Peronism and Perons Life - Term Paper Example

Peronism and Peron’s Life Political ideology and leadership can be one of the aspects of a nation’s identity. In Argentina one of the main political eras had been marked by the rise of Peronism which occurred during the leadership of Juan Domingo Peron. Peronism Defined Peronism is a type of political view and policy established by Juan Domingo Peron during his leadership in Argentina. The establishment of the said principles is considered as one of the events in the modern Latin America that brought about significant change during the 20th century (Skidmore and Smith 86-88). It had been stated that the establishment of Peronism had been due to the hegemony created by Peron and his political views. By the empowerment of the working class, Peron was able to rise into power and become the president of Argentina in three terms (Howarth, Norval and Stravrakakis 24). Peronism is a changing political concept. There are different definitions of Peronism specifically based on the era where it had been applied. The original definition of the word had risen during the initiative of Juan Peron himself but even during his absence and the period when he went back to office, the definition of Peronism had developed (Brennan 3). The founding meaning of the term Peronism is a complex issue to tackle since Juan Peron applied the term to describe a complex union of political ideas. The issue is intricate thus it evoked discussions and debates to be able to arrive at a standard definition of the word. According to a number of scholars from different nations, there is a crisis in definition of Peronism on the basis of the standard concepts of political science as well as social sciences. Locally, the term Peronism can be considered as a concept understood by the people but failed to be defined and classified. For that matter, the achievement of consensus in the definition of the word is a challenging task (Brennan 3). Although this is the case, it can be considered that the most feasible method to define the concept of Peronism is by describing all the parameters related to the term. Peronism had been classified as an alteration and/or modification of any of the concepts of populism, socialism or fascism (Brennan 4). Peronism as Compared to Fascism Fascism is characterized by the onset of power, social basis, ideology and the characteristic of the regime. In terms of the onset of the movement the maimed victory of a particular group forced a unified faction. One of the most common prerequisite is the achievement of power through military action upon a futile leadership (Brennan 6). In this condition, the fact that Juan Peron’s inspiration had arose on the basis of being in the military and serving in office for a period of time, the occurrence of Peronism failed to completely correspond to the said condition of fascism. Another basis is the involvement of a particular social class. In this condition, the working class can be considered as the main core of the application of peronism. On the other hand, the main basis of the fascist state is the involvement of the middle class. This is in cooperation with the different institutions in the government and in the society (Brennan 6). In a particular view wherein the complete correspondence of Peronism is considered, the social aspect of the concept failed to fit. In terms of the ideology, the main concept of fascism is based on force, action, antisocialism and even elitism. It can then be considered that democracy is not favored in the said type of political ideology. In addition, authoritarianism is the main aspiration in the type of governance that applies fascism (Brennan 6). The Peronism can be considered as a form of political leadership that works on the synergy of nationalism and social democracy. For that matter, in terms of the fact that fascism does not favor democracy, the contradiction with Peronism can be defined. Although this is the case, the fact that Peronism has an authoritarian tendency can be considered as one of the significant similarities with fascism (Skidmore and Smith 86-88). The characteristic of the regime is another important characteristic of fascism. As presented in other parameters of fascism, military leadership can be considered as one of the main points. The presence of a single authoritarian leader or a movement or party that can be considered as the main decision maker is one of the characteristics of fascism (Brennan 6). This can be corresponded to the characteristic of Peronism wherein Juan Peron as the leader and a military at the same time is the main decision maker and the authority that influences the members of the working class (Skidmore and Smith 86-88). In general, there are important similarities that can be considered important for classifying the Peronism as a political thought. On the other hand, the differences can be considered fundamental in the need for establishing the universal definition of the concept. Peronism as Compared to Populism Populism is a political concept that is considered in the definition of Peronism on the basis of certain aspects. The term populism represents the idea that stresses the importance of the view of the public or the majority of the population which is often considered equivalent to the common people or the masses (Brennan 12). In the advent of the Peronism, the main objective according to Juan Domingo Peron is to be able to raise the needs of the working class by having a representation through the seat of governance. In the manner of having the needs of the working class in mind, Peron’s view can be considered similar to populism. Although greatly similar, the leadership of Peron which is often compared to hegemony is questioned on the basis of the real objectives in relation to raising the needs of the working class (Skidmore and Smith 86-88). In general, the main consideration for the corresponding similarities between populism and Peronism is the people. The facts that Peronism empowers the people and that populism is regarding the political needs of the public are the included in the main bases of the congruence between the two concepts (Skidmore and Smith 86-88). One of the views of Peron is related to the popularity of Justicialismo as well as the focus on the needs of the people. Peronism as Compared to Socialism On the basis of policies and views, socialism can be considered as the most analogous category in terms of political concept and classification to Peronism. This is on the basis of different aspects that can be considered as the main reasons for conceived possible advancement of Peronism to socialism (Brennan 9-10). Although this is the case, there are notions that imply Peronism to have a comparatively more fragile stand and capability as that of socialism on the basis of both the ideology and the organizational application (Brennan 10). The socialist approach can be related to the economic aspect although Peronism can be classified as the variation between socialism and capitalism (Skidmore and Smith 86-88). In terms of these aspects, Peronism can be defined transversely on the basis of the results of Juan Peron’s ideology which is a unified leadership that focuses on the public and uplifts the working class in different aspects of the society such as social, economic and political facets. Juan Domingo Peron and the Advent of Peronism Juan Domingo Peron is a military general who served as a politician in Argentina (Skidmore and Smith 86-88). He is known as a very influential leader in the country which can be considered as one of the reasons for his capability to establish a complex political ideology such as Peronism. Peron has been recognized by the people of Argentina as a hero in the year 1943 when he is perceived as the capable savior in a nation of disintegrating leadership by President Castillo. A single trigger caused a national fear and became the onset of his fame. He is one of the major characters of the military that participated in the coup d’ etat, which was aimed to overthrow the government. With the role of Peron he accumulated supporters and the said period was considered as the onset of his reign referred to as Peronato which occurred from 1943 to 1955 (Crassweller 97). Peron’s Achievements During the course of Juan Domingo Peron’s leadership, there are different changes that occurred in Argentina which can be considered to be largely social, political and economical. One is the improved attention to the needs of the working class. As evidence, there is a trend in terms of the establishment of trade unions to be able to help the workers. Another is the enhancement of the social security which became available to every citizen. This is compared to the former situation wherein the benefits of the government policies were targeted to the upper class (Skidmore and Smith 86-88). Works Cited Brennan, James P. Peronism and Argentina. Rowman & Littlefiel, 1998. Crassweller, Robert D. Peron and the Enigmas of Argentina. New York: W. W. Norton, 1987. Hodges, Donald C. Argentina, 1943-1976: The National Revolution and Resistance. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1976. Howarth, David R., Aletta J. Norval and Yannis Stravrakakis. Discourse Theory and Political Analysis: Identities, Hegemonies and Social Change. Manchester University Press, 2000. Skidmore, Thomas E. and Peter H. Smith. Modern Latin America. US: Oxford University Press, 2005. Turner, Frederick C. and Jose Enrique Miguens. Juan Peron and the Reshaping of Argentina. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1983. Read More