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Argentina, 1516-1982: From Spanish Colonization to the Falklands War
In this comprehensive history, updated to include the climactic events of the five years since the Falklands War, Professor Rock documents the early colonial history of Argentina, pointing to the colonial forms established during the Spanish conquest as the source for Argentina's continued reliance on foreign commercial and investment partnerships. The collapse of Argentina's close western European ties after World War II is thus seen as the underlying cause for her current economic and political crisis.
478 pages, Hardcover
First published June 30, 1987
About the author
David Rock
10 booksBritish historian.
Librarian note: There are multiple authors with this name in this database. This one is David^^Rock.
Librarian note: There are multiple authors with this name in this database. This one is David^^Rock.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 13, 2014
In his introduction Rock explains that his prime interest is economics and that he will focus on that aspect of Argentina's history. He adds that having neither the interest in nor the competence to address Argentina's cultural history, he will ignore it. He then proceeds to give the reader and excellent history of Argentina in which the characteristics of its colonial economy will drive all political decision making.
Rock is not a Marxist who believes that the evolution of the economy will drive all nations inevitably to the dictatorship of the proletariat. Rather he is a simple economic determinist. The struggle between economic factions in a country will be determined by what they perceive to be their own material interests.
Rock asserts as his primary premise that Argentina has a colonial economy; that is to say, it has always produced agricultural commodities for export to initially the colonizer (Spain) and then to a dominant European trading partner (England) which had special trading privileges and finally to the USA which tried to direct the Argentinian economy through moral suasion rather than formal structures. The "colonial" economy has led to Argentina experiencing wild swings in its fortune as the dominant trading partner changed its commercial policies either to Argentina's benefit or detriment. The economic busts and booms have continually provoked severe political crisis and Argentina has never succeeded in emancipating itself from the control of its foreign masters. He is sympathetic towards Peron for wishing to industrialize Argentina and thus breaking the pattern of Argentina's prosperity rising and falling with the caprices of the dominant trading partner. However, he feels simply that Peron was not quite up to the task that he had set for himself.
Being trapped in a colonial or export driven economy, Argentina's politics was confined to a struggle between Buenos Aires and the peripheral regions for the political control of the country and the wealth that their economy produced. Peron was the first leader to make a determined effort to industrialize the country. He made some progress but not enough and Argentina's fortunes continue to fluctuate wildly with the volume of its foreign exports.
Rock has written a very solid history of the economic and political history of Argentina. This book will be a great pleasure to anyone read interested in these issues. It does not address the Argentina's cultural history and makes this very clear at the beginning.
Rock is not a Marxist who believes that the evolution of the economy will drive all nations inevitably to the dictatorship of the proletariat. Rather he is a simple economic determinist. The struggle between economic factions in a country will be determined by what they perceive to be their own material interests.
Rock asserts as his primary premise that Argentina has a colonial economy; that is to say, it has always produced agricultural commodities for export to initially the colonizer (Spain) and then to a dominant European trading partner (England) which had special trading privileges and finally to the USA which tried to direct the Argentinian economy through moral suasion rather than formal structures. The "colonial" economy has led to Argentina experiencing wild swings in its fortune as the dominant trading partner changed its commercial policies either to Argentina's benefit or detriment. The economic busts and booms have continually provoked severe political crisis and Argentina has never succeeded in emancipating itself from the control of its foreign masters. He is sympathetic towards Peron for wishing to industrialize Argentina and thus breaking the pattern of Argentina's prosperity rising and falling with the caprices of the dominant trading partner. However, he feels simply that Peron was not quite up to the task that he had set for himself.
Being trapped in a colonial or export driven economy, Argentina's politics was confined to a struggle between Buenos Aires and the peripheral regions for the political control of the country and the wealth that their economy produced. Peron was the first leader to make a determined effort to industrialize the country. He made some progress but not enough and Argentina's fortunes continue to fluctuate wildly with the volume of its foreign exports.
Rock has written a very solid history of the economic and political history of Argentina. This book will be a great pleasure to anyone read interested in these issues. It does not address the Argentina's cultural history and makes this very clear at the beginning.
July 19, 2016
It's hard to find good factual information about Argentina, but it's easier to understand why after reading its history. David Rock is an impressive historian and a very capable writer. He divides Argentina's history from 1516 to 1987 into clear chapters that are based not only on chronology but on specific themes that he continually returns to throughout the book. Rock also does a remarkable job of critically analyzing the history of Argentina while maintaining a very moderate and even-handed perspective.
If anyone is interested in understanding Argentina's history, this is the book to read.
For a taste of Rock's writing and analysis, here are some of my favorite quotes from the book.
