Introduction to History of Argentina
History of Argentina. Descendants of ancient Asian migrants reached what is now Argentina some 8,000 years ago; these were the ancestors of the Indians. When European exploration of South America began in the 16th century A.D., there were some 300,000 nomadic Indians in the region. Compared with their neighbors to the north, they were poor and culturally undeveloped.
Important dates in Argentina1580 Spaniards established Buenos Aires.1776 Spain created the Viceroyalty of La Plata.1810 Buenos Aires formed an independent government.1816 Argentina declared its independence from Spain.1853 Argentina adopted a federal Constitution.1912 The Saenz Pena Law reformed national elections.1930 Army officers overthrew the elected government.1943 Juan Peron began his rise to power.1955 A military revolt overthrew the Peron dictatorship. Peron fled the country.1973 Peron returned to Argentina and was elected president.1974 Peron died. His third wife, Isabel, became president.1976 Military leaders removed Isabel Peron from office.1982 Argentina lost a war with the United Kingdom over control of the Falkland Islands.1983 Civilian rule was restored following free elections.Spanish Conquest and Rule
While seeking a southwest passage to the Indies in 1516, Juan Diaz de Solis discovered the Rio de la Plata (River of Silver). He claimed the surrounding territory (including what is now Argentina) for Spain. Ten years later, Sebastian Cabot became the first to ascend the river, which he named, and to reach the interior.
Pedro de Mendoza, a Spanish noble, established Puerto de Santa Maria del Buen Aire (the original Buenos Aires) in 1536. Plagued by famine and Indian attacks, it was abandoned five years later. Almost 40 years passed before Juan de Garay rebuilt Buenos Aires. The first permanent settlement was Santiago del Estero, founded in 1553. Several settlements in the west and northwest, including Mendoza (1561), San Juan (1562), San Miguel de Tucumn (1565), and Crdoba (1573), were made by expeditions from other Spanish colonies.
For nearly 300 years, Rio de la Plata, as the colony was called, was ruled by Spain. It was under the jurisdiction first of Asuncin (in modern Paraguay) and then of the Vice-royalty of Peru. In 1776 the Viceroyalty of La Plata was created, with Buenos Aires as the capital. This was done to strengthen Spanish control in an area threatened by hostile Indians and Portuguese and British colonizers. Under the viceroyalty, the entire Plata region (present-day Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay and the southern third of Bolivia) prospered. Buenos Aires, strategically located on an important river system, became a thriving port.
Argentina in 1776. In 1776, Spain created a colony, the Viceroyalty of La Plata, made up of what are now Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and parts of Bolivia, Brazil, and Chile.Independence and Unification
In the early 1800's a series of conditions and events sparked rebellion against Spain. These included increased prosperity, Spanish mis-rule, the failure of the Spanish to defend Buenos Aires against British attacks (180607), and Napoleon's invasion of Spain. Buenos Aires revolted in 1810, but the independence of the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata was not formally declared until July 9, 1816. By this time the northern and eastern regions had declared their independence as separate nations, Paraguay in 1811 and Uruguay in 1815. General Jos de San Martn was a principal military leader of the rebellion. He later led Argentine troops to Chile and Peru, 181722, to fight for the independence of those countries.
Argentina in 1816. In 1816, the provinces that now form much of Argentina declared independence from Spain. The new country was called the United Provinces of La Plata.Decades of anarchy and civil war followed independence. The so-called Unitarians (mainly those in Buenos Aires) wanted a strong central government. The Federalists (the caudillos, or chieftains, of the other provinces) fought for local autonomy. In 1829 Juan Manuel de Rosas came to power. Although a Federalist, he ruled the confederation as a dictator. In 1852 he was overthrown. A constitution establishing a federal republic was adopted in 1853, and General Justo Jos de Urquiza was elected the first president. By 1862 all provinces were united under the constitution. However, the struggle for political stability continued.
Argentina took its present name in 1860. It gained territory in the north in 1874 after a war with Paraguay. Patagonia became part of Argentina in 1881.An Era of Change
Under Presidents Bartolom Mitre (186268) and Domingo F. Sarmiento (186874), the consolidation of the republic continued. Beginning in mid-century, masses of immigrants came to Argentina, Europeanizing society and challenging the dominance of the criollos (native Argentines of Spanish culture who lived in the interior). From 1857 to 1909, about 3,500,000 people came to Argentina. During this period, agriculture was brought to the Pampas, industrialization and urbanization spread, and a middle class developed.
A conservative, landed minority controlled the government. However, opposition to corruption and to lack of political freedom grew. An antigovernment party (later the Radical party) was formed to seek representative government and economic re-form. Although a Conservative, President Roque Senz Pena (191014) introduced electoral reforms in 1912, which included universal and compulsory male suffrage and secret balloting.
In 1916 the Argentine people elected Hi-plito Irigoyen, a Radical, president. He served 191622 and 192830. Some social legislation was enacted during the period of Radical rule, but the government fell in 1930 in a coup led by General Jos F. Uriburu. Conservative domination was reestablished.
Prior to the elections scheduled for 1943, the repressive and unpopular government of Ramn S. Castillo was overthrown by the military, and army dictators ruled for several years. Juan D. Pern, an army colonel and an ultranationalist, was elected president in 1946 and was reelected in 1951 with the support of labor. As his regime became increasingly dictatorial and the Argentine economy faltered, discontent spread. In 1955 Pern was overthrown by the armed forces and fled the country.
President Juan Pern and his wife Eva in 1949. Eva won wide popularity with Argentina's poor, who fondly called her "Evita." Juan Pern came to power through promises of liberal reforms, but soon became a fascist-style dictator.A provisional government ruled until the 1958 election. Economic problems, the power of the Peronists (supporters of Pern), and military intervention threatened succeeding governments. Fearing a rise to power by the Peronists, the heads of the armed services seized control in 1966. As the cost of living continued to rise, labor strikes and riots broke out. There also were anti-government acts of terrorism by various radical groups of the right and the left.
Civilian government was reinstated in 1973, with the election of a Peronist candidate for president. He soon resigned, however, to allow for a new election and Pern's return. In that election, Pernwith his third wife, Isabel, as vice-presidential candidatewas victorious. When Pern died in 1974, Isabel succeeded him. Political strife, labor unrest, and inflation created instability, and, in 1976, military leaders seized power. The military crushed all dissent, murdering at least 9,000 people whom it considered to be subversives.
In 1982 Argentine forces invaded the British colony of the Falkland Islands (called Malvinas by the Argentines). Argentina had claimed the islands since 1883. Britain retook the islands after a 74-day undeclared war. In 1983 the military stepped down, and Ral Alfonsin was elected president. To control inflation and a growing foreign debt, austerity measures were introduced in the late 1980's.
After a period of prosperity in the early 1990's, the economy suffered four years of recession and finally collapsed in December 2001. By mid-January, after three officials had been named to the presidential office, Eduardo Duhalde, a Peronist, was named president and given a two-year term. Nestor Kirchner, who had previously governed Santa Cruz Province, was elected president in May 2003.
In October 2007, Argentine first lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was elected president. Fernandez de Kirchner was also a senator for more than 10 years. She was inaugurated as president in December.