A Brief History of Argentina

by Jonathan C. Brown

The answer to "What is wrong with Argentina?" lies in the coincidence of political power and economic privilege. It is a society suffused with prejudice and rigid class structures. In many ways, this South American nation has never overcome its colonial heritage of racism, social discrimination, and political arrogance. Those who assumed governance of the newly independent nation in the 19th century continued to use violence to maintain social order and to divide up wealth. True enough, economic growth and European immigration transformed the country at the turn of the 20th century, yet the political culture and social conventions remained remarkably unaffected. Immigrants adopted traditional Argentine values in far greater measure than they nurtured new ones.