Peronism
Peronism (
Spanish:
Peronismo), or
Justicialism (Spanish:
Justicialismo), is an
Argentine political
ideology based on the ideas and programs associated with former president
Juan Perón.
Perón was a pragmatic figure, and through the course of his long career his views would frequently change. His ideology was nevertheless marked by some constants, including:
*Strong
authoritarian centralized government, with strict control of opposition forces (see
political repression).
*Freedom from foreign influences.
*A
third way approach to economics which purported to be neither
socialist nor
capitalist, but to incorporate elements of both in a
corporativist manner, resembling a kind of
state capitalism.
Perón's party, the
Partido Justicialista, derived its name from the Spanish words for justice and social.
Perón's ideas were widely embraced by a variety of different groups in Argentina across the political spectrum. Perón's personal views would eventually become a burden on the ideology, his anti-clericalism did not strike a sympathetic chord in Argentine society, and prior to his overthrow many Argentines began to call for "Peronism without Perón". Nevertheless, a symptom of the success of Perón's
cult of personality has been the difficulty many Argentines have had in identifying themselves as "
patriotic" without being Peronist.
Perón's public speeches were consistently
nationalist and
populist. It would also be difficult to separate Peronism from
corporate nationalism, for Perón nationalized Argentina's large corporations, blurring distinctions between corporations and government. At the same time, the
labor unions became corporate themselves, relinquishing the right to strike in agreements with Perón as Secretary of Welfare in the military government from 1943-45. In exchange, the state was to assume the role of negotiator between conflicting interests.
Peronism is sometimes considered to be a pseudo-
fascist ideology, though this would apply more to the style of Peronism practiced during the early years of Peron's government. It should be noted that after Perón was overthrown in a coup in
1955 led by
General Aramburu, he spent 18 years in exile, mostly in
Francisco Franco's
Spain. Though his feelings for Franco were mixed, Perón never disguised his admiration for
Benito Mussolini's domestic policies.
Violence, though certainly present in the early days of Perón's rule, was never taken to the extremes of many other
20th century dictators. Peronism also lacked a strong interest in matters of
foreign policy other than the belief that the political and economic influences of other nations should be kept out of Argentina and could thus be said to be somewhat
isolationist.
Peron, despite his ties to Mussolini, never showed many parallels to
Hitler's regime, and never possesed any racist ideas or views like that of the
Third Reich and other fascist regimes.
Even after Perón's death, the legacy of Peronism left a lasting impression on the
working class, who valued its goals and ideals.
Today, there are several Argentine political parties identifying themselves as Peronist.
