Argentina and the Dirty War

Argentina?

History of Argentina

Before 1970Between 1930 and 1973, Argentina had over 30 military coups.This means that the military would kick out the president and take over the government.

What is the role of the military?What is the role of the government?

Juan Peron & Evita

• In the 1960s, Peron was president of Argentina.

• His wife, Evita Peron, was very popular.

• After Evita died, Peron lost power in a military coup.

• Peron went into exile in Spain.

Juan Peron and Isabel

• Peron married Isabel, and returned to Argentina

• After Peron died, Isabel became president.– Isabel’s government was

unpopular and corrupt.– Isabel was seen as

“unqualified” – she had been a nightclub dancer before being President.

La Junta Militar

• In 1976, the military had a coup

• Isabel was exiled to Spain

• The military took control of Argentina (Jorge Videla)

The Dirty War/La Guerra Sucia

• It was a war that the government fought against its own citizens.

• There was no declaration of war.

• The citizens did not know what was happening.

The Disappeared

• The military targeted “leftists” – socialists, communists, or anyone who spoke out against the military.

• The military kidnapped people from their homes, their jobs, etc.

• They also kidnapped many “innocent” people

What happened to the Disappeared?

• The military took the Disappeared to detention centers

• At the detention centers, the disappeared were tortured.

• Many people died because of the torture

• Many people were executed.

The Children

• The majority of the disappeared were between 15 and 35 years old.

• Some were pregnant.– They were still tortured.

• Their children were taken away and given to families with connections to the military.

How many people?

• 30,000 people were disappeared.– 30,000 = 30 Farraguts.– 30,000 = ½ Little Villages

• 256 babies were taken• 58 children were reunited with their families.

What about the USA?

• The presidents (Ford, Carter, Reagan) knew about the Dirty War, but did nothing to stop it.

• The Dirty War happened during the Cold War, where the USA and the USSR attempted to divide the world between them.

It gets worse…

• Henry Kissinger, the US Secretary of State, said, "If there are things that have to be done, you should do them quickly.”

It gets much, much worse…

• The School of the Americas is an institution on Fort Benning, in Georgia.

• Videla, the dictator of Argentina, and many others, were trained at the School of the Americas.

The Catholic Church?

• The Catholic Church is Argentina’s official religion.

• The Church knew about the Dirty War, but did nothing.

• Many priests were afraid of being “disappeared”

Pope Francis is from Argentina.

The End of the War

• The Dirty War ended in 1983 when Argentina began a war with Great Britain over the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas).– Las Malvinas are near

Argentina, but “belong” to Britain.

• When Argentina lost the war, citizens elected a new government.

And then what happened?

• The new government formed CONADEP to investigate the desaparecidos.

• CONADEP found 340 detention centers and 12,000 documented cases of torture.

Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo

• The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo are the mothers of desaparecidos.

• They still meet every Thursday at 3:30 pm

• At first, they wanted to find their children.

• Now, they want justice for the desaparecidos.

Las Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo

• The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo are the mothers of pregnant desparecidos.

• They want to find their grandchildren, who were adopted by other families.

Los Pañuelos

• The Mothers and Grandmothers wear white handkerchiefs.

• White represents the innocence of their children.

• The pañuelo also represents sadness.

What’s with the posters?

• The Mothers and Grandmothers carry posters with pictures and information about their children

Does this sound familiar?

• In some ways, the Dirty War seems similar to the Holocaust and WWII.– This isn’t a coincidence.

• Many soldiers and officers from the Germans and Spanish military fled to Argentina after WWII

• Many soldiers and officers in Argentina’s military were the children of these German and Spanish soldiers.

Who is to blame?

• Videla and the military junta?• The individual soldiers/torturers?• The United States?• Juan Peron or Isabel Peron?• The Catholic Church?• Argentine citizens?