Juan Perón

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Juan Domingo Perón (1946)

Juan Domingo Perón Sosa (born October 8, 1895 in Lobos , † July 1, 1974 in Olivos , Buenos Aires ) was President of Argentina twice . After a career as general and minister in a military government, he won the 1946 presidential election. After his re-election in 1951, he was overthrown by the military in 1955. A few months before his death, he was re-elected president in September 1973.

His second wife Evita Perón also became known worldwide .

Life

Juan Perón was born on October 8, 1895 in Lobos , in the province of Buenos Aires , as the son of the rancher Mario Tomás Perón and his wife Juana Sosa. He was the nephew of Professor Tomás L. Perón, one of the most famous Argentine doctors of his time. As with many Argentines, Perón's ancestors came from Europe. His father's family came from Sardinia , his mother's from Castile in Spain . In 1911 he entered the Colegio Militar (officers' school of the Argentine Army ) on the outskirts of Buenos Aires , which he successfully completed two years later as a sub-lieutenant in the infantry . He then devoted himself to his military career and began to publish books on military history and war science. From 1926 to 1929 he attended the Escuela Superior de Guerra, the military college of Argentina. In 1929 he married Aurelia Tizón, who died in September 1938.

Military career

Perón on the cover of El Obrero Ferroviario magazine (1945)

In 1930 Perón became a member of the General Staff of the Army and titular professor of military history at the Escuela Superior de Guerra. In 1930 he took part in a military coup against the elected President Hipólito Yrigoyen and then worked from 1930 to 1935 as the private secretary of the Minister of War.

From 1936 to 1939 he worked as a military attaché in several countries (most recently in Berlin). The Argentine army sent him to Mussolini's Italy as a military observer and to study the mountain warfare . On his return to Argentina in 1941, Perón, an admirer of Italian fascism , joined forces with other officers in the secret organization Grupo de Oficiales Unidos (GOU).

In June 1943, as a colonel , he played an important role in a military coup by the GOU against the civil and constitutional government of Ramón Castillo . Initially Perón was Undersecretary of State in the War Ministry under General Pedro Pablo Ramírez , in November 1943 he became Secretary for Labor and Welfare and then Vice President and State Secretary in the War Ministry under General Edelmiro Julián Farrell (February 1944).

In the GOU he developed plans for Argentina's supremacy on the southern American continent, building on an alliance with Adolf Hitler : “Hitler's struggle in peace and in war will be our guiding star. (...) Forging alliances will be the first step. We have Paraguay and Chile. With Argentina, Paraguay , Bolivia and Chile , it will be easy to put pressure on Uruguay . After that, the five United Nations will easily pull Brazil to their side, given its form of government and its large German population. Once Brazil has fallen, the American continent will be ours, ”he wrote in a GOU manifesto in May 1943. In the same month a secret mutual cooperation agreement was reached with the National Socialist German foreign intelligence service, SD .

Together with SS-Hauptsturmführer Siegfried Becker , the head of the SD secret service, Perón participated in the military coup against the government of General Enrique Peñaranda in Bolivia and supported General Gualberto Villarroel López in taking power. The trials of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg called Perón as a "monstrosity" and "infamy".

In his work in the Ministry of Labor he carried out a series of social reforms, which earned him the support of large parts of the simple Argentine population, the descamisados (shirtless people), but also the industrial workers. He pushed back the influence of the traditional left parties and unions and strengthened his personal following, particularly through the establishment of new unions, which were united in the new umbrella union, the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT). This influence and the growing personal power of Perón aroused resistance from leading military officials.

In August 1945 there were numerous anti-fascist demonstrations in Buenos Aires demanding democracy. At the same time there were demonstrations by the fascists who, especially after the capitulation of Japan , demanded Perón's candidacy. There were outbreaks of violence in which hundreds of Peronist soldiers besieged the editorial offices of the democratic newspaper Crítica. In September 1945, 250,000 people demonstrated in a “march for the constitution” against “despotism” and demanded “the head of Perón”. Perón declared a state of emergency and the prisons filled with non-Peronist military, democratic journalists, university professors and opposition politicians. In order to limit the protests against the military dictatorship, the military released Perón on October 9, 1945. On October 11th, he went into hiding with the help of the German-Argentine family Ludwig Freude , who were among the 10 richest in Latin America and had Nazi contacts, and moved with Evita into their summer house in Ostend . He had the state letter for his planned expulsion from Argentina stolen through his secret service connections and burned it. But the very next day Perón was arrested by the military and banished to the island of Martín García. This gave him "an aura of martyrdom ... an unprecedented wave of public support for the overthrown working class hero flooded the streets of Buenos Aires" to call for his release on October 17th outside Casa Rosada .

According to the Peronist myth, this movement was largely coordinated by María Eva Duarte , but history has shown that her role in the events around October 17th was very small. Just four days after his release, Perón married the twenty-four years younger actress on October 21, 1945, who soon became known worldwide as " Evita ".

