Juan Atilio Bramuglia
Encyclopedia
Juan Atilio Bramuglia was an Argentine labor lawyer who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs
during the administration of President Juan Perón
.
, Buenos Aires Province
, to Italian
immigrants; his father worked for the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
. He enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires
, and earned a juris doctor
in 1925.
He began his legal career as a lawyer for the Unión Ferroviaria, an employer-sponsored rail workers' union, and in 1929, became its chief counsel. The union eclipsed more combative rivals in the nation's important rail sector
, becoming the most powerful in the CGT
umbrella labor union by the 1940s. Following a nationalist military coup in June 1943
, he joined the leader of the rival rail union La Fraternidad, Francisco Capozzi, and a colleague in the CGT, retail employees' union leader Ángel Borlenghi
, in alliance that sought a role within the new government. Their representative, Colonel Domingo Mercante
(whose father had been a Fraternidad labor organizer), quickly established a liaison with the new Labor Secretary, Colonel Juan Perón
.
Their alliance would result in the development of the first working relationship between the Department of Labor and trade unions in Argentina
, principally with the CGT's "Number One" faction. Bramuglia drafted Perón's proposal to have the Labor Department promoted to a cabinet-level Ministry, a move accomplished in November 1943. He was appointed Director of Social Welfare by Labor Minister Perón in 1944, and in that capacity, drafted many of the long postponed labor laws, pension
laws, and social benefits whose enactment would earn Perón lasting support from the nation's working class
.
His efforts, and Vice President Perón's paramount role in the dictatorship of General Edelmiro Farrell, earned Bramuglia an appointment as Federal Interventor
of Buenos Aires Province in January 1945. His tenure promoted educational and labor law improvement, though his association with Perón resulted in his dismissal by President Farrell in September amid a simmering power struggle with the popular Vice President.
He had returned to his post of chief counsel to the Unión Ferroviaria when, on October 13, Perón was arrested. The populist leader's mistress and close collaborator, Eva Duarte, called on Bramuglia's legal acumen for assistance during the crisis. Bramuglia, however, believed that a lawsuit would be counterproductive and refused; although Perón was released following mass demonstrations on October 17
, this decision by Bramuglia would earn him the lasting enmity of the influential future First Lady.
in a "Third Way" that prioritized national interests while cultivating positive relations with both Cold War
superpower
s. He re-established relations with the Soviet Union
, facilitating grain sales to the shortage-stricken nation, and fostered a rapproachment with the United States
. Relations with the latter had been strained in the aftermath of World War II
, when U.S. Ambassador Spruille Braden
issued a "Blue Book
" report with allegations that Perón had colluded with the defeated Axis Powers
. Accordingly, Bramuglia ended his predecessors' policy of impeding U.S. initiatives in the Pan American Union, signed the Río Treaty
(which promoted U.S. influence in the foreign policy of other Western Hemisphere
nations) against the opposition of many in his party, and made personal efforts to foster good relations with U.S. diplomats, themselves.
Bramuglia was appointed President of the United Nations Security Council
in November 1948. He accepted the post during the height of tensions over the Berlin Blockade
imposed by the Soviet Union
. Bramuglia adopted the position that Soviet demands regarding use of the German mark
in Berlin
could be addressed, and during his brief tenure, he succeeded in having the four powers involved in the conflict (the U.S., the U.S.S.R., United Kingdom
, and France
) form a committee to resolve relevant points of contention. He remained active in subsequent negotiations despite early opposition by U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall
toward his initiative, and in December, joined Marshall, Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Vishinsky and British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin
in their first joint meeting regarding the crisis; following these and further talks, as well as the success of the ongoing Berlin Airlift, the blockade was lifted on May 12, 1949.
The skilled Foreign Minister could not escape misgivings harbored toward him by the First Lady, however. This antagonism became irreconcilable when Bramuglia opposed to Mrs. Perón's charm offensive, the famed 1947 "Rainbow Tour." He refused to put forward her proposal for the U.N.'s adoption of a "Declaration of Rights of Old Age," moreover, and by the time Bramuglia made international news for his role in negotiating the Berlin crisis, the First Lady was ordering radio stations
to refrain from mentioning him, events such as his December 1948 discussion of the Berlin crisis with U.S. President Harry Truman, or his accomplishments. She had the Foreign Minister's photo left out of relevant print articles, even ordering his image airbrush
ed from group photos in Democracia, a former UCR
news daily expropriated by the state.
