Concordancia (Argentina)
Encyclopedia
The Concordancia was a political alliance in Argentina
. Three Presidents belonging to the Concordance (Agustín Justo, Roberto Ortiz
, and Ramón Castillo
) were in power from 1931 to 1943, a period known in Argentina as the "Infamous Decade
."
on September 6, 1930. His country's first leader elected via universal suffrage
(though without the participation of women), Yrigoyen had strained alliances within his own centrist Radical Civic Union
(UCR) through frequent interventions against willful governors and had set business powerhouses such as Standard Oil
against him through his support of YPF, the state oil concern founded in 1922. Staging its first coup since 1861, the Argentine military, then dominated by conservative, rural interests, called on José Félix Uriburu
, a retired general and member of the Supreme War Council, to assume the role of Provisional President. The ailing Uriburu called general elections for November 1931.
Yrigoyen's opponents within the UCR during the 1920s, who referred to themselves as "Antipersonalists" (in reference to their belief that the populist leader was advancing a personality cult) became divided by the 1930 coup. Opponents of the coup itself would support former President Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
, while more conservative UCR figures supported former Senate President Leopoldo Melo
. These latter, in turn, joined Conservative and Democratic leaders (successors of the National Autonomist Party
(PAN) that had controlled Argentine politics from 1874 to 1916) following a meeting in the Hotel Castelar
in downtown Buenos Aires, and the resulting agreement became known as the "Concordance."
Enjoying President Uriburu's support, the Concordance did not run as such, but rather on the National Democratic
ticket, as well as a number of smaller ones. Initially rejected by Yrigoyen's supporters and moderates alike, National Democrats openly defended the 1930 coup, arguing that the country's social, economic and institutional fabris had been at risk of unraveling. Their opposition initially rallied behind Alvear's UCR Renewal Front. Uriburu, however, had him deported, and with his supporters' boycott of the election, opposition to the Concordance organized behind the Civil Alliance (the Democratic Progressive Party
(PDP) and the Socialist Party).
Melo and other Concordance chose as their standard-bearer General Agustín Justo, who was not from the landed oligarchy to which most Concordance leaders belonged, and had been President Alvear's War Minister. Uriburu employed less pretense, however, and estalished the Argentine Civic Legion, an armed fascist organization, to intimidate the opposition. Amid widespread irregularities, Justo was elected, and took office in February 1932.
Much of Justo's cabinet reflected the alliances that had created the Concordance:
and other trusts (which lobbied the Argentine military for a coup against Yrigoyen). The regime's economic policies were more pragmatic than these ties might have suggested, however, and reflected both nationalism
, as well as a priority on recovering the Argentine economy from the effects of the great depression
(GDP fell by one fourth between 1929 and 1932).
Tax, tariff and trade
policies were formulated to reduce the public debt, to discourage the import of consumer goods, and to secure bilateral trade agreements with nations best positioned to supply Argentina with the capital good
s needed for industrialization. The goal of import substitution industrialization guided these and other domestic policies, including a more conciliatory stance towards labor unions than had been expected when Uriburu left office. Uriburu's deep cuts in public works
and other spending were, likweise, reversed. The National Highway Bureau, commodity Regulatory Boards (Juntas) and the Central Bank were established. The economy recovered from the depression, albeit slowly, and by 1943, value added
by manufacturing
exceeded that of agriculture for the first time in the historically agrarian country's history.
The Concordance administration also practiced client politics
for traditionally powerful interests in Argentina, however. Railways
and abbatoirs with ties to the government were left unregulated, and national interests were to some extent subordinated to those of the British Empire
. Among the era's most controversial policies in this regard was the Roca-Runciman Treaty
, which exempted British imports from protectionist barriers applied to other suppliers', penalized local competitors of the Anglo-Argentine Tramway
service, and mandated the deposit, in escrow at the Bank of England
, of any Argentine surpluses earned in the bilateral trade, while freeing restrictions on the repatriation of factor income
earned by British firms in Argentina.
The regime was authoritarian in numerous ways. The chief party in opposition in the regime's early years, the Democratic Progressive Party
(PDP), was repeatedly denied victories at the provincial and congressional level alike. Certain abuses, such as the use of presidential "intervention
" to remove opposition governors, had become routine in Argentine politics; indeed, the deposed Yrigoyen ordered no less than 18 gubernatorial removals during his tenure (including numerous ones from his own party).
