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From International Socialism (1st series), No.88, May 1976, p.34.
The official name given to the Peronist Party. After the fall of Peron in 1955 (see Box on Peronism) the official party was outlawed. It was reconstituted in 1972 when the military agreed to let Peron back. It has always been dominated by opportunist middle class politicians and the top union bureaucrats. It depended almost entirely on the prestige of Peron’s name amongst the workers who formed its main electoral support. As the governing party in the last three years it has tried to use the spoils of office to create some autonomous basis – and also to enrich its leaders. However it was continuously riddled with internal faction fights over the distribution of offices and spoils.
Formed from a split off from the main Justicialist Party last year by some middle class politicians with a long history in Peronism. They had been members before 1955 and many of them had been imprisoned after the fall of Peron. They had some prestige amongst the rank and file having suffered for their loyalty to Peron. They formed – because of their popularity – the basis of the first Peronist government under Campora in May 1973, occupying many of the Ministeries and provincial governorships. Were sympathetic to the Peronist Youth. Genuinely believed in Peronism’s anti-imperialist nationalist mission to create a modern industrial state – which they equated with ‘Argentine Socialism’. Most of them were ousted when Peron himself took over in September 73. After his death they went into total opposition to Isabel Peron and her supporters inside the Justicialist Party. Last year they joined together with a core of left wing Peronist union leaders who held the same views to form Authentic Peronism. The Montoneros gave their full backing to the project. Their aims basically identical to those of Montoneros. The recreation of a ‘genuine’ national liberation front. Has support of many rank and file Peronist militants – at least in the sense that they would probably have voted for it if given the chance.
The second major bourgeois party after the Justicialists. Came second to Peron in the 1973 elections. The traditional party of the Buenos Aires middle class and the small to medium landowners with a very efficient and well-oiled electoral machine. Used to be major party with support in working class before Peronism appeared. In many ways its programme during the 1973 elections was as nationalist, if not more so, as the Peronists. To a certain extent the spokesman for the middle classes pushed to the wall by the development of Argentine capitalism in the 1960s. As such not trusted by Argentine big capitalism or the Army.
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Last updated on 7.3.2008