become president for the second time in Argentina

Once in office, Perón pursued social policies aimed at empowering the working class. He greatly expanded the number of unionized workers and supported the increasingly powerful General Confederation of Labor (CGT), created in 1930. He called his movement the "third way," or justicialismo, a supposed path between capitalism and communism. Later populist/nationalist leaders in Latin America would adopt many elements of Peronism. Perón also pushed hard to industrialize the country. In 1947 he announced the first five-year plan to boost newly nationalized industries. His ideology would be dubbed Peronism and became a central influence in Argentine political parties.

Middle and upper class Argentines, Perón's pro-labor policies were considered far too socialistic. Negative feelings among the upper classes also abounded toward the industrial workers from rural areas. Perón also made enemies internationally because of his willingness to shelter fleeing Nazi war criminals, like Erich Priebke who arrived in Argentina in 1947, Josef Mengele who arrived in 1949 and Adolf Eichmann in 1950

He dissolved all the forces that had supported him and replaced them with a single party- Partido Unica de la Revolucion.

This party was under his control and a part of the atate apparatus

Dissolution of Labour Party was met with resistance, Luis Gay, the leader was removed from leadership

Cipriano Reyes was arrested and tortured and remained imprisoned until Peron’s fall in 1955 for opposing him

Candidates for different offices were appointed by Peron without consultations or elections. Once appointed, they had to vote with the party

Disciplining the unions: Ordered all trade unions to become

members of the official CGT- those who opposed were persecuted and imprisoned

Political parties found it difficult to work in Congress.

Opposition had limited access to the media, their meetings were frequently disbanded by the police.

Those who opposed were expelled from the legislative

Civil servants had to become members of the Peronist Party to keep their jobs.

Criminal laws were passed to discourage expression of dissent and participants in any strike that the govt. declared illegal were punished.

1948-Peronist Party won the parliamentary elections with 62% of the votes

Peron obtained approval to call for a Constituent assembly to reform the constitution

Social rights-(for working class) State could decide on the goods to be

exported and imported and fix the price Special place to family-protect marriage,

assist mothers and children, elderly were legal responsibility of their families.

Public services were nationalised All sources of energy were national

property Property and capital had to fulfil a social

role and belong to those who would work them

Centralizing social policies to make more efficient and aid available to all argentines

1948- cetralize social aid through a new and parallel organization- Fundacion Eva Peron

FEP focussed on welfare of children and elderly, healthcare, housing, recreation

Provision of working tools Educational facilities, hospitals with

modern facilities and houses built in working class suburbs

Orphanages, elderly homes and worker’s resorts

Nursing school established Sanitation campaign organised Hospital train that travelled across

Argentina- to detect cases of malnutrition, perform surgery, vaccination campaigns, preventive measures

Individuals assisted by govt to gain skills- training and necessary equipment to work

1947- women given right to vote No massive campaign for women to join

the labour force- catholic views

Education and culture came under the control of the state

Centrally planned and organised education system

New schools built Free transport, meals and granted

scholarships Vocational schools and schools for adults Public universities were made free Wide range of educational options available More budget for education sector

New textbooks at all levels which included

National anthem Preamble to the constitution 1949 Declaration of political and economic

independence Reference to ‘People loyalty Day’ Teachers lost their job if they did not

declare themselves Peronists

The work of artists and intellectuals was coordinated by govt institutions

Half of the music played in radio stations, clubs, cafes had to be by Argentine composers and singers

1947- workers and actors in film industry were unionised

Subsidies granted to filmakers to promote the industry

Those who did not express their support for peron were forbidden to work

Self-censorship- authors and artists thought very carefully before they included anything that could sound vaguely anti-peronist

Aim: to illustrate the successof the regimeand reinforceperonist values amongthe population

Radio transmitted peron’s speeches and recounted his official events on a daily basis

Newsreels shown before movies in cinemas highlighted the achievements of the regimes- inauguration of hospitals, schools

Peron’s and Evas’s words were compiled in books- The Peronists’ manual, Forces of Peronists, Peronists

Mass rallies organised

Economic independence for Argentina Transfer of foreign –owned companies

to the state Reparation of foreign debts Development of industries- armament

and heavy Full employment rates

Industrial deveopment Exports increased Living standards of working class

improved Industrial prodn surpassed its

agricultural output

Peron increased salaries irrespective of improvements to keep purchasing power of people high

Kept prices low, price controls and revaluation of the national currency

This created problems in salaries in prodn cost

price – stopped prodn or sol in black markets

Revaluation of currency made imports more accessible, affected exports as they became expensive

Control of exports, revaluation of currency, high levels of taxation led to decrease in agricultural prodn

Companies bought by state lost money and increased state expenditure

In 1951, Juan decided to run again for President

Eva wanted to run with him as Vice President

When she accepted the nomination, she made it look like she was bowing to the people’s will , but it didn’t work

The military told Peron that they would try revolution if Eva didn’t renounce her candidacy

Juan told Eva to step down and, though crushed, she did as she was instructed

Shortly after her renunciation, Eva began feeling ill She was diagnosed with Uterine Cancer, the same

disease that had killed her predecessor, Aurelia She had a hysterectomy, but it wasn’t enough to

stop the cancer She voted in the election from a hospital bed and,

though seriously ill, attended the inauguration She got through the ceremonies with a triple dose

of pain-killer before and a double dose after Shortly after the inauguration, Eva died at the age

of 33.

