Michael D. Johnson Assistant Professor January 20, 2009

Michael D. Johnson

Assistant Professor

January 20, 2009

Geography, History and Politics

IBUS 570:Argentina Study Tour

Click on the flag to hear a tango

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Today’s Agenda

• Introductions

• Syllabus

• Trip details

• Argentine geography, history, and politics presentation/discussion

Argentina: Geography

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Super Quiz: Argentine Geography

Freshman level

1.What is the capital of Argentina?

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Freshman level

1.What is the capital of Argentina?

Buenos Aires

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Freshman level

2.What is the name of the mountain range that divides Argentina from Chile?

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Freshman level

2.What is the name of the mountain range that divides Argentina from Chile?

The Andes

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Freshman level

3.What ocean does Argentina border?

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Freshman level

3.What ocean does Argentina border?

The Atlantic

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Graduate level

1.What is the name for the plains of Argentina?

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Graduate level

1.What is the name for the plains of Argentina?

The Pampas

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Graduate level

2.What is the name for the area in the south of Argentina?

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Graduate level

2.What is the name for the area in the south of Argentina?

Patagonia

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Graduate level

3.What major line of latitude runs through Argentina?

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Graduate level

3.What major line of latitude runs through Argentina?

The tropic of Capricorn

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PhD level

1.What is the highest mountain in Argentina?

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PhD level

1.What is the highest mountain in Argentina?

Aconcagua

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PhD level

2.What is the name of the waterfall on Argentina’s border with Brazil?

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PhD level

2.What is the name of the waterfall on Argentina’s border with Brazil?

Iguazú Falls

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PhD level

3.How many countries does Argentina border?

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PhD level

3.How many countries does Argentina border?

Five

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Argentine Geography: Pampas

The plains west and south from Buenos Aires. Called the Humid Pampa, they cover most of the provinces of Buenos Aires and Córdoba, and big portions of the provinces of Santa Fe and La Pampa.

The western part of La Pampa and the province San Luis also have plains (the Dry Pampa), but they are drier and used mainly for grazing.

The Sierra de Córdoba in the homonymous province (extending into San Luis), is the most important geographical feature of the pampas.

Click on the picture to see a clipon the gauchos of the pampas

http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/Argentina/gaucho.avi

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Argentine Geography: Gran Chaco

The Gran Chaco region in the north of the country is seasonal dry/wet, mainly cotton growing and livestock raising.

It covers the provinces of Chaco and Formosa, and is dotted with subtropical forests, scrubland, and some wetlands, home to a large number of plant and animal species.

The province of Santiago del Estero lies in the drier region of the Gran Chaco.

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Argentine Geography: Mesopotamia

The land between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers is called Mesopotamia and it is shared by the provinces of Corrientes and Entre Ríos.

It features flatland apt for grazing and plant growing, and the Iberá Wetlands in central Corrientes. Misiones province is more tropical and belongs within the Brazilian Highlands geographic feature.

It features subtropical rainforests and the Iguazú Falls.

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Argentine Geography: Patagonia

The steppes of Patagonia are in the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz.

Most of the region is semiarid in the north to cold and arid in the far south, but forests grow in its western fringes which are dotted with several large lakes.

Tierra del Fuego is cool and wet, moderated by oceanic influences. Northern Patagonia can also be referred as the Comahue region .

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Argentine Geography: Cuyo

West-central Argentina is dominated by the imposing Andes Mountains. To their east is the arid region known as Cuyo.

Melting waters from high in the mountains form the backbone of irrigated lowland oasis, at the center of a rich fruit and wine growing region in Mendoza and San Juan provinces.

Further north the region gets hotter and drier in La Rioja province.

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Argentine Geography: Northwest (NOA)

This region is the highest in average elevation. Several parallel mountain ranges, several of which have peaks higher than 20,000 feet, dominate the area. These ranges grow wider in geographic extent towards the north.

They are cut by fertile river valleys, the most important being the Calchaquí Valleys in the provinces of Catamarca, Tucumán, and Salta.

Farther north the province of Jujuy near Bolivia lies mainly within the Altiplano plateau of the Central Andes. The Tropic of Capricorn goes through the far north of the region.

Argentina: History and Politics

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Super Quiz: Argentine History and Politics

Freshman level

1.Who was the wife of Juan Perón?

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Freshman level

1.Who was the wife of Juan Perón?

Eva (Evita) Perón

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Freshman level

2.What is the name for an Argentinean cowboy?

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Freshman level

2.What is the name for an Argentinean cowboy?

A gaucho

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Freshman level

3.Which two European countries did the largest groups of immigrants to Argentina come from?

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Freshman level

3.Which two European countries did the largest groups of immigrants to Argentina come from?

Spain and Italy

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Graduate level

1.Which explorer first sailed through the straits at the southern tip of Argentina?

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Graduate level

1.Which explorer first sailed through the straits at the southern tip of Argentina?

Ferdinand Magellan

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Graduate level

2.Over 35,000 people disappeared during Argentina’s ______ war.

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Graduate level

2.Over 35,000 people disappeared during Argentina’s ______ war.

Dirty

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Graduate level

3.In 1982, Argentina battled Britain for control of what?

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Graduate level

3.In 1982, Argentina battled Britain for control of what?

The Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas)

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PhD level

1.Who founded the city of Buenos Aires?

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PhD level

1.Who founded the city of Buenos Aires?

Pedro de Mendoza

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PhD level

2.President Carlos Menem tied the value of the Argentine peso to what?

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PhD level

2.President Carlos Menem tied the value of the Argentine peso to what?

The U.S. dollar

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PhD level

3.Which two parties have dominated Argentine politics for the past sixty years?

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PhD level

3.Which two parties have dominated Argentine politics for the past sixty years?

Radical Party (Partido Radical) and Justicialista Party

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Argentine History and Politics: 1910-1928

Argentina, a constitutional democracy, is among the world's richest nations.

Decades of foreign investment and massive immigration set the stage for economic revolution.

Britain invests heavily in infrastructure.

Conservative forces dominate politics until 1916, when the Radicals win control. Emphasis on fair elections and democratic institutions lets the middle class enter the political process.

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Unemployment resulting from the world economic crisis causes profound social and political unrest.

The military forces the Radicals from power and improves economic conditions, but political turbulence intensifies.

Empowered by industrialization through import substitution, the urban working classes lead several unsuccessful uprisings prior to the 1937 presidential elections.

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Following the organization of a left-wing Popular Front, right-wing parties unite in a so-called National Front.

The right wing's Roberto Ortíz wins an election noted for vote-rigging and fraud. He does attempt to strengthen democracy, though, and adopts countermeasures against German agents' activities. Ill, he resigns in 1942; his successor, Ramon Castillo, is overthrown in a military coup.

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Populist Juan Domingo Perón, Minister of Labor and then two-term president, appeals to nationalist sentiment. Pro-labor rhetoric and a charismatic wife, former actress Eva Duarte ("Evita"), win him mass support among urban and rural workers.

Opposition is blatantly suppressed. A strongly protective, inward-looking development strategy creates a faltering economy unable to compete internationally.

Click on the picture to see a clipon Eva (Evita) Perón

http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/Argentina/evita.avi

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A military rebellion forces Perón to resign.

A revolving door of elected presidents and military juntas follows. Alternating military and civilian administrations unsuccessfully address diminished economic growth and increasing social and labor demands.

Personal and political freedoms are restricted, and terrorism escalates. Violent labor strikes and student riots pave the way for Perón's return.

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Perón returns to the presidency. When he dies in 1974, his second wife, Isabel, succeeds him.

A stabilization program briefly improves economic conditions, but they deteriorate quickly as a result of international shocks.

Political turmoil and divisions within the Peronist party undermine Isabel's administration. A military coup removes her from office.

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A military junta wages a "dirty war" against the left. Human rights abuses escalate as thousands "disappear."

The government borrows heavily and shifts the economic emphasis to open competition. The policy proves devastating: Many factories close, and an economic crisis develops.

The loss of the Falklands Islands (Malvinas) war against the British and charges of corruption further discredit the government.

Click on the picture to see a clipon the dirty war

http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/Argentina/dirtywar.avi

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The country returns to constitutional rule under President Raúl Alfonsín, who fails to stabilize the economy. He does, however, renegotiate the country's massive foreign debt, declaring a moratorium on principal and refinancing interest payments.

Increased poverty and persistent inflation lower the standard of living. Income distribution becomes increasingly unequal, and riots are frequent.

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President Menem spurs economic growth through controversial measures such as extensive deregulation and privatization in the utilities, transportation, and infrastructure sectors. Central to his reforms is the Convertibility Law, which pegs the peso to the U.S. dollar.

Charges of corruption and political infighting plague politics.

Rising poverty and falling wages mitigate macroeconomic success.

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During Menem's second term, his austerity program proves increasingly unpopular within his own administration.

A series of economic shocks, including devaluation in Brazil, puts the economy, now fully integrated in the world market, into recession.

Opposition candidate Fernando de la Rúa wins the presidency, promising renewed economic growth and lower corruption, unemployment, and crime rates.

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De la Rúa fails to live up to his promises in the first year of his term. The economy does not rebound and is further affected by the economic slowdown in the United States. Payment of external debt interest is crippling. Corruption scandals continue.

Argentina faces riots, massive debt, and 20 percent unemployment.

President de la Rua resigns in the face of economic collapse.

Click on the picture to see a clipon the economic collapse of 2001

http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/Argentina/2001economiccollapse.avi

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Peronist leader Eduardo Duhalde is named president. His government decides to devalue the Argentine peso, which had previously been pegged to the dollar.

A new wave of civic unrest ensues; the banking system fails, poverty spreads, and Argentina defaults several times on its external payments.

Duhalde reaches a last-ditch agreement for IMF standby support and calls elections for April 2003.

Click on the picture to see a clipon worker-run factories

http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/Argentina/workerselfmanagement.avi

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Néstor Kirchner became president in April, 2003. During the four years of his presidency, real GDP growth averaged 9% per year, income distribution was improved, and unemployment and poverty figures were slashed in half.

In 2007, his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became the first elected female president. Her term has been marked by political battles over tariffs and nationalization of pensions.

Click on the picture to see a clipon Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/Argentina/cfkirchner.avi

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Documents

Michael D. Johnson Assistant Professor January 20, 2009