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Argentina History
The territory today known as Argentina was historically inhabited by aboriginal tribes. As with almost all ethnic American groups – following the arrival of the Spanish conquerors – the cultures living in the area of Argentina were badly affected by the arrival of the Europeans. Entire groups were decimated and destroyed during Argentina’s period of colonization. The once dominate ethnic cultures were systematically discarded and dismantled amid genocide and war – and today very little evidence remains of these once flourishing ethnic groups.
Along with numerous nomadic tribes people, two main indigenous groups existed in Argentina before the European arrival. In the northwest, near Bolivia and the Andes, was a people known as the Diaguita, while further south and to the east were the Guarani. Together the Diaguita and the Guarani constitute the origins of permanent agricultural civilization in Argentina, both developing the cultivation of maize. The Diaguita are also remembered for having successfully prevented the powerful Inca from expanding their empire into Argentina from what is now Bolivia.
It was perhaps a legacy of this successful resistance that enabled the native peoples of Argentina to carry on a prolonged campaign against colonization and rule by the Spanish. The first Spaniard to land in Argentina, Juan de Solis, was killed in 1516, and several attempts to found Buenos Aires were stymied by the local inhabitants. Inland cities were more successful, and it wasn't until the late 16th century that Buenos Aires was securely established. Despite its military success, indigenous resistance was inexorably weakened by the introduction of diseases from Europe.
The colonists eventually became permanent fixtures, founding important settlements in the mid 16th century. They acquired a good deal of the country's best land, established estancias (ranches) and made their livelihoods through agriculture and livestock. Independence from Spain was declared in 1816 under the guidance of General San Martin. British money flowed in, as did European immigrants. By the start of World War I, Argentina was one of the world's leading agricultural exporters, and the phrase "as rich as an Argentine" was commonly heard abroad.
While those with land were doing well, the working class was suffering. Populist leader Juan Peron, along with his wife Evita, found great support from these Argentines. He led the country from 1946 to 1955, and again from 1973 to 1974, bringing political and economic reform.
The latter part of the 20th century has seen a cycle of elections, coups, countercoups and a steady erosion of the nation's wealth. The country hit rock bottom in the 1970s, when a series of military governments instigated the Dirty War, an anticommunist witch-hunt that caused the "disappearance" of almost 12,000 men, women and children. In hopes of deflecting attention from their failed policies, the armed forces fought a war with Great Britain over the Falkland Islands (known as Las Malvinas in Argentina). Argentina lost. As a result, the ruling junta of generals and admirals was ousted and Argentina returned to constitutional government. The election in 1989 of President Carlos Menem marked the century's first orderly transfer of power from one civilian government to another. Former Perónist president Carlos Menem instituted major economic changes - selling off nationalized industries, opening the economy to foreign investment and pegging the peso one-to-one to the US dollar in 1991 - which reduced inflation from 5000% in 1989 to an astonishing 1% in 1997. However, while these changes tamed inflation, they also led to rising unemployment and a prolonged recession.
President Fernando de la Rua, elected to a four-year term in 1999, promised a crackdown on corruption and tough fiscal measures to balance Argentina's budget. Nevertheless, after four years of recession and with an unemployment rate of more than 20%, the Argentine people had enough. De la Rua's austerity plans prompted nationwide strikes and demonstrations, which grew violent after the government instituted harsh restrictions on bank withdrawals. Argentina plunged into economic and political turmoil in December 2001 when it defaulted on a US$132 billion loan repayment - the largest default in history. De la Rua and many of his government ministers resigned amid rioting, looting and widespread civil chaos in which 27 people were killed.
When the Peronistas recovered control of the national assembly and facing solid opposition from Argentina's powerful regional governors, the De la Rua government was forced to resign. Amid growing political and economic chaos, Eduardo Duhalde - who had lost to de la Rua two years earlier - took over as intermediate president. One of his first moves was to disconnect the peso from the dollar; the currency devalued by more than 50% almost immediately.
The next scheduled presidential election was not due until October 2003, however, was brought forward by six months. The surprise was the performance of Carlos Menem, who was now eligible to stand again. With just under 20 per cent of the vote, he took second place behind the official Peronista candidate, Nestor Kirchner. At this point, supporters of other candidates switched their allegiance to Kirchner, simply to ensure that Menem did not return. Kirchner's priority will be the economy and he inevitably will be forced to take unpopular measures, not least to restore Argentina's international credibility. |