On the beginning of Argentina's continual economic problems in the colonial era:
"This local self-sufficiency hindered local specialization and became another barrier to economic development. By minimizing commercial contacts with their neighbors and largely replicating each others' economies, the Spanish communities were doomed to remain static and primitive, reliant on confiscating goods from the Indians and on breeding animals. Furthermore this type of economy, in which cities became largely self-contained mercantilist microcosms, fostered political regionalism and precluded integration." (p. 36)
On the rural/urban split in the 19th century and the problem of land concentration:
"An important consequence of the unevenness of socioeconomic change was a weak rural middle class and a disproportionately large urban middle class. Immigrants were attracted to the pampas by opportunities for wealth and social mobility, and many achieved such objectives. Yet, by comparison with their counterparts in North America and other English-speaking colonial regions - regions in which state power more forcefully equalized access to land - immigrant farmers in Argentina were an unstable and politically passive group; for example, the renewed pressure for political change in 1890 emanated not from rural society but from the city of Buenos Aires and other large cities. The urban reform movement lacked both an agrarian and an industrial program, emphasizing issues of distribution rather than structural reform. The movement thus instigated change and a measure of redistribution, but within a lingering colonial structure." (p. 161)
On the long history of voting fraud in Argentina:
"Justo's followers falsified voting registers, and in some jurisdictions the dead were resurrected in multitudes to cast their votes.... In the 1938 election in Avellaneda, votes cast outnumbered registered voters." (p. 217)
On how the stage was set for the emergence of Peron and the subsequent dictatorships:
"The dramatic shifts in Argentina politics during World War II resulted from a complex interplay between external and internal conditions: the decline of Argentina's European connections and its failure to obtain a substitute alignment with the United States. For these issues underlay the collapse of the conservatives in 1940-1943, which left the way open for the nationalists, from among whose ranks Peron rose." (p. 261)
On the inevitable failure of Peron and the damage he wrought:
"His effort to amalgamate nationalist and egalitarian aspirations contained the elements of both naivete and risk, but at the time of its formulation his program was largely consistent with reputable and impartial forecasts of the country's opportunities in the postwar world. Peron's great error, which sprang from his need to increase his legitimacy and his means of political self-defense, was to commit all his resources too early on the assumption that these forecasts and expectations were correct. When they proved largely wrong, he was left with an impractical program and severe, worsening economic problems. But he was too committed to his path to retrench and embark on another, and his efforts to salvage what he could became increasingly desperate. From such efforts arose many of the political divisions that constituted his chief legacy in 1955." (p. 266)
Eva Peron in one sentence:
"This dynamic, captivating, magnetic, but also mercurial and vindictive woman wielded power that was never defined nor formalized, and which was therefore often unchecked and unlimited." (p. 287)
On the economic legacy of the era of Peron:
"During the 1960s and 1970s only 50 percent of the school-age population completed primary school, a proportion no higher than fifty years before, and only 22 percent completed secondary school." (p. 320)
"... in 1963 scarcely 1 percent of finished manufactured goods were exported." (p. 326)
"... as early as 1963 multinational subsidiaries, about half of which had been established within the preceding five years, controlled as much as 50 percent of output in sectors like tobacco, rubber, chemicals, oil derivatives, machinery, electrical goods, and transportation materials." (pp. 328-329)
"In 1959 experts from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America concluded that 70 percent of the nation's land area - some 193 million hectares of a total 280 million - was usable for stockraising, agriculture, or forestry. But only a quarter of the usable land was actually in use, scarcely one-sixth of the total area." (p. 330)
Finally, a thesis statement for the modern history of Argentina:
"A familiar pattern was repeating itself: civilian politicians could establish successful coalitions to overthrow dictatorships, but they were unable to surmount the conditions from which dictatorship sprang." (p. 403)
If anyone is interested in understanding Argentina's history, this is the book to read.
For a taste of Rock's writing and analysis, here are some of my favorite quotes from the book.