These disputes, as well as those with the Argentine Ambassador to the U.S., Jerónimo Remorino, and the Ambassador to the United Nations
, José Arce
, led Bramuglia to repeatedly submit his resignation to the President, who accepted on August 11 following a sixth attempt by the Foreign Minister to do so. The heated argument that resulted led Remorino to challenge Bramuglia to a duel
, which the latter prevented at the last minute; Bramuglia believed Remorino to be responsible for his fall from grace. He returned to his labor law practice and taught in the discipline at his alma mater.
. Bramuglia communicated with the first dictator installed after the coup, General Eduardo Lonardi
, and offered to cooperate with the latter's policy of avoiding "victors or vanquished." Lonardi agreed, and actively considered naming him to the post of Labor Minister that had been denied him a decade earlier. The move backfired, however, when Lonardi was removed from office for his conciliatory stance in November. Bramuglia was briefly arrested, though his friendship with numerous policemen, as well as with the new War Minister, General León Bengoa, would protect him against further arrests, as well as against numerous death threats subsequently. He nonetheless established the Unión Popular
(UP) in December as an attempt to develop a political alternative to the banned Peronist movement. He obtained permission from Lonardi's successor, General Pedro Aramburu, and was, in turn, publicly condemned by the exiled Perón.
Increasingly repressive measures on the part of Aramburu further polarized Argentine politics, however, and led to General Juan José Valle
's failed revolt against Aramburu in June (for which 31 were executed). Bramuglia issued conciliatory statements in a number of news magazines, including the highly anti-peronist Ahora, whose publication of the Bramuglias' address and phone number led to threats and harassment. He declared that "every family is looking forward to peace, and to shaping the future through a political culture that includes political parties," and thus distanced himself from Perón's rhetoric, which, during 1956, was largely inflammatory in nature.
The UP adopted the Peronist tenets of nationalism
and social democracy
, while rejecting the personality cult Perón and the late Evita had engendered. The party received a significant boost when Alejandro Leloir, the last Chairman of the Peronist Party' executive committee before Perón's overthrow, joined the UP. Bramuglia was not the only Neo-Peronist leader to emerge in 1955; these also included Cipriano Reyes, who formed the Labor Party, and Vicente Saadi
, who formed the Populist Party. All three were Peronists who played key roles in the movement's earliest days, and who later fell out with the populist leader. Each one openly defied Perón by forming these alternatives to his line, and more so by fielding candidates for elections to the Constitutional Assembly of 1957
(tasked with replacing Perón's 1949 Constitution).
Leloir soon became a rival within the UP, and Bramuglia was forced to cancel its participation in the July 28 election. Their alliance endured despite this, and he nominated Leloir for the upcoming 1958 presidential elections
. Secretly, however, Perón and businessman Rogelio Frigerio
had negotiated an endorsement of UCRI
candidate Arturo Frondizi
. This endorsement, made public one month before the February 23 polls, surprised most observers (who expected the exiled leader to endorse a blank ballot option, as he had done in 1957), and persuaded Leloir to withdraw. Leloir, who consulted Frondizi instead of his UP partner, left Bramuglia no choice but to call for blank ballots himself.
The UP elected no Congressmen in 1958, and was barred from running in 1960. President Frondizi lifted the ban ahead of the 1962 mid-term elections
, and ended government receivership
over the CGT labor union. The joint developments allowed Bramuglia to form an alliance with the influential textile industry
union leader, Andrés Framini
. Framini's UP candidacy for Governor of Buenos Aires would then receive an unexpected endorsement: that of Perón, who believed these elections would give Peronism a role in government. Joined on the ticket by Marcos Anglada, Framini's unofficial slogan was unequivocal: "Framini-Anglada, Perón to the Rosada!"