The Concordance regime resorted to unprecedented electoral fraud
, however, and where ballot stuffing
, voter intimidation, the arrest of voting precinct officials, and violence were not employed to guarantee Concordance majorities, results could be annulled (as occurred in Buenos Aires
and Santa Fe Province
, the nation's two largest at the time). At least one political assassination took place, as well (that of Senator Enzo Bordabehere
).
Justo sought a patina of legitimacy over his government, and made a gentlemen's agreement with Alvear in 1935, whereby the UCR leader could return to Argentina and campaign for the presidency on fair terms. The 1937 elections, however, included the names of so many deceased that, according to one observer, "democracy was extended to the hereafter," and the Concordance candidate, Roberto María Ortiz
, was handily elected. One of the beneficiaries of the system, Buenos Aires Governor Manuel Fresco, was himself removed by President Ortiz at the behest of ultraconservatives.
This practice, made explicitly illegal by the Sáenz Peña Law
of 1912, was openly defended by numerous Concordance figures, who believed it to be the only alternative to mob rule. The rhetoric used in its defense caused the policy to became known by a term of bitter humor coined by activist Deodoro Roca: "patriotic fraud."
The Concordance administration ended when, on June 4, 1943, President Ramón Castillo
's decision to be succeeded by Salta Province
Governor Robustiano Patrón Costas
(who, like Castillo, represented feudal interests), resulted in the former's military overthrow.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Three Presidents belonging to the Concordance (Agustín Justo, Roberto Ortiz
Roberto María Ortiz
Jaime Gerardo Roberto Marcelino María Ortiz Lizardi was President of Argentina from February 20, 1938 to June 27, 1942....
, and Ramón Castillo
Ramón Castillo
Ramón S. Castillo Barrionuevo was a conservative Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from June 27, 1942 to June 4, 1943...
) were in power from 1931 to 1943, a period known in Argentina as the "Infamous Decade
Infamous Decade
The Infamous Decade in Argentina is the name given to the period of time that started in 1930 with the coup d'état against President Hipólito Yrigoyen by José Félix Uriburu...
."
Formation of the alliance
A coup d'état deposed the aging President Hipólito YrigoyenHipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
on September 6, 1930. His country's first leader elected via universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
(though without the participation of women), Yrigoyen had strained alliances within his own centrist Radical Civic Union
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina...
(UCR) through frequent interventions against willful governors and had set business powerhouses such as Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
against him through his support of YPF, the state oil concern founded in 1922. Staging its first coup since 1861, the Argentine military, then dominated by conservative, rural interests, called on José Félix Uriburu
José Félix Uriburu
General José Félix Benito Uriburu y Uriburu was the first de facto President of Argentina, achieved through a military coup, from September 6, 1930 to February 20, 1932.-Biography:...
, a retired general and member of the Supreme War Council, to assume the role of Provisional President. The ailing Uriburu called general elections for November 1931.
Yrigoyen's opponents within the UCR during the 1920s, who referred to themselves as "Antipersonalists" (in reference to their belief that the populist leader was advancing a personality cult) became divided by the 1930 coup. Opponents of the coup itself would support former President Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
Máximo Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear Pacheco , better known as Marcelo T. de Alvear was an Argentine politician and President of Argentina from October 12, 1922 to October 12, 1928.-Biography:...
, while more conservative UCR figures supported former Senate President Leopoldo Melo
Leopoldo Melo
Leopoldo Melo was an Argentine lawyer, diplomat and politician. He was a leading figure in the Radical Civic Union, a nominee for President, and later Minister of Internal Affairs.-Biography:...
. These latter, in turn, joined Conservative and Democratic leaders (successors of the National Autonomist Party
National Autonomist Party
The National Autonomist Party was an Argentine political party during the 1874-1916 period. Created on March 15, 1874 by the union of the Autonomist Party of Adolfo Alsina and the National Party of Nicolás Avellaneda...
(PAN) that had controlled Argentine politics from 1874 to 1916) following a meeting in the Hotel Castelar
Hotel Castelar
Hotel Castelar is located at the northwest intersection of May and the 9 de Julio Avenues, in the downtown Montserrat section of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Opened in 1928 as the Hotel Excelsior, the building was designed by Italian architect Mario Palanti and built by local engineer José Pinzone...
in downtown Buenos Aires, and the resulting agreement became known as the "Concordance."
