It is probably worth briefly pointing out Argentinian history before Peron- until 1914 Argentinia had wealth comparable to the USA and Western Europe. A heavily export economy reaped the benefits of its meat and grain sales into Europe and created a wealthy merchant elite. However, society itself had barely progressed with this economic triumph. Rural workers remained in effective serfdom to the landowners while immigrants looking for work remained cooped up in the cities desperate for jobs in the meatpacking factories and docks.

I don't want to labour on the situation before Peron, but this increasing inequality fueled resentment tied in with corruption and an ever-decreasing export demand during the First World War, Depression, and Second World War. An ever-increasing urban class saw the system as one which only served the export owners. Ultimately, this started to unite broad swathes of society against a common enemy- the estancieros landowners.

In the dying days of military rule Peron was strategic enough to notice this common grievance. He began to unify the urban and rural classes as one against the elite. Unintentionally, this also started to attract right wing nationalists fully opposed to foreign business as well as left wing radicals resulting in an eclectic mix of opinion backing him.

With this newfound movement, Peron started to solidify it once in power. During the 30s the urban class had mobilised into mighty trade unions, even to the point of militant action. The importance of having them on side was crucial, as Minister of Labour before becoming President he always ruled in favour of the unions and granted them hefty welfare benefits. Additionally, in the shadow of the military junta Peron quickly purged opposition officers and installed his own with high pay and political privilege.

With these two pillars of support propping up the Presidency, Peron worked on something else. Using his beautiful wife as a figurehead, Eva became the symbol of the social justice Peronism apparently installed after decades of struggle. Her foundation effectively bribed unions and businesses for support with generous subsidy. It is the perfect example of Personist patronage to keep traditionally opposing forces in line propping up Peron's rule.

It was losing the founding pillars of the unions and the military which brought Peron down the first time round in 1955. An ever faltering and stagnating economy in the post war period riddled the urban class with malaise and unemployment. This made the unions speak out only to be faced with authoritarian laws to restrict their dissent. Peron was trying to ride roughshod over his two pillars of power and form a vision that ultimately did not include them. He was ever encroaching more into public life, especially after Eva died resulting in a cult of personality, which started to threaten another body- The Church.

Not only was he injecting his brand of belief into education and public morality but also legalised divorce and tried to remove Catholic teaching from schools. Attempts as well to canonise Eva was also met with rejection and disgust. The conservative military was looking upon this slight with deep concern and at the mass rallies appearing in the capital in support of the clergy.

Peron had successfully unified opposing forces in the first few years of his Presidency to striking effect given the backdrop of the last few decades. However, an increasingly poor economic environment eroded that relationship which reached breaking point when Peron tried to reject his allies. The height of that anger is exemplified by the fact the military actually bombed the Presidential Palace killing many.

In a sad twist, history repeated itself during Peron’s return in 1973 Peron again tried to unite multiple factions in a “social pact” to fight the yet again shocking economic climate of unrest and decline. The situation improved mildly as exports increased again which empowered Peron to again try and enforce his own nationalism through state owned corporations and opposition to foreign investment. This too was accompanied by fighting urban guerrilla movements who opposed the coming together of left and right resulting in bombings, kidnapping, and street battles. The economy took a downturn yet again in 1974 which was also marked by Peron’s death resulting in his third wife, in her capacity as Vice President, taking over. By this point the resistance to the government through the guerrilla movement had grown exponentially and yet again, the military watched nervously. The new government trudged on for another year until the inevitable military takeover in March 1976.

Sources:

Williamson E, The Penguin History of Latin America (London 2009)

Torre, JC, La Formacion del Sindicalismo Peronista (Buenos Aries 1988)