What is Peronism?
Peronism, officially called Justicialism, is the political movement built around Juan Perón, president of Argentina from 1946 to 1955 and from 1973 to 1974. Its three classic slogans are social justice, economic independence and political sovereignty. It rose on the support of organized labor and combined welfare measures for workers with nationalism, state-led industrialization and a powerful presidency. Perón described his doctrine as a third position between capitalism and communism. Peronism has been the most important force in Argentine politics since the 1940s, and its main party, the Justicialist Party, has included both left-wing and right-wing currents.
Core beliefs
- Social justice requires higher wages, labor rights and welfare for workers.
- Argentina should achieve economic independence from foreign capital.
- The country should keep political sovereignty and follow a third position in world affairs.
- The state should promote national industry and protect it from imports.
- Trade unions are a central pillar of the movement.
- A strong leader should represent the will of the people against the oligarchy.
History
Perón, an army officer, took part in the 1943 military coup and became labor secretary, where he backed unions and expanded workers' rights. When he was arrested in October 1945, mass demonstrations by workers on 17 October secured his release. He won the 1946 presidential election. His government nationalized the railways and other services, expanded social security and promoted industry. His wife Eva Perón became a hugely popular figure and led a social aid foundation before her death in 1952. Women gained the vote in 1947. The government also restricted the press and opposition. After economic difficulties and a conflict with the Catholic Church, Perón was overthrown by the military in 1955 and the movement was banned. He returned from exile in 1973, won the presidency again, and died in office in 1974.
Variants
Left-wing Peronism, which grew in the 1960s and 1970s, included the armed Montoneros and the youth movement. Right-wing Peronism included union leaders and groups linked to José López Rega, who organized the Triple A death squad. In the 1990s Carlos Menem followed market liberal policies and privatizations. In the 2000s Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner led a left-leaning current known as Kirchnerism.
Criticisms
Liberal critics argue that Peronism weakened democratic institutions, limited press freedom and built a personality cult. Economists argue that its protectionism, heavy spending and price controls contributed to repeated inflation and debt crises. Critics on the left say it channeled working class demands into loyalty to a leader instead of independent politics. Historians also note that Argentina admitted a number of Nazi war criminals during Perón's first presidency and that political violence between Peronist factions escalated in the 1970s.
In practice
Peronist candidates have won most of Argentina's free presidential elections since 1946. The movement's core institutions, the Justicialist Party and the CGT union federation, remain central to Argentine politics. Its policies have ranged from state-led industrialization to market liberalism, depending on the leader, which is why many scholars describe Peronism less as a fixed program than as a political identity.