The clear reference to the Casa Rosada
(the president's executive office building) rekindled fears of Perón's return among the military and other anti-Peronists. The UP placed third with 18% of the vote, and won 10 of 14 governorships at stake (including Framini's victory in the paramount Province of Buenos Aires). President Frondizi was forced to annul UP victories by the military, and on March 28, he was overthrown.
, and its strong showing would again prompt a military coup.
The Vice President of the University of Tel Aviv, Professor Ranaan Rein, authored detailed studies of both Bramuglia and the Popular Union. He emphasized that the former Foreign Minister, whom he considered "the most eminent and talented cabinet member of Perón's first term," was a needed pragmatic influence in a country whose politics "have oscillated between ideological inconsistency and the narrowest dogmatism."
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship is the Argentine government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Argentina.The current Chancellor is Héctor Timerman.-External links:...
during the administration of President Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
.
Early life and career
Bramuglia was born in ChascomúsChascomús
Chascomús, is the principal city in Chascomús Partido in eastern Buenos Aires Province in eastern Argentina, located south of the capital Buenos Aires. As of 2001, the city had a population of 30,670 people.-History:...
, Buenos Aires Province
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...
, to Italian
Italian Argentine
An Italian Argentine is a person born in Argentina of Italian ancestry. It is estimated up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent...
immigrants; his father worked for the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
. He enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
, and earned a juris doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1925.
He began his legal career as a lawyer for the Unión Ferroviaria, an employer-sponsored rail workers' union, and in 1929, became its chief counsel. The union eclipsed more combative rivals in the nation's important rail sector
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...
, becoming the most powerful in the CGT
General Confederation of Labour (Argentina)
The General Confederation of Labour of the Argentine Republic is a national trade union centre of Argentina founded on September 27, 1930, as the result of the merge of the USA and the COA trade union centres...
umbrella labor union by the 1940s. Following a nationalist military coup in June 1943
Revolution of '43
The 1943 Argentine coup d'état was a Coup d'état on June 4, 1943 which ended the government of Ramón Castillo, who had been fraudulently elected to office, as part of the period known as the Infamous Decade...
, he joined the leader of the rival rail union La Fraternidad, Francisco Capozzi, and a colleague in the CGT, retail employees' union leader Ángel Borlenghi
Ángel Borlenghi
Ángel Borlenghi was an Argentine labor leader and politician closely associated with the Peronist movement.-Early life and the labor movement:Ángel Gabriel Borlenghi was born in Buenos Aires to Italian immigrants, in 1904...
, in alliance that sought a role within the new government. Their representative, Colonel Domingo Mercante
Domingo Mercante
Domingo Mercante was an Argentine military officer and prominent Peronist political figure.-Life and times:...
(whose father had been a Fraternidad labor organizer), quickly established a liaison with the new Labor Secretary, Colonel Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
.
Their alliance would result in the development of the first working relationship between the Department of Labor and trade unions in Argentina
Trade unions in Argentina
Trade unions in Argentina have traditionally played a strong role in the politics of the nation. The largest trade union association, the Confederación General del Trabajo has been a force since the 1930s, and approximately 40% of workers in the formal economy are unionized.- The FORA :The...
, principally with the CGT's "Number One" faction. Bramuglia drafted Perón's proposal to have the Labor Department promoted to a cabinet-level Ministry, a move accomplished in November 1943. He was appointed Director of Social Welfare by Labor Minister Perón in 1944, and in that capacity, drafted many of the long postponed labor laws, pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
laws, and social benefits whose enactment would earn Perón lasting support from the nation's working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
.
His efforts, and Vice President Perón's paramount role in the dictatorship of General Edelmiro Farrell, earned Bramuglia an appointment as Federal Interventor
Federal intervention
Federal intervention is an attribution of the federal government of Argentina, by which it takes control of a province in certain extreme cases. Intervention is declared by the President with the assent of the National Congress...
of Buenos Aires Province in January 1945. His tenure promoted educational and labor law improvement, though his association with Perón resulted in his dismissal by President Farrell in September amid a simmering power struggle with the popular Vice President.
