Brown J.C. A Brief History of Argentina
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A Brief History
of ArgentinA
second edition
JonAtHAn c. Brown
University of Texas at Austin
A Brief History of Argentina, Second Edition
Copyright © 2010, 2003 by Lexington Associates
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
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publisher. For information contact:
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Jonathan C. (Jonathan Charles), 1942–
A brief history of Argentina / Jonathan C. Brown. — 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8160-7796-0
1. Argentina—History. I. Title.
F2831.B88 2010
982—dc22
2010004887
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Excerpts included herewith have been reprinted by permission of the copyright holders;
the author has made every effort to contact copyright holders. The publishers will be
glad to rectify, in future editions, any errors or omissions brought to their notice.
Text design by Joan M. McEvoy
Maps and figures by Dale Williams and Patricia Meschino
Composition by Mary Susan Ryan-Flynn
Cover printed by Art Print, Taylor, Pa.
Book printed and bound by Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group, York, Pa.
Date printed: June 2010
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Contents
List of Illustrations iv
List of Maps v
List of Tables and Charts v
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: The Argentine Riddle ix
1 Ancient Argentina and the European Encounter 1
2 The Colonial Río de la Plata 27
3 Imperial Reform and Conflict in the Río de la Plata 51
4 Crisis of the Colonial Order and Revolution 79
5 Agrarian Expansion and Nation Building (1820–1880) 103
6 The Liberal Age (1880–1916) 138
7 The Decline of Liberalism (1916–1930) 167
8 The Rise of Populism (1930–1955) 188
9 The Failure of De-Peronization (1955–1983) 218
10 The Neoliberal Age Begins 253
11 Argentina on the Rebound? 275
12 Conclusion: History as Predator 296
Appendixes
1 Basic Facts about Argentina 302
2 Chronology 306
3 Bibliography 315
4 Suggested Reading 328
Index 338
iv
List of illustrations
Basilica of Salta cover
Adolfo Cambiaso xii
Ruins of a Diaguita Village 6
Indigenous people of the Gran Chaco 13
The Charrúa 15
Buenos Aires, ca. 1536 21
Mule train crossing Bolivian cordillera 28
Women working in Santiago del Estero 35
Plaza of Mendoza 36
An indigenous toldería 49
Buenos Aires, ca. late 18th century 52
Mounted indigenous warriors of the Pampas 54
Indigenous chief, or cacique 57
José de San Martín 98
A saladero 107
Cattle branding on an estancia 117
A portrait of General Rosas on a bedroom wall 123
Indigenous raid on a cart train 132
Immigrant housing in Buenos Aires, ca. 1910 151
Gauchesque musicians today 156
Rural woman with montero 160
Criollos of the countryside 163
Buenos Aires, ca. early 20th century 169
Train station on Western Argentine Railway 176
Crowd cheers September 1930 coup 185
Demonstrators at National Congress, September 1930 187
Carlos Gardel 191
Pro-Perón demonstration, October 17, 1945 204
Juan and Evita Perón addressing a 1947 rally 207
Striking rail workers, 1953 211
Pro-Lonardi demonstrators 215
A villa miseria in Buenos Aires 228
The Cordobazo, May 1969 231
Marching Montoneros, May 1973 235
El Proceso junta members 240
Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, 1983 246
Argentine troops in the Malvinas 248
Argentine medics in the Islas Malvinas 250
Members of Carapintada commando unit, 1987 258
Looted supermarket, 1989 263
Raúl Alfonsín and Carlos Saúl Menem, July 1989 264
Demonstrators at Salta, 1997 271
“The Night of the Saucepans,” December 2001 273
Inauguration of President Fernández 280
Piqueteros at the Plaza de Mayo 286
Farmers’ strike of 2008 293
List of MAPs
Modern Argentina 2
Indigenous Peoples of the Southern Cone on the Eve of
the Conquest 11
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, 1790 65
Buenos Aires Autopistas Planned by the Military Government
of the Late 1970s and Early 1980s 242
List of tables
and charts
Estimated Population of Indigenous Peoples of
the Southern Cone, 1492 3
Population Estimates for Buenos Aires, 1615–1770 46
Slaves and Livestock on the Jesuit Ranches of Córdoba,
ca. 1748 60
The Racial Composition of the Population of Mendoza, 1812 67
Yearly Tax Revenues of the Royal Treasury in Buenos Aires,
1770–1808 69
Population Growth in Colonial Argentina, 1777–1809 75
v
Destination of Ships Leaving the Port of Buenos Aires,
1849–1851 108
Rural Population in Buenos Aires Province, 1854 116
Indicators of Economic Growth in Argentina, 1880–1914 142
Cargo and Passengers Carried on Argentine Railways,
1880–1914 144
Major Argentine Grain Exports, 1880–1915 145
Spanish and Italian Immigration to Argentina, 1880–1930 149
Nationality of Foreigners Residing in Argentina, 1914 150
Population of the City of Buenos Aires, 1914–1936 151
Argentine Petroleum Consumption, Production, and Imports,
1922–1930 183
Growth of Manufacturing within Argentina’s
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 1900–1955 194
Growth of the Argentine Oil Industry, 1922–1940 195
Price Inflation, 1945–1984 223
Expansion and Contraction of Gross Domestic Product,
1956–1980 227
Price Inflation in Argentina, 1980–2001 266
Expansion and Contraction of Gross Domestic Product,
1981–2001 268
Gross External Debt, 1977–2001 270
China’s Trade with Argentina, 2001–2007 289
Argentina’s Economic Growth and Inflation Rates,
1999–2010 292
vi
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I
have benefited immensely from a wealth of literature on the history
of Argentina in both Spanish and English. The Argentines have
developed one of the most lively and professional historical tradi-
tions in Latin America, and they have a talent for seeing themselves
with clarity and wisdom. They practice their studies at a number of
fine institutions of higher learning and research institutes both in
Argentina and abroad. Moreover, the Argentine historical community
has welcomed foreign scholars to its archives and libraries so that the
English-language literature ranks among the richest for any country of
Latin America.