Presidency

Perón with Evita
Perón and his ministers in 1946

The US tried to influence the Argentine presidential election of February 24, 1946 by publishing the "Blue Book". This was intended to influence public opinion against Perón by bringing him in connection with the alleged collaboration between Argentina and Germany during World War II . This attempt failed because many Argentines saw it as an intrigue with which the United States wanted to interfere in the internal affairs of their country. Perón took advantage of this mood by subsequently conducting his election campaign under the slogan “Braden or Perón”. What was meant was Spruille Braden , the head of the Latin America division of the US State Department and former US ambassador to Argentina.

Perón won the presidential election as a candidate for the Partido Laborista (Workers' Party) with 52% of the vote and was named President of Argentina on June 4, 1946 . As president, he advocated nationalist and populist politics. He continued his social policy from the 1940s. In this way he strengthened the rights of the workers, enlarged the group of people who were entitled to pension payments from half a million to ten million and introduced the Christmas bonus. He stressed the need for independent industrialization of Argentina as an essential basis of both national strength and the improvement of the social situation of the Argentine people. He nationalized the railways (→  Ferrocarril General Roca ) and promoted the development of the country's infrastructure. In 1947, he announced the first five-year plan to expand the partially nationalized industries. Based on these measures, the Peronists developed their political program of “Justicialismo” (the party was later also called Partido Justicialista (PJ)), this ideology was later also called “ Peronism ”. The term “justicialismo” was intended to represent a “third way” between communism and capitalism , but has not caught on in science. Perón's economic policy could be described as protectionism with social elements. In terms of foreign policy, this course was marked by harsh criticism of the positions of the USA and Great Britain .

His wife Evita gave up her acting career in favor of her husband's political career as well as in favor of her own political and social activities. The foundation “Fundación Eva Perón” was founded, which, under the leadership of Eva Perón, developed into the center of social work of the Perón government and enjoyed growing popularity among the people. In 1947 “Evita” traveled to Europe (“ Rainbow Tour ”) to promote her husband's government. The 28-year-old visited Spain , France , Italy and Switzerland and was also welcomed by Pope Pius XII. receive.

In 1949, Juan Perón implemented a constitutional reform that allowed the president to be re-elected. In November 1951 he again won the presidential election, in which, initiated by Evita, women were allowed to vote for the first time. At this point in time he enjoyed great popular approval, so that he was re-elected with 62% of the vote. Evita, who was supposed to be vice-president, declined with a view to the military, which she did not want to see in this post.

The nationalization of part of the economy, industrialization and social policy, all of which were promoted simultaneously, quickly melted Argentina's financial reserves. There was high inflation and many Argentines lost their savings during this period. The social measures led to growing tensions with the landlord oligarchy, the military and the Catholic Church , and the death of Evita Perón, who died of cancer on July 26, 1952 at the age of only 33, weakened Perón's political position. The conflict with the Church escalated, Perón had Catholic newspapers banned and some priests arrested, legalized divorce and prostitution, and abolished religious education in schools. He also put illegitimate children on an equal footing with legitimate children.

On June 16, 1955 , Pope Pius XII excommunicated him . (The ban was lifted eight years later). A bloody revolt by naval officers on the same day failed (→  bombing of the Plaza de Mayo ); in the second attempt, the coup of September 16-21, 1955 - the Revolución Libertadora - Perón was overthrown. After his fall, he was tried in absentia for seducing minors. Because after Evita's death, the young Nelly Rivas (1939–2012) had moved into her bedroom to officially take care of Evita's dogs. Nelly was sent to a home for teenage prostitutes after Peron's fall.

After Perón's fall

After working in Paraguay , Venezuela and the Dominican Republic , he went into exile in Spain in 1958. Here he married María Estela Martínez, an Argentine night club dancer in Madrid in 1961 , who called herself Isabel Martínez de Perón as his wife . However, she never came close to reaching the popularity of Evita Perón in Argentina. During the 18 years of his exile he continued to take an active part in Argentina through intermediaries.

Argentina in the 1950s and 1960s was marked by frequent changes of government, low economic growth and increasing social tensions. The various governments failed to stimulate the economy significantly. They also faced the escalating terrorism and violence of groups such as the left-wing Peronist Montoneros in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The way was now clear for Perón to return. In March 1971, General Alejandro Agustín Lanusse took power and declared that he wanted to return to democracy in 1973. From exile, Perón supported the left-wing Peronists and the trade unions.

Second presidency

Elections were held in Argentina on March 11, 1973. Perón was refused the candidacy, but the voters decided in favor of a Perón informant, Héctor José Cámpora , as president. Cámpora resigned in July 1973 to allow new elections. At that time, however, the internal political situation in Argentina was already so tense that many politicians called on Perón to return. Perón returned to his homeland on June 20, 1973. At the rally on his return, riots broke out between various groups of demonstrators, the police and the military, with numerous dead. Perón won the decisive election on September 23, 1973 with over 60% of the vote. In October 1973 he was appointed president for the third time after 1946 and 1951.

