Juan and Eva Perón: Exploring a Legacy of Political Immortality

Dissent and disagreement between competing factions is unavoidable; it is as if no two persons can selflessly and unreservedly agree on any one principle. And this problem is not unique to modern times: it is one as old as the human race. And in the realm of politics, especially, men and women have fought, schemed, and undermined one another to no end in search of strategic superiority. Juan and Eva Perón, two Argentineans whose notorious political lives thrust them squarely into the international spotlight, were both loved and hated by different groups for their brand of political thought and have left behind a nationwide political movement, Peronism, which has been revered by some and classified as disruptive to Argentine politics, economy and society by others.

By championing the cause of state-directed economic policy, Juan and Eva Perón developed favorable political relationships and gained support from numerous groups. Through nationalist policies, encouraging strikes, increased union membership, and the increase of hourly wages, Perón gained enormous support from urban workers, who were undoubtedly his most political ally (Skidmore, p. 86). The workers felt so strongly in favor of Perón that a demonstration on 17 October 1945 freed him from confinement and set about a course which would lead him to be elected president the following year (Skidmore, p. 275). The military, too, was a strong supporter of Perón as he was a member of the military overthrow in 1943 and used his military career as a springboard to political power (Skidmore, p. 3). And in 1948, Eva began dispersing capital personally, laying a solid foundation of loyal supporters (Skidmore, p. 87). And she would use her followers in her quest to become Argentina's vice president, an ambition which would have been unthinkable for any woman without monumental influence and popularity (Skidmore, p. 87-88).