Political History
Argentina's modern day history begins with the military coup of 1943,
which forced out a constitutional government. Three years later, one of
the coup's leaders, Colonel Juan Domingo Peron, was elected
president of Argentina. Projecting himself as a friend of labor, he
pursued policies that strengthened the voice of the working class and
increased the number of unionized workers. The main focus of his first
five-year plan was nationalization and industrialization. With the help of
his dynamic first wife, Eva Duarte de Peron, the president was able to
garner support from labor and women's groups. Although Peron won
re-election in 1952, he was removed from power by militia coup in 1955.
Peron went into exile, and until the early 1970s, Argentina was ruled by
a series of civil and military administrations. During this period,
Argentina's economy declined, social and labor demands were unmet,
and terrorism escalated. In 1973, Dr. Hector J. Campora, a Peronist,
was elected president. Later that year, Campora resigned and new
elections brought Peron back to power. Peron (d.1974) and his
successor, his third wife, were unable to control extremists who carried
out terrorist acts that threatened public order. Beset by intra-party
struggles and economic problems, the government was overthrown by a
military coup on March 24, 1976. The military junta, which ruled until
December 1983, carried out what is known as The Dirty War, in which
an estimated 30,000 "terrorists" and their "sympathizers" were killed by
the regime. The devastating effect of The Dirty War is a reminder to the
Argentineans of the perils of military rule.
In 1983, democracy was restored as Argentineans elected Raul
Alfonsin from the Radical Civic Union with 52% of the popular vote.
Continued support for the fledgling democracy was evidenced by large
turnouts for the 1985 and 1987 mid-term elections. Although the
UCR-led government took steps to resolve some of the nation's most
pressing problems, including accounting for those who disappeared
during military rule, establishing civilian control of the military, and
consolidating democratic institutions, the government faced other
problems which led to a loss of public confidence. These problems
included friction with the military and the failure to solve longstanding
economic problems.
Alfonsin was succeeded by Peronist candidate Carlos Saul Menem in
the 1989 elections. Menem used presidential decrees to advance his
economic policies when the congress was unable to reach consensus
on his proposed reforms. The 1994 Olivos Pact between the Peronists
and the Radical Party curtailed Menem's ability to issue presidential
decrees. Menem won reelection in 1995. His government's performance
was plagued by an abrupt devaluation of the Argentine peso and
disagreements with his finance minister, Domingo Cavallo. Though
Menem's grip on power remained strong, accusations of corruption and
increasing unemployment dogged his government. In 1999, Fernando
de la Rua was elected president of Argentina when his opposition
alliance defeated Menem's Peronists.
NDI's Efforts to Strengthen Democracy in Argentina
In September 1985, NDI held its first program on civil-military relations.
It was cosponsored a three-day seminar with the Arturo Illia Foundation
and West Germany's Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The seminar
focused on efforts at constitutional reform in Argentina.
In April 1987, NDI joined with leaders of the Radical and Peronist
parties to convene an international seminar on constitutional reform in
Argentina. Constitutional scholars from Europe, the United States, and
Latin America were invited. The conference served to indicate solidarity
with the Alfonsin government.
That same year, NDI commissioned a study on civil-military relations
during the Alfonsin period. The study focused specifically on the
lessons learned from attempts to broker civil-military reconciliation.
As a follow-up to the study, NDI held a conference from December
15-18, 1988 "The Integration of the Armed Forces in a Democracy" in
Santo Domingo. The seminar brought together political leaders,
scholars, and military. It was divided into four parts: 1) the role of the
executive branch; 2) the armed forces and parliament; 3) the defense
budget and the military's role in the economy; 4) the integration of the
military into society.
In March 1989, under the auspices of a program funded by the National
Endowment for Democracy, NDI brought six Argentine political and
military leaders to Washington to meet with leading U.S. experts on
defense policy. The Argentine visitors examined defense budgets,
intelligence oversights, and the training of civilians and military
personnel in defense and security issues. Argentine and U.S. civilian
and military officials met in Washington from April 17-21. U.S.
participants included representatives from the State Department,
Defense Department, the armed forces, the U.S. Congress, and
academic institutions. Argentinean participants included both past and
present civilian officials. A follow up conference, "Towards a New
Relationship: The Role of the Military in a Democratic Government,"
took place in Uruguay in July 1989. NDI brought together legislators,
political leaders, military officers, and civil-military experts from
Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Israel, Spain, Paraguay, and the United
States. This conference materialized into a "Declaration of Montevideo"
which recommended that existing laws be amended to stipulate the
armed forces' subordination to civilian rule. The conference participants
also supported open channels of communication between the
legislature and the military, promoting an increased role for
parliamentary defense committees in the development and oversight of
military budgets.
Several civilian participants of the NDI programs helped draft
Argentina's 1990 Internal Security law. In addition, other participants
went on to hold key policymaking positions in Argentina.
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