Enjoying President Uriburu's support, the Concordance did not run as such, but rather on the National Democratic
National Democratic Party (Argentina)
The National Democratic Party, or Partido Demócrata Nacional was an Argentine conservative party created in 1931 which disappeared after 1955. It was generally known simply as the Conservative Party, or Partido Conservador...
ticket, as well as a number of smaller ones. Initially rejected by Yrigoyen's supporters and moderates alike, National Democrats openly defended the 1930 coup, arguing that the country's social, economic and institutional fabris had been at risk of unraveling. Their opposition initially rallied behind Alvear's UCR Renewal Front. Uriburu, however, had him deported, and with his supporters' boycott of the election, opposition to the Concordance organized behind the Civil Alliance (the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party (Argentina)
The Democratic Progressive Party is a provincial political party in Santa Fe, Argentina. It was founded by Lisandro de la Torre at the Savoy Hotel in Buenos Aires on December 14, 1914. One of its founders was the academic Dr...
(PDP) and the Socialist Party).
Melo and other Concordance chose as their standard-bearer General Agustín Justo, who was not from the landed oligarchy to which most Concordance leaders belonged, and had been President Alvear's War Minister. Uriburu employed less pretense, however, and estalished the Argentine Civic Legion, an armed fascist organization, to intimidate the opposition. Amid widespread irregularities, Justo was elected, and took office in February 1932.
Much of Justo's cabinet reflected the alliances that had created the Concordance:
- Former CórdobaCórdoba Province (Argentina)Córdoba is a province of Argentina, located in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are : Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, La Rioja and Catamarca...
Governor Julio Roca was the son of the late PAN leader, Julio A. Roca, and had led the Democratic Party. He would now serve as Vice President.
- Leopoldo MeloLeopoldo MeloLeopoldo Melo was an Argentine lawyer, diplomat and politician. He was a leading figure in the Radical Civic Union, a nominee for President, and later Minister of Internal Affairs.-Biography:...
, the Antipersonalist leader, was handed the powerful Interior Ministry, which oversaw law enforcementLaw enforcement agencyIn North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
and the administration of elections, among other key functions.
- Ramón CastilloRamón CastilloRamón S. Castillo Barrionuevo was a conservative Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from June 27, 1942 to June 4, 1943...
, a feudal landowner and old-line PAN Conservative, was named Minister of Justice.
- Antonio de Tomaso and Federico Pinedo, founders of the splinter Independent Socialist Party, were appointed ministers of Agriculture and the Economy, respectively.
Legacy
The Concordance was organized by leaders with agricultural interests, and owed its existence in no small measure to Standard OilStandard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
and other trusts (which lobbied the Argentine military for a coup against Yrigoyen). The regime's economic policies were more pragmatic than these ties might have suggested, however, and reflected both nationalism
Economic nationalism
Economic nationalism is a term used to describe policies which emphasize domestic control of the economy, labor and capital formation, even if this requires the imposition of tariffs and other restrictions on the movement of labor, goods and capital. It opposes globalization in many cases, or at...
, as well as a priority on recovering the Argentine economy from the effects of the great depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
(GDP fell by one fourth between 1929 and 1932).
Tax, tariff and trade
Tax, tariff and trade
The tax, tariff and trade laws of a political region, state or trade bloc determine which form of consumption and production tend to be encouraged or discouraged...
policies were formulated to reduce the public debt, to discourage the import of consumer goods, and to secure bilateral trade agreements with nations best positioned to supply Argentina with the capital good
Capital good
A capital good, or simply capital in economics, is a manufactured means of production. Capital goods are acquired by a society by saving wealth which can be invested in the means of production....
s needed for industrialization. The goal of import substitution industrialization guided these and other domestic policies, including a more conciliatory stance towards labor unions than had been expected when Uriburu left office. Uriburu's deep cuts in public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
and other spending were, likweise, reversed. The National Highway Bureau, commodity Regulatory Boards (Juntas) and the Central Bank were established. The economy recovered from the depression, albeit slowly, and by 1943, value added
Value added
In economics, the difference between the sale price and the production cost of a product is the value added per unit. Summing value added per unit over all units sold is total value added. Total value added is equivalent to Revenue less Outside Purchases...
by manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
exceeded that of agriculture for the first time in the historically agrarian country's history.
