Argentina's Radical Party and Popular Mobilization, 1916–1930

Cover

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pp. Cover-ii

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

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pp. iii-vi

Contents

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p. vii-vii

Acknowledgments

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pp. ix-x

Over the approximately fifteen years that I took to write this book I have accrued a great number of debts, large and small, to people and instittions. If I have forgotten to mention any of them it is not because I am Funding for research was provided by a Fulbright Research Grant and by various grants from St. Bonaventure University. I would in particular...

Abbreviations

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p. xi-xi

Introduction

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pp. 1-10

In recent decades the establishment of democracy has become a panacea for political, social, and economic problems.1 Often forgotten in the desire to create democracies and the difficulties in establishing them is the problem of sustaining them. Democracy is an extremely volatile form of government, particularly in societies in which it is not deeply rooted enough ...

1 The Economic and Political Setting

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pp. 11-34

The Radical Party did not flourish in a vacuum. It grew in response not only to the tactics and practices of Hipo�lito Yrigoyen and other Radicals,but also in response to the political and economic world of Argentina,In 1914, on the eve of World War I, Argentina was a wealthy nation by almost any standard. In 1940 the Australian economist Colin Clark argued...

2 Creating the Image: Construction of the Images of Yrigoyen and Alvear

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pp. 35-64

During Yrigoyen’s first inauguration, even before he had his hands on the levers of power, the crowd surged forward and detached the horses from his carriage and pulled it through the streets of Buenos Aires.1 In 1920 in the traditional end of a campaign rally, when the party’s followers marched past a balcony on which Yrigoyen stood to greet them, the marchers from...

The Limits of Patronage

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pp. 65-94

Clientelism and the hiring of supporters have been seen as essential to the popularity of Yrigoyen, both by contemporary observers and by later historians.¹ The Radicals, both Personalists and Anti-Personalists, hired their followers in large numbers. The question remains, however, whether we can ascribe a significant portion of Yrigoyen’s popularity to this ...

When Bosses and Workers Agreed: the Failure of Social Welfare Legislation

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pp. 95-114

Since the development of the first social security system by Otto von Bismarck in Germany, such legislation has had dual aims: to tie workers to the social and political system and to better their conditions. The Radical governments of Yrigoyen and Alvear had such goals in mind when they tried to create an overarching pension system. They wanted to ...

Yrigoyen and the Limitations of Obrerismo,1916–1922

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pp. 115-148

When Yrigoyen assumed office in October 1916, his victory in the electoral college had been uncomfortably close, and he felt a need to widen his popular base. In part, this represented a politician’s typical lust for votes,but it also reflected the Radicals’ perception of themselves as the true representative of Argentine popular will.1 In addition, the Socialists had...

Alvear and the Attempted Establishment of An Institutionalized Relationship with Labor, 1922–1928

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pp. 149-176

The Alvear administration is usually viewed as much more conservative than that of Yrigoyen. This assumption is largely based on the charges made by his contemporary opponents. His administration has been little studied. For example, Fe�lix Luna in his biography of Alvear spends just twelve pages out of over three hundred on his presidency.¹ Some aspects...

yrigoyen and the failure to reestablishobrerismo, 1928–1930

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pp. 177-200

Contradictory moods gripped the public in October 1928, when Yrigoyentook office for the second time, after having been reelected by a wide mar-gin. Many feared and loathed the thought of Yrigoyen once again in thepresidential palace. Rumors of coups existed and Alvear’s minister of war,Agustı´n Justo, felt compelled to deny his role in such a plot.1 On the other...

Conclusion

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pp. 201-210

Argentina’s first experience with full democracy opened on a hopeful note.Yrigoyen entered the Casa Rosada as president with tremendous advantages. He had won significant electoral support and the Radicals had an important voice in congress, even if they did not control the legislative body. The country was wealthy and largely literate, and its divisions...

Bibliography

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pp. 211-230

Index

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pp. 231-240