Raanan Hershberg: It Could Have Been Better

Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and political movement, based on the ideas, doctrine, and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, Peronists have won 10 out of the 14 presidential elections in which they have been allowed to run. Peronism is defined through its three flags: "social justice" (the fight against social and economic inequalities), "economic independence" (an economy that does not depend on other countries, by developing its national industry), and "political sovereignty" (the non-interference of foreign powers in domestic affairs). Peronism, as an ideology, is described as a social form of nationalism, as it promotes a sense of national pride among Argentines. However, it promotes an inclusive form of state-nationalism that embraces all ethnicities and races as integral parts of the nation, distinguishing it from racial or chauvinistic ethno-nationalism that prioritizes a single ethnic group. This is due to the ethnically heterogeneous background of Argentina, which is a result of the mixing between indigenous peoples, Criollos, various immigrant groups, and their descendants. Likewise, Peronism is generally considered populist, as it relies on the figure of a leader (originally embodied by Perón) to lead the masses. Consequently, it adopted a third position in the context of the Cold War, as expressed in the phrase: "we are neither Yankees nor Marxists." Peronism has taken both progressive and paternalistic conservative measures. Among its conservative elements, which were later abandoned, are anti-communist sentiments, a strong sense of patriotism, a militarist approach and the adoption of a law on Catholic teaching in public schools; its progressive measures include the expansion of workers' rights, the adoption of women's suffrage, free tuition for public universities, and a failed attempt to sanction the divorce law after the breakdown of relations with the church. Peronism granted the working class a genuine role in government and enacted reforms that eroded the power of the Argentine oligarchy. Peronist reforms also included a constitutional right to housing, ending the oppression of indigenous peoples, adding mandatory trade union representation to regional legislatures, freezing retail prices, and subsidizing foodstuffs for workers. Perón followed what he called a "national form of socialism", which represented the interests of different sectors of Argentine society, and grouped them into multiple organizations: workers were represented by the CGT, Peronist businessmen in the General Economic Confederation, landowners by the Argentine Agrarian Federation, women by the Female Peronist Party, Jews in the Argentine Israelite Organization, students in the Secondary Student Union. Perón was able to coordinate and centralize the working class, which he mobilized to act on his behest. Trade unions have been incorpor