Although Juan Peron changed the course of modern Argentine history, scholars have often interpreted him in terms of their own ideologies and interests, rather than seeing the effect of this man and his movement had on the Argentine people. The essays in this volume seek to uncover the man behind the myth, to define the true nature of Peronism. Several chapters view Perón's rise to power, his deposition and eighteen-year exile, and his dramatic return in 1973. Others examine: opposing forces in modern Argentina, including the church and its role in politics; the conflict between landed stancieros and urban industrialists, terrorist activities and their populist support base; Peronism and the labor movement; and Evita Perón's role in advancing the political rights of women.

This book presents a tentative assessment of the Argentine leader, Juan Domingo Peron's overall importance in his own country and in the American Hemisphere. It is based largely on the observations of the author on the evolution of Argentina over almost a third of a century.

This biography recounting the Argentinean president’s rise, fall, and remarkable return to power is “a formidable achievement” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Latin America has produced no more remarkable or enduring political figure than Juan Perón. Born to modest circumstances in 1895 and trained in the military, he rose to power during a period of political uncertainty in Argentina. A shrewd opportunist who understood the needs and aspirations of the country’s workers, Perón rode their votes to the presidency and then increased their share of the nation’s wealth. But he also destroyed the independence of their unions and suppressed dissent. Ousted in a coup in 1955, Perón wandered about Latin America and finally settled in Spain, where he masterminded an astonishing political comeback that climaxed in his reelection as president in 1973. Joseph A. Page’s engrossing biography is based upon interviews, never-before-inspected Argentine and US government documents, and exhaustive research. It spans Perón’s formative years; his arrest and dramatic rescue by the descamisados in 1945; his relationship with the now mythic Evita; the violence and mysterious murders that punctuated his career; his tragic legacy, personified by his third wife, Isabel, who assumed the presidency after his death under the influence of a Rasputin-like astrologer; and the continuing appeal of Perónism in Argentina. In addition, Page’s study of Argentine-American relations is particularly penetrating—especially in its description of the struggle between Perón and US ambassador Spruille Braden. “It would probably take a novel stamped with the surrealistic genius of a Gabriel García Márquez to render all the madness, perverse magic and tragedy of Juan Domingo Perón and his Argentina. But Joseph A. Page has come up with the next best option. . . . A clearly written, definitive study.” —The New York Times Book Review

Within Argentina, Juan Domingo Perón continues to be the subject of exaggerated and diametrically opposed views. A dictator, a great leader, the hero of the working classes and Argentina's “first worker”; a weak and spineless man dependent on his strongerwilled wife; a Latin American visionary; a traitor, responsible for dragging Argentina into a modern, socially just 20th century society or, conversely, destroying for all time a prosperous nation and fomenting class war and unreasonable aspirations among his client base. Outside Argentina, Perón remains overshadowed by his second wife, Evita. The life of this fascinating and unusual man, whose charisma, political influence and controversial nature continue to generate interest, remains somewhat of a mystery to the rest of the world. Perón remains a key figure in Argentine politics, still able to occupy so much of the political spectrum as to constrain the development of viable alternatives. Jill Hedges explores the life and personality of Perón and asks why he remains a political icon despite the 'negatives' associated with his extreme personalism.

The author succeeds admirably in defining and describing the complex phenomenon known as Peronism, as well as the distinctive ethos from which it sprang. He also provides a concise history of Argentina, a biography of Juan Peron (and his comparably mythic wife Evita) and in a postscript reviews events in Argentina since Peron's death in 1974....Crassweller brings Peron into clear focus.

The tomb of Argentina's most-loved leader is invaded, his body desecrated. Government officials receive a demand for $8 million in ransom for the return of Juan Peron's hands. It is signed "Hermes IAI and the 13."Prosecutor Jaime Far Suau is a man of integrity and determination, and he is committed to finding the thieves. Yet at every turn the investigation is plagued by misinformation, red herrings and disappearing witnesses. Then, Far Suau himself dies in a strange automobile accident just when he has renewed his intent to get to the bottom of the crime.Journalists David Cox and Damian Nabot only set out to report the details of the investigation of the theft of Juan Peron's hands, but as they dug into the history of Argentina and the power brokers responsible for it they uncovered a surprising thread that led to a notorious figure whose background in politics, crime and the occult revealed a possible solution to the decades-old mystery. A solution that is as much symbolic as nefarious.