Melanie Van Orden,
Jet Set Now Editor

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  • History and Facts About Argentina
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My awesome sister-in-law, Amara, posted a comment on this blog asking for more information about Argentina’s history. I am all to happy to oblige; I love to answer readers’ questions! (Note: You don’t have to be a family member of mine to get a question answered on this blog!)

Jason and I visited Argentina for a few months from February to May of 2008. We loved our time there and want to go back to visit in the future. Some of our favorite parts of our visit were the architecture of Buenos Aires, the fabulous steaks and ice cream, the passionate and sophisticated culture and the low prices!

Some Argentina Info:

Argentina is the second largest country in South America (geographically), after Brazil. Here is a map of South America showing Argentina. It is the green country that fills up nearly the entire tail of the continent (with Chile being a sliver of a country on the west side of Argentina):

Buenos Aires feels like a mix between Paris and New York City, with a stronger leaning toward Paris.

Some of the most recognizable national symbols of Argentina are the tango, the best beef in the world and an obsession for football (known in the US as soccer).

Above is a picture of a part of Buenos Aires that looks a bit like Times Square in New York.

Regions of Argentina

Argentina is made up of vastly different climates and geographic regions. It has beautiful coastal areas, tropical rain forests, deserts, large grassy plains (called the Pampas), and huge mountains with glaciers.

Rocks, seashells and seaweed on the coast of Peninsula Valdéz, Argentina.

The name Argentina is derived from the latin word for “silver.” It seems that early explorers in the 1600’s named the country Argentina when they discovered deposits of silver there.

A Brief History of Argentina

Early History

Several different groups of Native South Americans  lived in Argentina over 11,000 years ago. One of those groups was the Incas that spread into the northern region of Argentina.

Colonization

In 1516, European colonizers came to Argentina. By 1580, the Spanish had created a colony on the site of present day Buenos Aires. African slaves were brought to the colony by the Spanish settlers, and many of their descendants remained in Buenos Aires for several centuries.

The British attempted to invade Argentina in 1806-07 but the population of the country was able to drive them off, largely without help from mainland Spain. Argentina gained independence from Spain in 1816.

Independence from Spain

In the years that followed Argentina’s declaration of independence from Spain, civil war tore the country apart. It wasn’t until 1856 that there was an end to the fighting and the constitution of Argentina was written.

After the country stabilized, there was a flood of investment and development in Argentina from foreign countries. Agriculture in Argentina became modernized, which led to an ability for the residents of Buenos Aires and other populous areas close to the city to spread out into the desert and Patagonia.

This time of spreading was called the “Conquest of the Desert” which led to many deaths in the indigent population. Add the devastating effects of foreign diseases to the equation, and the indigent population was nearly wiped out. Today, less that 2% of Argentina have indigenous ancestry. Argentina is truly a nation of immigrants, mainly coming from Italy and Spain.

Argentina’s Golden Age

Argentina enjoyed a “golden age” of development and prosperity between 1880 and 1929. Immigration from Europe reached a feverish pace. At one point, Argentina was the 10th richest country in the world! This led to a sizable aristocracy with highly visible signs of wealth, such as large estates, gobs of fine jewelry, the latest fashions from Paris, fine furniture and collectibles, etc.

And the Military Coups Begin

When Argentina was hit with the great depression in 1929 (the same depression that affected the US at that time), the military in Argentina decided to oust the sitting president. What followed was period of military rule interspersed with brief times of democracy, although the military continued to play a large part in government during the democratic years.

The Perons

In 1946, Juan Peron was elected into the presidency. He was a former general in the Argentine army.

Although Peron was an elected president, he used some dictatorial and fascist methods. Nonetheless, the people of Argentina loved him because he was an improvement over the past military controlled regime and for his efforts to help the working class.

The public also loved Juan Peron’s wife, Eva Peron. Her affectionate nickname among the people was “Evita.” She was a woman born into poverty who rose to fame and power as the First Lady of Argentina.

While her husband was in office, she focused on helping the poor and disadvantaged through her own charitable organization. She is praised and adored in Argentina to this day for her efforts.

Picture of Evita Person

Although Peron was a largely loved and praised president, he was forced into exile in Spain when a military coup removed him from office. The various forms of military regime ruled until 1973 when Peron was brought back to Argentina for the presidency by popular demand.

Peron died during in July of 1974. Peron’s then current wife, Isabel, succeeded to the presidency by virtue of her appointed position of Vice-President by her husband.