He had returned to his post of chief counsel to the Unión Ferroviaria when, on October 13, Perón was arrested. The populist leader's mistress and close collaborator, Eva Duarte, called on Bramuglia's legal acumen for assistance during the crisis. Bramuglia, however, believed that a lawsuit would be counterproductive and refused; although Perón was released following mass demonstrations on October 17
Loyalty Day (Argentina)
The Loyalty Day is a commemoration day in Argentina. It remembers October 17, 1945, when a massive labour demonstration at the Plaza de Mayo demanded the liberation of Juan Perón, who was jailed in Martín García island...
, this decision by Bramuglia would earn him the lasting enmity of the influential future First Lady.
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Bramuglia was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs upon Perón's inaugural in June 1946. The new Foreign Minister had privately aspired to become Minister of Labor, which he considered would be the most important policy-making post in the new, populist government. Bramuglia was given a mandate to navigate Foreign relations of ArgentinaForeign relations of Argentina
This article deals with the diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and international relations of Argentina.At the political level, these matters are officially handled by the Ministry of Foreign Relations, also known as the Cancillería, which answers to the President...
in a "Third Way" that prioritized national interests while cultivating positive relations with both Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
superpower
Superpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...
s. He re-established relations with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, facilitating grain sales to the shortage-stricken nation, and fostered a rapproachment with the United States
Foreign relations of the United States
The United States has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. The United States federal statutes relating to foreign relations can be found in Title 22 of the United States Code.-Pacific:-Americas:-Caribbean:...
. Relations with the latter had been strained in the aftermath of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when U.S. Ambassador Spruille Braden
Spruille Braden
Spruille Braden was an American diplomat, businessman, lobbyist, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the ambassador of various Latin American countries, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs...
issued a "Blue Book
Blue book
Blue book or Bluebook is a term often referring to an almanac or other compilation of statistics and information. The term dates back to the 15th century, when large blue velvet-covered books were used for record-keeping by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Government :* At the European...
" report with allegations that Perón had colluded with the defeated Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
. Accordingly, Bramuglia ended his predecessors' policy of impeding U.S. initiatives in the Pan American Union, signed the Río Treaty
Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance
The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance was an agreement signed on 1947 in Rio de Janeiro among many countries of the Americas...
(which promoted U.S. influence in the foreign policy of other Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
nations) against the opposition of many in his party, and made personal efforts to foster good relations with U.S. diplomats, themselves.
Bramuglia was appointed President of the United Nations Security Council
President of the United Nations Security Council
The President of the United Nations Security Council is the presiding officer of that body. The president is the head of the delegation from the Security Council member state that holds the rotating presidency.-Selection:...
in November 1948. He accepted the post during the height of tensions over the Berlin Blockade
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War and the first resulting in casualties. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied...
imposed by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Bramuglia adopted the position that Soviet demands regarding use of the German mark
German mark
The Deutsche Mark |mark]], abbreviated "DM") was the official currency of West Germany and Germany until the adoption of the euro in 2002. It is commonly called the "Deutschmark" in English but not in German. Germans often say "Mark" or "D-Mark"...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
could be addressed, and during his brief tenure, he succeeded in having the four powers involved in the conflict (the U.S., the U.S.S.R., United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) form a committee to resolve relevant points of contention. He remained active in subsequent negotiations despite early opposition by U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense...
toward his initiative, and in December, joined Marshall, Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Vishinsky and British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin was a British trade union leader and Labour politician. He served as general secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1945, as Minister of Labour in the war-time coalition government, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour Government.-Early...
in their first joint meeting regarding the crisis; following these and further talks, as well as the success of the ongoing Berlin Airlift, the blockade was lifted on May 12, 1949.
The skilled Foreign Minister could not escape misgivings harbored toward him by the First Lady, however. This antagonism became irreconcilable when Bramuglia opposed to Mrs. Perón's charm offensive, the famed 1947 "Rainbow Tour." He refused to put forward her proposal for the U.N.'s adoption of a "Declaration of Rights of Old Age," moreover, and by the time Bramuglia made international news for his role in negotiating the Berlin crisis, the First Lady was ordering radio stations
Radio in Argentina
Radio in Argentina is an important facet of the nation's media and culture. Radio, which was first broadcast in Argentina in 1920, has been widely enjoyed in Argentina since the 1930s. Radio broadcast stations totaled around 150 active AM stations, 1,150 FM stations, and 6 registered shortwave...
to refrain from mentioning him, events such as his December 1948 discussion of the Berlin crisis with U.S. President Harry Truman, or his accomplishments. She had the Foreign Minister's photo left out of relevant print articles, even ordering his image airbrush
Airbrush
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.-History:...
ed from group photos in Democracia, a former UCR
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...
news daily expropriated by the state.