The Concordance administration also practiced client politics
Client politics
Client politics is the type of politics when an organized minority or interest group benefits at the expense of the public. Client politics may have a strong interaction with the dynamics of identity politics....
for traditionally powerful interests in Argentina, however. Railways
Rail transport in Argentina
The Argentine railway network comprised of track at the end of the Second World War and was, in its time, one of the most extensive and prosperous in South America. However, with the increase in highway construction, there followed a sharp decline in railway profitability, leading to the break-up...
and abbatoirs with ties to the government were left unregulated, and national interests were to some extent subordinated to those of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. Among the era's most controversial policies in this regard was the Roca-Runciman Treaty
Roca-Runciman Treaty
The Roca-Runciman Treaty was a commercial agreement between Argentina and Great Britain signed in London by the Vice President of Argentina, Julio Argentino Roca, Jr., and the president of the British Board of Trade, Sir Walter Runciman, the British envoy....
, which exempted British imports from protectionist barriers applied to other suppliers', penalized local competitors of the Anglo-Argentine Tramway
Tramway
Tramway may refer to:* Tramway , a lightly laid railway for uses such as logging or mining * A system of trams * Aerial tramway...
service, and mandated the deposit, in escrow at the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
, of any Argentine surpluses earned in the bilateral trade, while freeing restrictions on the repatriation of factor income
Factor income
Factor income is income derived from selling the services of factors of production. In the case of labour, this means wages, plus the part of the incomes of the self-employed which is a reward for their own labour. Income from land is rents, including part of the incomes of the self-employed, and...
earned by British firms in Argentina.
The regime was authoritarian in numerous ways. The chief party in opposition in the regime's early years, the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party (Argentina)
The Democratic Progressive Party is a provincial political party in Santa Fe, Argentina. It was founded by Lisandro de la Torre at the Savoy Hotel in Buenos Aires on December 14, 1914. One of its founders was the academic Dr...
(PDP), was repeatedly denied victories at the provincial and congressional level alike. Certain abuses, such as the use of presidential "intervention
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
" to remove opposition governors, had become routine in Argentine politics; indeed, the deposed Yrigoyen ordered no less than 18 gubernatorial removals during his tenure (including numerous ones from his own party).
The Concordance regime resorted to unprecedented electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
, however, and where ballot stuffing
Ballot stuffing
Ballot stuffing is the illegal act of one person submitting multiple ballots during a vote in which only one ballot per person is permitted. The name originates from the earliest days of this practice in which people literally did stuff more than one ballot in a ballot box at the same time...
, voter intimidation, the arrest of voting precinct officials, and violence were not employed to guarantee Concordance majorities, results could be annulled (as occurred in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
and Santa Fe Province
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, the nation's two largest at the time). At least one political assassination took place, as well (that of Senator Enzo Bordabehere
Enzo Bordabehere
Enzo Bordabehere was an Argentine lawyer and politician. He was a National Senator for Santa Fe Province, and was assassinated in Congress during a session in the Argentine Senate.- Biography :...
).
Justo sought a patina of legitimacy over his government, and made a gentlemen's agreement with Alvear in 1935, whereby the UCR leader could return to Argentina and campaign for the presidency on fair terms. The 1937 elections, however, included the names of so many deceased that, according to one observer, "democracy was extended to the hereafter," and the Concordance candidate, Roberto María Ortiz
Roberto María Ortiz
Jaime Gerardo Roberto Marcelino María Ortiz Lizardi was President of Argentina from February 20, 1938 to June 27, 1942....
, was handily elected. One of the beneficiaries of the system, Buenos Aires Governor Manuel Fresco, was himself removed by President Ortiz at the behest of ultraconservatives.
This practice, made explicitly illegal by the Sáenz Peña Law
Sáenz Peña Law
The Sáenz Peña Law was Law 8871 of Argentina, sanctioned by the National Congress on 10 February 1912, which established the universal, secret and mandatory male suffrage though the creation of an electoral list...
of 1912, was openly defended by numerous Concordance figures, who believed it to be the only alternative to mob rule. The rhetoric used in its defense caused the policy to became known by a term of bitter humor coined by activist Deodoro Roca: "patriotic fraud."
The Concordance administration ended when, on June 4, 1943, President Ramón Castillo
Ramón Castillo
Ramón S. Castillo Barrionuevo was a conservative Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from June 27, 1942 to June 4, 1943...
's decision to be succeeded by Salta Province
Salta Province
Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
Governor Robustiano Patrón Costas
Robustiano Patrón Costas
Robustiano Patrón Costas was a conservative Argentine politician and businessman who served as interim President of the nation and governor of his native province. He led the National Democratic Party....
(who, like Castillo, represented feudal interests), resulted in the former's military overthrow.