Politics and violence in the “Revolución Libertadora”, 1955-1958

Abstract

This article studies the context in which the so-called “Revolución Libertadora” took place, playing particular attention to the actions of Peron’s government ai-med at controlling the opposition, to some episodes of violence in its repression, and to the conflict with the Roman Catholic Church. Subsequently, it analyses the reaction of civil and military groups that led to a military coup, with civil support, in September 1955. It argues that there was no agreement between the forces that took part in the movement, which resulted in a palace coup that displaced the first de facto president that replaced Perón, the nationalist gene-ral Ernesto Lonardi, who was in turn replaced by a liberal sector of the armed forces, with civil support, led by General Pedro Eugenio Aramburu. It considers the repression of the peronists , which was exacerbated in this second stage of the “Revolution”, and takes specially into account the uprising of General Juan José Valle, and the ruthless repression that followed. Finally, the paper considers the opening of political activity adopted by the government, the proscription of Peronism, and how this process led to the triumph of Dr. Arturo Frondizi in the general elections of 1958.