These disputes, as well as those with the Argentine Ambassador to the U.S., Jerónimo Remorino, and the Ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, José Arce
José Arce
José Arce was an Argentine physician, politician and diplomat. He held the position of the President of the United Nations General Assembly during the Second special session - between 16 April 1948 and 21 September 1948....
, led Bramuglia to repeatedly submit his resignation to the President, who accepted on August 11 following a sixth attempt by the Foreign Minister to do so. The heated argument that resulted led Remorino to challenge Bramuglia to a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
, which the latter prevented at the last minute; Bramuglia believed Remorino to be responsible for his fall from grace. He returned to his labor law practice and taught in the discipline at his alma mater.
The Popular Union
President Perón was ultimately deposed in a violent 1955 military coupRevolución Libertadora
The Revolución Libertadora was a military uprising that ended the second presidential term of Juan Perón in Argentina, on September 16, 1955.-History:...
. Bramuglia communicated with the first dictator installed after the coup, General Eduardo Lonardi
Eduardo Lonardi
Eduardo A. Lonardi Doucet served as de facto president of Argentina from September 23, 1955 until November 13, 1955.-Biography:He was born on September 15, 1896....
, and offered to cooperate with the latter's policy of avoiding "victors or vanquished." Lonardi agreed, and actively considered naming him to the post of Labor Minister that had been denied him a decade earlier. The move backfired, however, when Lonardi was removed from office for his conciliatory stance in November. Bramuglia was briefly arrested, though his friendship with numerous policemen, as well as with the new War Minister, General León Bengoa, would protect him against further arrests, as well as against numerous death threats subsequently. He nonetheless established the Unión Popular
Unión Popular
Unión Popular is a political party in Argentina rooted in Peronism. Established by Juan Atilio Bramuglia as both a contingency for Peronists displaced by the 1955 military coup against the populist President Juan Perón, it became a "neo-Peronist" alternative to the exiled leader's line, and...
(UP) in December as an attempt to develop a political alternative to the banned Peronist movement. He obtained permission from Lonardi's successor, General Pedro Aramburu, and was, in turn, publicly condemned by the exiled Perón.
Increasingly repressive measures on the part of Aramburu further polarized Argentine politics, however, and led to General Juan José Valle
Juan José Valle
Juan José Valle was an Argentine military who headed a rebellion in 1956 against General Aramburu's dictatorship....
's failed revolt against Aramburu in June (for which 31 were executed). Bramuglia issued conciliatory statements in a number of news magazines, including the highly anti-peronist Ahora, whose publication of the Bramuglias' address and phone number led to threats and harassment. He declared that "every family is looking forward to peace, and to shaping the future through a political culture that includes political parties," and thus distanced himself from Perón's rhetoric, which, during 1956, was largely inflammatory in nature.
The UP adopted the Peronist tenets of nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
, while rejecting the personality cult Perón and the late Evita had engendered. The party received a significant boost when Alejandro Leloir, the last Chairman of the Peronist Party' executive committee before Perón's overthrow, joined the UP. Bramuglia was not the only Neo-Peronist leader to emerge in 1955; these also included Cipriano Reyes, who formed the Labor Party, and Vicente Saadi
Vicente Saadi
Vicente Leonidas Saadi was an Argentine Justicialist Party politician. He was a senator and governor for Catamarca Province, and became the patriarch of a family that has dominated Catamarca politics since the 1940s....
, who formed the Populist Party. All three were Peronists who played key roles in the movement's earliest days, and who later fell out with the populist leader. Each one openly defied Perón by forming these alternatives to his line, and more so by fielding candidates for elections to the Constitutional Assembly of 1957
Argentine Constitutional Assembly election, 1957
The Argentine Constitutional Assembly election of 1957 was held on 28 July. Voters chose delegates to the assembly, and with a turnout of 90.1%, it produced the following results:-Constitutional assembly:-Background:...