The new government quickly found itself in grave distress due to the split between left and right-wing supporters, especially as Juan Perón turned himself more and more to the right. There was a wave of violence and terrorist attacks, and the government issued a series of emergency measures to maintain order in the country. Perón's Welfare Minister López de Rega organized the Triple A ( Argentine Anti-Communist Alliance ), which mainly murdered opponents within and outside of the party.

Perón died of a heart attack a few months after his election on July 1, 1974. His wife Isabel Martínez de Perón, who was already sworn in as Vice President, became his successor and at the same time the first female President of South America. In 1976, their government was again overthrown in a military coup.

Perón was buried in the Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires in 1974 . On October 17, 2006, his body was transferred to a newly created mausoleum (financed, among other things, by the CGT union) in the suburb of San Vicente . There was a riot because thousands of fanatical supporters wanted to take a look at the coffin with the remains of Peron during the transfer. So after the initial scramble, there were fights that were fought with sticks and knives, among other things. There were numerous injuries. Perón's mausoleum was also damaged. The transfer took place on the same carriage as the 1974 funeral.

Awards (selection)

literature

  • Uki Goñi : Odessa. The true story. Escape aid for Nazi war criminals. Association A, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-935936-40-0 .
  • Ernesto López: El primer Perón. El militar antes que el politico . Capital Intelectual, Buenos Aires 2009, ISBN 978-987-614-170-3 .
  • Juan Ovidio Zavala: Amor y violencia. La verdadera historia de Perón y Nelly Rivas . Editorial Planeta, Buenos Aires 2014, ISBN 978-95-049-4241-2 .

Web links

Commons : Juan Domingo Perón  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g http://www.jdperon.gov.ar/material/biografiaperon.html
  2. ↑ Ernesto López: El primer Perón. El militar antes que el politico . Capital Intelectual, Buenos Aires 2009, in it the chapter El golpe del 4 de junio de 1943 , pp. 63-70.
  3. ^ Uki Goñi: Odessa. The true story. Escape aid for Nazi war criminals . Berlin 2006, p. 42, quoted from Uki Goñi ibid.
  4. ^ Uki Goñi: Odessa. The true story. Escape aid for Nazi war criminals . Berlin 2006, p. 42.
  5. ^ Uki Goñi: Odessa. The true story. Escape aid for Nazi war criminals . Berlin 2006, p. 113.
  6. ^ Uki Goñi: Odessa. The true story. Escape aid for Nazi war criminals . Berlin 2006, p. 114.
  7. ^ Uki Goñi: Odessa. The true story. Escape aid for Nazi war criminals . Berlin 2006, p. 115.
  8. ↑ a b Archive link ( Memento of the original from February 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.latein America.uni-koeln.de
  9. ^ Uki Goñi: Odessa. The true story. Escape aid for Nazi war criminals . Berlin 2006, p. 116.
  10. ↑ Robert D. Crass Weller: Perón and the Enigmas of Argentina . WW Norton & Co, New York 1987, ISBN 0-393-02381-8 .
  11. ↑ http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/desgobierno/Isabelita/elpepiint/20070114elpepiint_5/Tes
  12. ^ Claudio Belini: La industria peronista, 1946–1955. Políticas públicas y cambio estructural . Edhasa, Buenos Aires 2009, ISBN 978-987-628057-0 .
  13. ^ Juan Ovidio Zavala: Amor y violencia. La verdadera historia de Perón y Nelly Rivas . Editorial Planeta, Buenos Aires 2014.
  14. ↑ Bernd Wulffen: The Perón Phenomenon: Populism in Latin America . 2nd Edition. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2017, pp. 208 ff .
  15. ↑ Felipe Pigna: La masacre de Ezeiza. In: El Historiador. November 6, 2017, accessed March 9, 2019 (European Spanish).
  16. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg Germany: photo series - image 15 - Evita cult in Argentina: the kidnapping of a corpse. Retrieved February 20, 2019 .
  17. ↑ http://www.elpais.com/articulo/ultima/tiros/segundo/entierro/Peron/elpepiult/20061018elpepiult_1/Tes
  18. ↑ Review (Spanish)
predecessor Office successor
Edelmiro Julián Farrell
Raúl Alberto Lastiri 		President of Argentina
1946–1955
1973–1974 		Eduardo Lonardi
Isabel Martínez de Perón
personal data
SURNAME Perón, Juan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Perón Sosa, Juan Domingo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Argentine soldier, politician and two-time president
DATE OF BIRTH October 8, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Lobos
DATE OF DEATH July 1, 1974
Place of death Olivos , Buenos Aires (Province)