In addition, my students and former students assist me—indeed, they
challenge me—in staying on top of the latest research. They themselves
have contributed five doctoral dissertations and 19 master’s research
projects about Argentine history that have enriched my knowledge and
understanding of that country. They will recognize in these pages where
I am beholden to their research. I owe special thanks to Joan Supplee,
Gil Ramírez, Ricardo Salvatore, Rukhsana Qamber, Greg Hammond,
and Adrian Hawkins for their doctoral work. Among those who have
turned out fine master’s projects are Kevin Kelly, Barbara Boczek, John
Rochford, Andrea Spears, Lisa Cox, Barbara Pierce, Alfredo Poenitz,
Yao-Sung Hsiao, Matthew Faddis, Wayne Magnusson, Jesús Gómez,
Byron Crites, Cyrus Cousins, Jen Hoyt, Sabina Mora, Brian Teplica,
Peter Toot, and Josie Engels. I am indebted to María Celina Tuozzo for
her keen insights on Argentine labor history. Michael Snodgrass gra-
ciously permitted me to draw from his superb analysis, especially on
the relationship between Juan Perón and his working-class followers,
which appears in chapter 8.
In Buenos Aires, I profited from the expert assistance of Daniel
V. Santilli of the Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana “Dr. E.
Ravignani.” He searched among several different sources in Buenos
Aires to find many of the illustrations that grace this book. During the
past decade, I have corresponded frequently with Torcuato Di Tella,
Ricardo Salvatore, and Cuatro Tolson, who keep me abreast of events.
I benefited also from the Reuters news dispatches from Argentina
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ARGENTINA
viii
that were written by a former student, Brian Winter. In addition,
Gil Ramírez has shared jokes and insights over the years, and Byron
Crites donated a critical labor document. Li He gave me the statistics
on Chinese-Argentine trade; Jen Hoyt and Cyrus Cousins contributed
photos and illustrations.
I have been fortunate to have had the advice and counsel of my own
in-house editor and muse, Lynore Brown. Finally, Josie Engels served
as my research assistant for this second edition. Her attention to detail
keeps me informed of the most important twists in Argentina’s current
events. Unless otherwise noted, translations that appear in this book are
my own. All the above contributed to making this a better book, though
they cannot be faulted for its shortcomings.
viii
Introduction:
The Argentine Riddle
J
ust a year ago, when I accepted the commission to update A Brief
History of Argentina, I thought that I would be able to finish the
second edition on a positive note. The first edition had concluded with
an analysis of the 2001 economic crisis, during which the country
defaulted on its foreign debt, citizens lost about two-thirds of their
bank deposits, and four different presidents served in the last two
weeks of December. Last year, the Argentine economy had rebounded
and was producing annual growth rates of 8 percent. Then bad news
hit Argentina. Wall Street suffered a near financial collapse, and world
markets began to purchase fewer Argentine agricultural products. As
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said, “We were registering
the most important growth in the last 200 years . . . when suddenly the
world appeared and it complicated our lives” (Wiñazki).
Today’s crisis does not appear to be replicating the 2001 episode, for
so far it is producing fewer dislocations. Nonetheless, the present-day
riches-to-rags story, in fact, has so many historical precedents, it always
brings up the same question: What’s wrong with Argentina? Their fel-
low Latin Americans like to tell a joke about the Argentines. “Would
you like to know how to become rich overnight?” they ask. “It’s quite
simple. Just buy an Argentine for what he’s worth and sell him for what
he thinks he’s worth.”
The joke, often repeated among Argentines themselves, seems
to sum up one aspect of the “Argentine Riddle.” The country once
had one of the most vibrant economies in the world. In the 1920s,
Argentines compared themselves favorably to France in terms of eco-
nomic wealth and individual well-being. Children of the Argentine
landowning class were known in London and Paris as the original jet-
setters of the early 20th century. Now, Argentines count themselves
among the underdeveloped nations of the world. Great-grandchildren
of European immigrants now seek to repatriate themselves to the
homelands of their great-grandparents. Argentines themselves are
deeply disappointed about the supposed gap between the country’s
possibilities and its intractable problems, such as economic boom
ix