(tasked with replacing Perón's 1949 Constitution).
Leloir soon became a rival within the UP, and Bramuglia was forced to cancel its participation in the July 28 election. Their alliance endured despite this, and he nominated Leloir for the upcoming 1958 presidential elections
Argentine general election, 1958
The Argentine general election of 1958 was held on 23 February. Voters chose both the President and their legislators and with a turnout of 90.9% , it produced the following results:-President:aAbstentions....
. Secretly, however, Perón and businessman Rogelio Frigerio
Rogelio Frigerio
Rogelio Frigerio was an Argentine economist, journalist and politician.-Background and early career:Rogelio Frigerio was born in Buenos Aires in 1914 to Gerónimo Frigerio and Carmen Guanzaroli...
had negotiated an endorsement of UCRI
Intransigent Radical Civic Union
The Intransigent Radical Civic Union or UCRI is a defunct political party of Argentina.The UCRI developed from the centrist Radical Civic Union in 1956, following a split at the party's convention in Tucumán...
candidate Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi Ercoli was the President of Argentina between May 1, 1958, and March 29, 1962, for the Intransigent Radical Civic Union.-Early life:Frondizi was born in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes Province...
. This endorsement, made public one month before the February 23 polls, surprised most observers (who expected the exiled leader to endorse a blank ballot option, as he had done in 1957), and persuaded Leloir to withdraw. Leloir, who consulted Frondizi instead of his UP partner, left Bramuglia no choice but to call for blank ballots himself.
The UP elected no Congressmen in 1958, and was barred from running in 1960. President Frondizi lifted the ban ahead of the 1962 mid-term elections
Argentine legislative election, 1962
The Argentine legislative elections of 1962 was held on 18 March. Voters chose their legislators and governors; with a turnout of 85.7%, it produced the following results:-Argentine Chamber of Deputies:*Results were annulled on May 1.-Background:...
, and ended government receivership
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...
over the CGT labor union. The joint developments allowed Bramuglia to form an alliance with the influential textile industry
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
union leader, Andrés Framini
Andrés Framini
Andrés Framini was an Argentine labor leader and politician.-Early career:Andrés Framini was born in the working-class La Plata suburb of Berisso, in 1914. He entered the labor force as a peon in one of Buenos Aires' many textile manufacturers, eventually working for the important Piccaluga...
. Framini's UP candidacy for Governor of Buenos Aires would then receive an unexpected endorsement: that of Perón, who believed these elections would give Peronism a role in government. Joined on the ticket by Marcos Anglada, Framini's unofficial slogan was unequivocal: "Framini-Anglada, Perón to the Rosada!"
The clear reference to the Casa Rosada
Casa Rosada
La Casa Rosada is the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina, and of the offices of the President. The President normally lives at the Quinta de Olivos, a compound in Olivos, Buenos Aires Province. Its characteristic color is pink, and is considered one of the most...
(the president's executive office building) rekindled fears of Perón's return among the military and other anti-Peronists. The UP placed third with 18% of the vote, and won 10 of 14 governorships at stake (including Framini's victory in the paramount Province of Buenos Aires). President Frondizi was forced to annul UP victories by the military, and on March 28, he was overthrown.
Legacy
Bramuglia died in September of that year at age 59; the UP, banned during the 1963 election, would be allowed to participate in 1965Argentine legislative election, 1965
The Argentine legislative elections of 1965 were held on 17 March. Voters chose their legislators and, with a turnout of 83.5%, it produced the following results:-Argentine Congress:-Background:...
, and its strong showing would again prompt a military coup.
The Vice President of the University of Tel Aviv, Professor Ranaan Rein, authored detailed studies of both Bramuglia and the Popular Union. He emphasized that the former Foreign Minister, whom he considered "the most eminent and talented cabinet member of Perón's first term," was a needed pragmatic influence in a country whose politics "have oscillated between ideological inconsistency and the narrowest dogmatism."