On the beginning of Argentina's continual economic problems in the colonial era:
"This local self-sufficiency hindered local specialization and became another barrier to economic development. By minimizing commercial contacts with their neighbors and largely replicating each others' economies, the Spanish communities were doomed to remain static and primitive, reliant on confiscating goods from the Indians and on breeding animals. Furthermore this type of economy, in which cities became largely self-contained mercantilist microcosms, fostered political regionalism and precluded integration." (p. 36)
On the rural/urban split in the 19th century and the problem of land concentration:
"An important consequence of the unevenness of socioeconomic change was a weak rural middle class and a disproportionately large urban middle class. Immigrants were attracted to the pampas by opportunities for wealth and social mobility, and many achieved such objectives. Yet, by comparison with their counterparts in North America and other English-speaking colonial regions - regions in which state power more forcefully equalized access to land - immigrant farmers in Argentina were an unstable and politically passive group; for example, the renewed pressure for political change in 1890 emanated not from rural society but from the city of Buenos Aires and other large cities. The urban reform movement lacked both an agrarian and an industrial program, emphasizing issues of distribution rather than structural reform. The movement thus instigated change and a measure of redistribution, but within a lingering colonial structure." (p. 161)
On the long history of voting fraud in Argentina:
"Justo's followers falsified voting registers, and in some jurisdictions the dead were resurrected in multitudes to cast their votes.... In the 1938 election in Avellaneda, votes cast outnumbered registered voters." (p. 217)
On how the stage was set for the emergence of Peron and the subsequent dictatorships:
"The dramatic shifts in Argentina politics during World War II resulted from a complex interplay between external and internal conditions: the decline of Argentina's European connections and its failure to obtain a substitute alignment with the United States. For these issues underlay the collapse of the conservatives in 1940-1943, which left the way open for the nationalists, from among whose ranks Peron rose." (p. 261)
On the inevitable failure of Peron and the damage he wrought:
"His effort to amalgamate nationalist and egalitarian aspirations contained the elements of both naivete and risk, but at the time of its formulation his program was largely consistent with reputable and impartial forecasts of the country's opportunities in the postwar world. Peron's great error, which sprang from his need to increase his legitimacy and his means of political self-defense, was to commit all his resources too early on the assumption that these forecasts and expectations were correct. When they proved largely wrong, he was left with an impractical program and severe, worsening economic problems. But he was too committed to his path to retrench and embark on another, and his efforts to salvage what he could became increasingly desperate. From such efforts arose many of the political divisions that constituted his chief legacy in 1955." (p. 266)
Eva Peron in one sentence:
"This dynamic, captivating, magnetic, but also mercurial and vindictive woman wielded power that was never defined nor formalized, and which was therefore often unchecked and unlimited." (p. 287)
On the economic legacy of the era of Peron:
"During the 1960s and 1970s only 50 percent of the school-age population completed primary school, a proportion no higher than fifty years before, and only 22 percent completed secondary school." (p. 320)
"... in 1963 scarcely 1 percent of finished manufactured goods were exported." (p. 326)
"... as early as 1963 multinational subsidiaries, about half of which had been established within the preceding five years, controlled as much as 50 percent of output in sectors like tobacco, rubber, chemicals, oil derivatives, machinery, electrical goods, and transportation materials." (pp. 328-329)
"In 1959 experts from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America concluded that 70 percent of the nation's land area - some 193 million hectares of a total 280 million - was usable for stockraising, agriculture, or forestry. But only a quarter of the usable land was actually in use, scarcely one-sixth of the total area." (p. 330)
Finally, a thesis statement for the modern history of Argentina:
"A familiar pattern was repeating itself: civilian politicians could establish successful coalitions to overthrow dictatorships, but they were unable to surmount the conditions from which dictatorship sprang." (p. 403)
November 2, 2011
David Rock writes one of the most definitive accounts of Argentine history to date. His book dates from the Spanish colonization through the election of Alfonsin. He looks at the limited number of Spaniards that came to colonize Argentina and their effects on the buildup of Buenos Ares compared with the interior. There is only a little attention paid to the mission systems in the Chaco and other surrounding areas. (for more on the Chaco See The Chaco Mission Frontier by James Saeger). This book does provide an excellent overview of the countries history without going into too much depth. Economics is a major focus of the book as well as the politics of the Peronist era. The Falklands conflict is one of the last major pieces covered and is done very well. This is a great book to get a bearing on Argentina's history and then decide where you want to read more. Whether you are a beginner or an expert this is an essential book for South American history.
January 10, 2025
A good general overview of the economic and political history of Argentina; the title is somewhat misleading as this volume covers nothing else. Rock's economic discussions frequently went over my non-economist head but he does a nice job summarizing the basics. The book's best points are discussions of Argentina's biggest political figures - Mitre, Roca, Yrigoyen, and Peron in particular. Also very good are the sections on American-Argentine relations throughout history and the narrative on the Falklands War. Overall this book is pretty sad, describing a nation that could have been so much more. Recommended as an intro but will need to seek out something else for cultural aspects.
October 21, 2019
It took me about 380 pages to get to the part that was actually relevant for my work, but the background information was useful and I now definitely feel like I understand the course of events/structures that led to the dictatorship of Videla, and Viola, and eventually the rise of Alfonsin's branch of neoliberalism. This was a very economics-heavy book, which was quite annoying, but the context was nice to have, I think. Ah well, it's what Sergio Waisman recommended as his reference, so it was worth it.
April 16, 2020
Superb history. Very dense with economic and political details.
February 23, 2023
good look at time and role of argentina in the colonization of americas
January 18, 2016
Very limited to economics with some discussion of how it relates to politics. Generally sensible opinions, though maybe exaggerating the importance of trade relative to domestic economic policies in shaping outcomes.
August 2, 2013
It is a very good book, full of argentine politics and history.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews