Evita and Juan Pern: Argentina and Evitas Legacy

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Evita and Juan PerónArgentina and Evitas Legacy

• Mark P. Jones
• Rice University
• 06/24/08

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Argentina History I

• Colony of Spain
• Colonial Backwater
• Dependency of Viceroyalty of Peru until 1776
• Independence
• 1816/1820s
• Unitarios vs. Federalists. Conflict
• 1862. Conflict Ends

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Argentina History II

• 1862. The Liberal/Modernizing Presidents The
  Generation of 1880
• Bartólome Mitre (1862-68).
• Domingo Sarmiento (1868-74).
• Nicolás Avellaneda (1874-80).
• Julio Argentina Roca (1880-86).

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Economic Success 1880-1914

• Comparative advantage/fertile land
• Beef, Grain, Other to European Markets.
• Massive Immigration Follows Growth
• 1857 to 1930. 3.5m (60 pop. growth).
• 30 foreign born in 1914 (US 13).
• 50 Italy, 30 Spain, 15 (Germany, Russia,
  Poland, Switzerland, Austria, France, England)

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Politics Expanding Elite Democracy

• 1860-1916. Oligarchic Control.
• 1916-1930. Radical Party, Limited Suffrage
  (native born).
• 1930. Coup and Conservative Return.

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First World Argentina

• 1900. Per capita income comparable to Germany
  and Belgium and higher than southern Europe and
  Scandinavia.
• 1915. GDP per capita still higher than France,
  Sweden, Austria, and Italy.
• 1940. More urbanized than US Europe.
• 1940. More physicians per capita than all of
  Europe (except Switzerland Hungary).
• Buenos Aires Paris of Europe

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Not So First World

• Landed Upper Class that Controlled the State
• High Proportion of Immigrants
• Immigrants Lacked Access to Land
• Immigrants Concentrated in Cities
• Growing Urban Under Class
• Immigrants
• Internal Migrants from Interior
• Economic Inequality
• Exclusionary Politics

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1930-1943 The Infamous Decade

• Conservative Backed Coup Overthrows Pres.
  Hipolito Irigoyen in 1930.
• Limited/Fraudulent Elections (Mil. Support)
• Axis/Allies Neutrality, Castillo dedazo.
• 1943 (June) Coup. Gen. Rawson/Ramírez.

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The Rise of Perón

• October 1943. Gen. Edelmiro Farrell.
• Aide Colonel Juan Domingo Perón.
• Leader of 1943 Coup.
• Minister of War in October of 1943.
• Also Secretary of Labor.
• Protector/Advcoate of the Working Class.
• Aguinaldo/Union Formation.
• Vice President in June 1944.

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Juan Domingo Perón

• Born (1895). Father Landowner.
• Joins Army (1915).
• Garrison Life (contact w/ workers/recruits)
• 1926 (Capitan). Buenos Aires.
• Married (1928) to Aurelia Tizón (dec 1938)
• 1939-1942. Attache in Europe.
• 1943 Coup. War Minister/Sec of Labor.

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Eva Perón

• Born (1919) in Los Toldos/Move to Junín.
• Ilegitimate Daughter.
• Humiliation at hands of Fathers (Juan Duarte)
  legit family in Junín.
• 1935 (age 15) leaves for BA on own.
• Theatre, then Radio, and a few Movies.
• By 1944 a minor actress, scraping by.

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The Courtship

• San Juan Earthquake Benefit.
• Luna Park. January 22, 1944
• Independence Day Celebration.
• Colón Opera House. July 9, 1944.
• October 17th, 1945. Uprising and Perón.
• Marriage.
• Civil Ceremony. October 22, 1945.
• Religious Ceremony. December 10, 1945.

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October 17 to the 1946 Election

• October 13, Perón forced to resign and is
  imprisoned on Martín Garcia Island.
• October 17, Popular Uprising as
  Workers/Descamisadas, Cross borders, Fill the
  Plaza de Mayo.
• Perón Returns, Elections Called for February,
  Perón Candidate.
• Perón or Braden (Tamborini).
• Perón Victory.

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Evita and Juan in Power Evita I

• Non-Traditional First Lady.
• Secretariat of Work and Social Welfare.
• Eva Perón Foundation.
• Social Welfare
• Womens Rights (suffrage 1947)
• Inclusion of the Excluded
• School, Vacations, Tournaments, Basic Consumer
  Goods,
• Housing, Ciudad Evita.
• Sense of Belonging.

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Evita and Juan in Power Evita II

• Elitist Society Rejected Bastard Climber/Whore
• Machista Society Rejected Such a Prominent Role
  for a Woman
• Oligarchy Feared Evitas Progressive Social
  Discourse (far more anti-elite than that of
  Juans).

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Evita and Juan in PowerJuan I

• Nationalization of Foreign Utility/Economic
  Holdings.
• Concentration of Political Power
• Organization and Control of the Unions
• Constitutional Reform in 1949

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Evita and Juan in PowerJuan II

• Growing Elite Resentment of Peróns move towards
  Authoritarian Rule/Corruption and Control of the
  Economy
• Growing Popular Resentment of Peróns Move toward
  Authoritarian Rule/Corruption
• Military Resentment of Purges
• Catholic Church Resentment of Anti-Clerical
• Growing Economic Problems/Difficulty to Satisfy
  Worker Expectations.

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Evita and Juan in Power

• An Effective Team
• Juan
• Populist, Organized, Maintain Military Support,
  Hard Decisions of Governance. Trains Run.
• Evita
• Social conscience, Concerns for the Masses,
  Lionized Perón in a Manner only she could.

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The Historic Resignation

• August of 1951, CGT asks Perón to Run for
  Re-election and that Evita be his VP.
  Perón-Perón Ticket.
• August 22. One Million. Town Hall Meeting.
  Evita Asks for time.
• August 31. On Radio. Resigns.
• Military?
• Cancer?
• CGT Politics?

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The Death of Evita

• September 1951. Cancer Diagnosed.
• October 1951. Hospitalized.
• November 1951. Votes from Hospital.
• June 1952. 80 pounds.
• July 26, 1952. Passes at age 33.
• Perón Devastated.

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The Body of Evita

• Embalmed. Stored at CGT While Monumental Tomb
  Constructed
• Military (1955 coup) takes Custody of the Body
  and Hides it. Leaks.
• 1957. The Military Sends Body to Italy. Where a
  Secret. Pedro Aramburu Letter.
• Montoneros Kidnap Aramburu. Irony.
• 1971 from Milan to Madrid (Isabel).
• 1976 to Recoleta Cemetery (Post Coup).

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Juan Without Evita

• Increasing Authoritarianism.
• Increasing Economic Problems.
• Repression of Workers.
• Growing Lack of Popular SupportConnection.
• Unwilling to Arm the Workers.
• Conflict with Elites.
• Conflict with Catholic Church.
• Successful 1955 Coup.
• Would Return in 1973 only to die in 1974.

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Legacy

• Juan and Evita are the Symbols of Peronism
• Peronism is the Dominant/Hegemonic Political
  Party in Argentina.
• Womens Rights. 1991 Quota Law. Over one-half
  of Latin American Countries Have Quotas.

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Why does it make sense to increase womens
presence in public office?

• DESCRIPTIVE/SUBSTANTIVE REP.
• Promote a culture of equality
• Place issues of importance to women on the
  political agenda and translate them into public
  policies
• Educate the public on democratic inclusiveness
• Enhance the legitimacy of the political system

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What explains variation?

• Culture
• Social and Economic Variables
• Institutions
• ? Can be changed in short- to
• medium-term!
• EX Gender Quotas Laws

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What are Quotas?

• They can be an effective mechanism for improving
  womens numerical representation
• Quota systems aim to ensure women constitute at
  least a critical minority of 30 or 40
• Quotas encourage new attitudes towards women in
  politics

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Why have quotas been adopted?

• International Influence
• UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
  Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
• 1995 UN World Conference on Women in Beijing
  ?Beijing Platform for Action
• Political Culture
• Popular Mobilization
• Electoral Concerns

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Not all quotas are equal

• Cross-national variation explained by
• Type of quota
• A nations electoral system
• Enforcement mechanisms

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Types of Quotas

• Party-level Quotas
• Voluntary work well in egalitarian cultures
• EX Norway, Sweden, Denmark
• But enforcement is the purview of the party
• Only applies to parties with quotas.
• National Quota Legislation
• Applies to all political parties
• Enforcement is conducted by the bureaucracy

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Critiques of Quotas

• Discriminate Against Men
• Devalue Achievments of Current Deputies
• Stigmatize Quota Deputies
• Lack of Qualified Women
• Women Do Not Want Political Posts

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Electoral Systems

• Plurality-Majority
• Single-Member Districts
• District geographic areas into which a country
  is divided for electoral purposes
• District Magnitude number of members elected
  per district
• Proportional Representation (PR)
• Multi-Member Districts
• Closed or Open Party Lists
• Closed List Electors can vote for a party only
• Open List Electors can express preference for a
  candidate within a party list
• Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)
• PR Party List (Closed)
• Single Member (Plurality)

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Conditions under which National Legislative
Quotas work best

• Quota Legislation requiring parties to include a
  minimum of women candidates
• Closed-List System
• Placement Requirement
• (women placed in electable positions on party
  lists)
• Large District Magnitude
• Enforcement Mechanisms

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Quotas in Latin America

• Adopted in 12 countries
• First to adopt was Argentina in 1991
• Today 36 in Lower House
• 42 in Upper House
• (Prior to adoption of law 5)
• Other cases of success Costa Rica and Mexico

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Costa Rica