Isabel ruled for two years, during which time she upheld some of her late husband’s most fascist methods. At the end of those two years, a military coup forced her from office in 1976.

The “Dirty War” Regime

After this coup, a particularly brutal military regime was in control of Argentina. Any protests of the government were squashed with lethal force. This time of oppression is called ”the Dirty War.”

The Dirty War was characterized by the kidnap, torture and murder of dissidents of the military or the dictatorial regime. Thousands of Argentines went to work, school or church during this time and never came home. They were called “the disappeareds.” The family and friends of the disappeareds never knew exactly what happened to their loved ones.

It was revealed years later that the disappeareds were abducted by the military regime and were tortured to get information about subversive groups in the country. After they were tortured, they were murdered and disposed of.

Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

There is a group of mothers of the disappeareds called “The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.”  They have fought for three decades to find out what happened to their children and grandchildren. Every Thursday, they march for a half an hour to symbolize their continued fight to be reunited with or honor their missing children. They wear white scarves on their heads as symbols of the white doves of peace.

Jason and I were able to observe the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo during our stay in Argentina. It is a very moving thing to see these women who have never given up their quest for their disappeared children.

Democracy is Back, But the Country’s Still in Trouble!

In 1983, this last military regime in Argentina ended. Many forces combined to bring down the military regime responsible for the Dirty War, from domestic economics, to international pressure due to human rights violations, to heavy corruption in the government. Democracy was reinstated in a national election and has remained in force until the present day.

The succeeding presidents in Argentina faced the fallout from many years of poor fiscal management by military regimes. Not only was the country in massive debt, but the once thriving exports of Argentina were dismally few and imports were crippling the national economy.

Add to these problems wide spread corruption in the government and a declining confidence in most South American countries’ ability to repay loans, and you’ve got a country on the edge of economic collapse.

The Economic Crisis of 2001

The government of Argentina enacted measures to keep the economy from falling apart, including freezing all bank accounts in the country in order to prevent a mass of people withdrawing their money all at once in a panic. This led to street riots in which police attempted to intervene. When several people were killed, the general discontent reached such a peak that the sitting president of Argentina resigned.

There was a period of confusion about who was in power when three presidents took office and then resigned, one right after the other within three weeks’ time. When the government finally stabilized, the legislature of Argentina decided that they had no other choice than to default on the country’s international debt.

The value of the Argentine peso plummeted. The already high unemployment rate rose higher. Many people lost their life savings overnight through the freezing of their savings accounts by the government and then the foreclosure of their bank.

Already soaring inflation skyrocketed. Many, many people were thrust in to poverty overnight and others already living in poverty were beyond destitute.

Many wealthy families lost their estates and antique furniture to default settlements. Others sold their fine things in order to get by. As a result, there is now a large stockpile of beautiful antique furniture and collectibles for sale in numerous antique stores in Argentina. Defensa Avenue in Buenos Aires is home to the biggest number of antique sellers per capita in the world.

Recovery

In 2002, the new president turned his attention to nursing the broken economy back to health. He focused increasing exports and re-industrialization. Succeeding presidents have continued to focus on exports, as well as restructuring the defaulted international debt to pay it back. Domestic changes in income policies for workers and nationalizing utilities that had been privatized helped the inch forward on the way to health.

Seven years later, Argentina is recovering from the economic crash of 2001 at a steady rate, although there is a long way to go. Living conditions have improved and the unemployment rate has lowered. Inflation has not decreased very much, though, and this is a continuing concern.

Today, Argentina is an “emerging market” that has much of the industrial and civic infrastructure of first-world countries, but not all of them. Wine is becoming a huge export in Argentina, along with beef, soybeans and grains. Some US companies are outsourcing their customer service call centers to Argentina, due to a high population of English speakers combined with cheap labor costs in the country.

Coming up on Jet Set Now

In my next post about Argentina, I will tell you more about Argentine culture, food and infastructure. Until then, tell me what you would like to know about visiting Argentina.

Do you want to know how to move to Argentina for six months or longer? Do you want to know the must-see attractions in Argentina on a short trip? Do you want to know what it’s like renting a furnished vacation apartment? Those are just some examples. Ask me more in the comments below.

Photo credits: Argentine flag by Finizio; Map of Argentina by thejourney1972; Buenos Aires by GustavoBuriola; Rocks, Shells and Seaweed by Rainer Brockerhoff; Arc in Cordoba, Argentina by mherrero; Evita by Dr John2005;

Filed Under Argentina, Locations, Misc.

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