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In today's blog post I wanted to learn more about the origin and main characteristics of Peronism to better understand Evita's reading. Here is what I found:

Peronism firstly began as a movement in the 1940s, when Juan Domingo Perón, being a colonel, began his participation in Argentine public life. He began being in charge of the secretary of labor and forecasting, where he did a job with the workers that quickly increased his popularity, climbing positions in the government. The Argentine government started to worry about Peron's relationship with the unions so he was imprisoned by the Farrell dictatorship on October 13, 1945.

The birth of Peronism dates back to October 17, 1945, when a popular demonstration in Buenos Aires demanded his release from prison, after which he became the most relevant political figure of the moment. Thanks to several actions he took during this period: such as social insurance that benefited 2 million workers, creation of labor courts that tended to support workers, salary improvements, recognition of professional and union associations and the establishment of the minimum wage.

So we can see that the main characteristics of Peronism tend to favor the working class. Namely, we can list out the main characteristics like so:

1. Opposition to imperialist policies: Promoting local solutions to the problems without international support of large economies.
2. Labor rights claim - Concern for job creation and adequate conditions for workers. Since its inception, the payment of bonuses, workers' compensation for accidents at work, labor rights for women, among others, was promulgated.
3. Defense of national interests: Increasing the sense of sovereignty and care of national identity.
4. Protective state: Generate social benefits, especially for the neediest lower classes.
5. Nationalization of public services: such as electricity, gas, water, transport and rail networks, with a tendency to subsidies to reduce the impact of the actual costs of setting up and maintaining these services.
6. Promote national industry, stimulation of domestic consumption and self-supply

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This week we had to read about Augusto Sandino, a figure I did not know much about. Thus, I went ahead and investigated a bit about his life and craft a biography of sorts. Here is what I found:

Sandino was a Nicaraguan guerrilla leader who tenaciously fought against the US occupation and intervention until he forced the United States to withdraw his troops from Nicaragua. After his murder at the hands of the then head of the National Guard, Anastasio Somoza, Sandino became the ideological reference of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) and the revolution promoted by this movement that, years later, would end the dictatorship somocista. Thus, we're talking about one of the most central figures of the country of Nicaragua.

Of very humble origin, Augusto Sandino worked as a miner in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico. In 1926 he returned to his country, occupied since 1916 by US troops defending the interests of fruit companies in the United States. He opted to defend national autonomy, affected by the Bryan-Chamorro agreement and the signing of the Stimpson-Moncada treaty, so he assembled a group of guerrillas and raised arms.

For six years Sandino fought against the troops of different governments supported by the United States, at the end of which he had managed to gather around three thousand men around him and had won popular admiration. Organized under his command, the rebel guerrilla took refuge in the jungles of Nueva Segovia, where he became practically invincible.

However, his political prestige continued to be a threat to the country's leaders, so, after accepting an invitation to go to the presidential palace, he was ambushed and killed by Anastasio Somoza, head of the National Guard and nephew of former President José María Moncada.

However, as per usual, ideas don't die when the one that starts them dies. The death of the leader did not mean the disappearance of his movement, and his name went on to embody the liberation struggle of Nicaragua. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a political alignment created in 1962, established itself as a continuation of Sandino's ideology and focused its sights on the overthrow of the Somoza through armed struggle, an objective that he would achieve many years later (in 1979) force the fall of President Anastasio Somoza Debayle, son of Anastasio Somoza. read full post >>

Throughout history, there are several works of literature that can guide us and help us to understand in a very exhaustive way a certain era of the unique history of our world. Sometimes and in various contexts it may be that the pen and the inkwell, when accompanied by a current mind and a surface on which the owner of that clever and perceptive mind can write, are the most useful tools for painting a historical moment. Surely, the outstanding poem A Roosevelt by Nicaraguan Rubén Darío written in 1904 is a good example of this phenomenon, as it allows the reader to perceive the acute feelings of Latin Americans more than a century ago during the summit of the era of US imperialism in American continent.

Written in the early twentieth century during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, this poem can be seen primarily as a social order text and in addition to a strong denunciation against the continued interference of the United States government in national matters concerning Latin American countries , particularly from the Caribbean. The United States, which is described by the poem as a powerful but unjust entity that continues to carry out its interventionist and selfish policies, is represented by the unpopular and imposing figure of Theodore Roosevelt - its imperialist president at that time that had already harmed and considerably dismissed the Latin American people and lands during his presidency.

Undoubtedly, this work forms an essential and valuable part of the historical complex not only of Latin America but of the whole world, and that is why it is worth reading and analyzing it. In addition, despite the fact that it is often despised by many people, this poem continues with the tradition of literature that has a truly significant impact on history and even today to better understand the events of our past read full post >>

This week, I was able to see the effect that technology had to move the people into the forefront of the political game. As it has been noted multiple times thus far in this course, one of the things that … Continue reading → read full post >>

This week, I was able to see the effect that technology had to move the people into the forefront of the political game. As it has been noted multiple times thus far in this course, one of the things that … Continue reading → read full post >>

It was very surprising to see the power that art, particularly music, had in 20th century Latin America. While it isn’t unusual for individual artists to make political statements, I generally see that as the limit to any interaction between art and politics. Yet music was so significant in some Latin American countries that it […] read full post >>

This week’s readings focused on early twentieth century Latin American politics, mainly in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. All three countries have had populists in power, a particular group of nationalist politicians who catered to the working class. In a time when technology was becoming a popular way to approach a large crowd, the populist politicians […] read full post >>

In this week’s readings and videos, there is a large emphasis placed on the role of technology in Latin American political campaigns between the 1920s and 1950s. Tools such as the radio were extremely important at this time in history because they were one of the first tools available to almost all individuals poor or …

Continue reading "Broadcast and Propaganda In Argentina"

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This week,reading about the rise of technology and largely the popularization of the radio as both an entertainment and a political tool I began thinking about the ethics of mass media. Technology moved incredibly quickly in the early 1900s and … Continue reading → read full post >>

This week,reading about the rise of technology and largely the popularization of the radio as both an entertainment and a political tool I began thinking about the ethics of mass media. Technology moved incredibly quickly in the early 1900s and … Continue reading → read full post >>