Perón's nationalization of large parts of the economy, together with stringent trade barriers, cut Argentina's links to the world economy—long the source of its great wealth. Built on the prewar legacy of fascist ideas, Perón turned Argentina into a corporatist country, with powerful organized interest groups—big business, labor unions, military, and farmers—that negotiated with the government for position and resources

as inflation increased and trade became less profitable, it became more difficult to finance imports of vital raw materials. Perón's attempt to rapidly strengthen manufacturing industries at the expense of the rural economy exacerbated Argentina's economic problems, leading to large debts, high inflation, and little growth in productivity. Nevertheless, support for Peron's policies continued, especially among labor unions.

After Eva died, Juan planned on having her embalmed, so she would last forever

Dr. Pedro Ara was asked to do the job, and he did it beautifully

A tomb for Eva was in the works, but Peron was ousted before it could be completed

When Eva died, Peron lost his link to the people, and this hurt him greatly

After his overthrow, Peron fled the countryEventually, he ended up in Panama, where

he met wife number three

in May 1955, Perón signed a contract with an American oil company, Standard Oil of California, opening an economic policy of development with the help of foreign industrial investments. The Radical Civic Party (UCR) leader, Arturo Frondizi, criticized this as an anti-Argentinean decision

several terrorist acts were committed against civilian targets. On April 15, 1953, a terrorist group detonated two bombs in a public rally at the Plaza de Mayo, the center of downtown Buenos Aires, killing seven citizens and injuring 95. On June 15, 1955, a failed coup d'état by anti-Peronists used navy aircraft to bomb Peronists gathered at the same plaza, killing 364 citizens.

In 1954, the Roman Catholic Church, which had supported the government up to then, confronted Perón because of his efforts to eliminate the political influence of the church and the enactment of a law allowing divorce.

On September 16, 1955, a Catholic nationalist group within both the army and the navy launched a coup that ended Peron’s second term. This group took power under the name of Revolución Libertadora or the “Liberating Revolution.” The coup effectively banned Peronist activities in Argentina, including public references to Perón or his late wife. Songs, writings, and pictures supporting Perón were also forbidden. The Peronist Party was banned until Perón's return in 1973.

After the military coup, Perón went into exile in Paraguay. His escape was facilitated by his friend, President Alfredo Stroessner of Paraguay, who placed a gunboat at his disposal on the River Plate. Later he lived in Panama, where he met nightclub bolero singer María Estela Martínez. Eventually settling in Madrid, he married her there in 1961. She became better known as Isabel.

Back in Argentina, Peronism was still banned and active Peronists were sometimes persecuted. In the 1950s and 1960s Argentina was marked by frequent coups d'états. It experienced low economic growth in the 1950s but rebounded with some of the world's highest growth rates in the 1960s (Gerchunoff et al, 309-321). The nation also faced problems of continued social unrest and labor strikes. Yet during those years poverty almost disappeared, with poverty rates between between two percent and five percent in the first years of the 1960s (INDEC).

When the economy slumped again in the late 1960s the government faced a new crisis. It also failed to suppress escalating terrorism from groups such as the Catholic-pro-Perón Montoneros, the Marxist ERP (People's Revolutionary Army), and rightist militias, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. General Alejandro Lanusse took power in March 1971 and had declared his intention to restore constitutional democracy by 1973. The way was thus open for Perón's return. From exile, Perón supported centrists such as Radical Party leader Ricardo Balbín, as well as Catholic-left-wing Peronists, and pro-Peronist labor unions

Maria Estela,or Isabel, was born on February 4, 1931 in La Rioja

Her father died when she was six, and she became a dancer at twenty

In 1956, she met Peron in Panama In 1961, they married and moved to MadridPeron began planning his return to

