Hinson 1

Paper Option 2
Populism/Peronism

Philip Hinson

HIST 2207
Professor Soliz
3/23/15

Hinson 2

Introduction
The Populist/Peronist movement redefined the working class and its role in society. As
Dr. Daniel James says, Peronism preached the need to harmonize the interests of the capital and
labor within the framework of a benevolent state, in the interest of the nation and its economic
development.1 It also changed the traditional capitalist societal structure that had been
predominate for over a decade. This paper will illustrate how these changes were able to occur
and what they meant for workers and society as a whole in Argentina.

Background
The Decade of Infamy (the 1930s) preceded Peronism in Argentina. This was a time of
significant industrial growth and an increase in the autonomy of Argentina. Industrial production,
establishments, and workers increased while reliance on imports decreased. This was a terrible
time for workers however. Wages and living conditions were of low quality, with most of the
urban workers living in a single room with their families.2 Personal accounts from this time
illustrate how the conditions and control of the employers affected the workers. Workers reported
having to work as long as the boss said, having no specific hours. The happiness of a working
family was dependent on being able to remain employed and workers had to remain quiet in fear
of losing their jobs.3

1 Daniel James, Resistance and Integration: Peronism and the Argentine Working Class, 1946-

1976, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), 34.

2 James, Resistance and Integration, 8.
3 James, Resistance and Integration, 25.

Hinson 3

Rise of Peronism
This was the setting in which the military coup took place in 1943. Some suggest that
Peronist support came from a change from old to the new working class. Dr. James disagrees,
explaining that the main supporters for Peron were migrant workers who were not committed to
a political or social identity yet. Peronism appealed to them, so they followed.4
Dr. James also disagrees with the idea that this movement was just the natural result of the poor
socioeconomic state that Argentina was in. There were reasons that Peronism succeeded instead
of another ideology. Its attractiveness mainly came from the way that it changed what it meant to
be a citizen to include a more social context.5

Peronism as an Ideology
Perons ideas greatly differed from traditional liberalism. During the decada infame
fundamental rights that were supposed to be guaranteed by law were often taken away from
workers. The right to vote was taken away by conservative committees who would hire guards to
prevent workers from entering and being able to cast their ballots.6 This level of corruption
systematically prevented the working class from having any type of status besides being a source
of labor. Peron wanted to reestablish the same rights that existed, but had been ignored. Peronism

4 James, Resistance and Integration, 13.

5 James, Resistance and Integration, 14.
6 James, Resistance and Integration, 15.

Hinson 4

stood for the right for workers to have a larger role in society that included participation in the
social and economic life of the nation.7
Peronism was also different from radicalism in many ways. Despite its name, radicalism
did not challenge the political system under liberalism. Under radicalism, the voice of workers
would be channeled through local bosses. Peronism wanted to eliminate this middle man and
give the working class more autonomy. This would be achieved by trade unions, which would
have an important role in the state.8 This was very different from the way things were structured
before Peron.
Another way in which Peronism was able to connect with and gain the support of
workers more successfully than other movements was the language that was used, mostly by
Peron. The language gave Peron credibility by taking an abstract political idea or concept and
giving real, tangible examples of it, making it more relatable. Other groups used broad
generalities, while Peronism attempted to have a more personal and reliable relationship with the
people by being more precise.9
During the 1940s, nearly everyone agreed with industrialism, but not necessarily on the
details of what it meant for the state. Peronism redefined the social and political effects of
industrialization in a way that the working class liked very much. Peron highlighted the
importance of industrialization for national development. He made the workers feel more

7 James, Resistance and Integration, 16.

8 James, Resistance and Integration, 18.
9 James, Resistance and Integration, 21.

Hinson 5

relevant in that development, not only through their labor, but also through the role they would
play in social justice and public life.10

The Effects of Peronism

The demonstration at the Plaza de Mayo on October 17, 1945 perfectly illustrates the
workers opinion of Peronism and their personal opinion of Peron. They were protesting his
imprisonment. They sang songs that targeted insults at the rich, such as Get of the corner you
mad oligarch, your mother doesnt love you and nor does Peron.11 A famous picture showed
workers sitting with their sleeves rolled up, bathing their feet in the fountain. This symbolized
how things had changed. Workers now felt comfortable and like they belonged in the plaza right
in from of the presidents palace. It was a message to the elites that lived there, many of whom
who had not seen the working class, at least not so many together. Felix Luna, one of the people
there that day, said But that day when the voices began to ring out and the columns of
anonymous earth-coloured faces began to pass by we felt something tremble which until that day
had seemed unmovable.12
This change in opinion of the working class can be illustrated by the difference in the
meaning and connotation of certain words. One example is the word descamisado, which means
shirtless one. This word was mainly used to refer to working class people in a negative way.
10 James, Resistance and Integration, 20.
11 James, Resistance and Integration, 32.
12 James, Resistance and Integration, 33.

Hinson 6

Wearing work clothing insinuated political, moral, and social weakness. Peronism flipped this
words meaning and connotation around, turning it into an empowering term for the working
class people.13 Under Peronism, workers were supposed to be proud of their role in society, not
ashamed.
There are a few explanations for the success that Peronism experienced in Argentina.
Perons charisma and leadership was a factor. The material satisfaction of the working class
played a role as well, although this was mainly controlled by the government. One of the most
important reasons for success was the ability of the state to ensure that the people felt that things
were being run under the pretense of social harmony. This was mainly done by using propaganda
that spread the idea that common interest was an important part of the state. This became more of
a reality than it was before Peronism, largely due to the improvement of the relationship between
labor and capital.14 However, as Dr. James puts it, class conflict was in no sense abolished, and
the idyll of social harmony portrayed by official propaganda was not realized.15

Conclusion
Peronism/Populism caused important changes in many Latin American countries, the
most prominent example being Argentina. The working class had long been kept down in social
status by owners and the government did nothing about it. Peronism worked to unionize and

13 James, Resistance and Integration, 31.

14 James, Resistance and Integration, 35.
15 James, Resistance and Integration, 34-35.

Hinson 7

mobilize them, creating a real social force.16 This was done through redefining the role that the
working class played in society, ensuring they had the rights they were guaranteed under the
constitution, and creating at the very least, the belief that social harmony and common interest
were what drove the state. This is important because it shows the transition away from the
ideologies that drove society during the Decade of Infamy, and created a different type of
society in Latin America that valued workers more.
Works Cited
Daniel James. Resistance and Integration: Peronism and the Argentine Working Class,
1946-1976. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.

16 James, Resistance and Integration, 39.