Argentina from Madrid Isabel was Juan’s representative on trips to

Argentina, since he couldn’t return from exile

Isabel’s main goal was uniting the Peronists

On March 11, 1973, general elections were held. Perón was banned from running, but a stand-in candidate, Héctor Cámpora, was elected and took office on May 25. On June 20, 1973, Perón returned from an 18-year exile in Spain. A crowd of left-wing Peronists had gathered at the Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires to welcome and support him. The police counted 3.5 million people in attendance. Perón came accompanied by Cámpora, whose first measure had been to grant amnesty to all political prisoners and to reestablish relations with Cuba, helping Castro break the American embargo, an economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba. This, and his social policies, had also earned him the opposition of right-wing Peronists

On June 20, 1973 Juan and Isabel returned to Argentina

On July 13, President Hector Campora resigned to make way for Peron

Peron shocked the nation when he announced that he and Isabel would run together on August 4

Isabel accepted the nomination, and the Peron’s won the election, thus giving Isabel the office that had been denied to Evita, the Vice-Presidency

Isabel, however, was thrust into the spotlight when Peron died on July 1, 1974 of bronchial pneumonia

Argentina had by this time reached a peak of instability, and Perón was viewed by many as the country's only hope for prosperity and salvation. Balbín and Perón considered a Peronist-Radical joint government, but internal opposition in both parties made this impossible. Perón's overwhelming victory (62 percent of the vote), returned him to the presidency. In October 1973 he began his third term, with Isabel, his wife, as vice president

Argentina had by this time reached a peak of instability, and Perón was viewed by many as the country's only hope for prosperity and salvation. Balbín and Perón considered a Peronist-Radical joint government, but internal opposition in both parties made this impossible. Perón's overwhelming victory (62 percent of the vote), returned him to the presidency. In October 1973 he began his third term, with Isabel, his wife, as vice president

Neither the Montoneros nor the Marxist-Guevarist (ERP) was pleased by Perón's actions. The latter turned to terrorist activities. The Montoneros kidnapped and murdered former president Pedro Eugenio Aramburu. Meanwhile Peron's welfare minister, José López Rega, was accused by Peronist congressional deputies in July 1975 of being the instigator of the “Triple A” (Argentine Anticommunist Alliance), one of the first right-wing death squads to be formed in Argentina in the 1970s.

Perón died on July 1, 1974, recommending that his wife, Isabel, rely on Balbín for support. At the president's burial Balbín uttered a historic phrase, "This old adversary bids farewell to a friend."

Isabel Perón succeeded her husband to the presidency, but proved thoroughly incapable of managing the country's mounting political and economic problems, the violent left-wing insurgency and the reaction of the extreme right. Ignoring her late husband's advice, Isabel granted Balbín no role in her new government, instead granting broad powers to López Rega.

Isabel took over the presidency when Juan died, and promised to adhear to his policies strictly

Problems beset her presidency from the start

Inflation rose and political struggle continued between the Peronists

What the army feared would happen if a female became president happened with Isabel

In 1976, Isabel was ousted in a coup, thus ending the Peron regime, and a great chapter in Argentine history

Reelected leader of the Justicialist Party (Partido Justicialista) by a somewhat larger margin in 1951, Perón modified some of his policies. But he was overthrown and fled to Paraguay on Sept. 19, 1955, after an army-navy revolt led by democratically inspired officers who reflected growing popular discontent with inflation, corruption, demagoguery, and oppression

Perón finally settled in Madrid. There in 1961 he married for the third time (his first wife had died of cancer, as had Evita in 1952); his new wife was the former María Estela (called Isabel) Martínez, an Argentine dancer. In Spain, Perón worked to ensure, if not his return to Argentina, at least the eventual assumption of power by the millions of Peronist followers, whose memory of his regime improved with time and with the incapacity of the Argentine governments following Perón’s decade of power.

In election after election the Peronists emerged as a large, indigestible mass in the Argentine body politic. Neither the civilian nor the military regimes that precariously ruled in Argentina after 1955 were able to solve the relatively rich country’s condition of “dynamic stagnation,” in part because they refused to give political office to the Peronists

The military regime of Gen. Alejandro Lanusse, which took power in March 1971, proclaimed its intention to restore constitutional democracy by the end of 1973 and allowed the reestablishment of political partiesincluding the Peronist party. Upon invitation from the military government, Perón returned to Argentina for a short time in November 1972.

In the elections of March 1973, Peronist candidates captured the presidency and majorities in the legislature, and, in June, Perón was welcomed back to Argentina with wild excitement. In October, in a special election, he was elected president and, at his insistence, his wife—whom the Argentines disliked and resented—became vice president.

While in exile Perón had wooed the left-wing Peronists and had supported the most belligerent labour unions. Once returned to power, however, he formed close links with the armed forces and other previously opposition right-wing groups. When he died in 1974, he left to his widow and successor as president an untenable situation. Isabel Perón failed to obtain the firm support of any power group, not even the labour unions. Terrorist activity and political violence increased. On March 24, 1976, the armed forces took power, removed Isabel Perón from office, and set up a military junta.