Pedro Pablo Ramirez Menchaca (30 January 1884 – 12 May 1962) was the

fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...

-leaning

President of Argentina The president of Argentina ( es, Presidente de Argentina), officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Presidente de la Nación Argentina), is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under the national cons ...

from 7 June 1943, to 24 February 1944. He was the founder and leader of ''Guardia Nacional'', Argentina's fascist militia.

Life and career

After graduating from the Argentine military college in 1904 as a second lieutenant, Ramírez was promoted in 1910 as first lieutenant of the cavalry. In 1911, he was sent to Germany for training with the Fifth Hussars cavalry in

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the cor ...

. He returned home in 1913, with a German wife, prior to the outbreak of World War I. Advancing in rank as a specialist in

cavalry tactics For much of history, humans have used some form of cavalry for war and, as a result, cavalry tactics have evolved over time. Tactically, the main advantages of cavalry over infantry troops were greater mobility, a larger impact, and a higher pos ...

, he assisted fellow General

José Félix Uriburu Lieutenant General José Félix Benito Uriburu y Uriburu (20 July 186829 April 1932) was the president of Argentina, President of the Provisional Government of Argentina, ousting the successor to President Hipólito Yrigoyen by means of 1930 Ar ...

in an authoritarian coup that deposed

Hipólito Yrigoyen Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Yrigoyen (; 12 July 1852 – 3 July 1933) was an Argentine politician of the Radical Civic Union and two-time President of Argentina, who served his first term from 1916 to 1922 and his second ...

in 1930. Ramírez was sent to Rome to observe Mussolini's army until his return in 1932. When Uriburu set free elections and then died, General Ramírez worked behind the scenes to plan a return of fascism to Argentina. Over the next several years, he organized the Milicia Nacionalista (later the Guardia), and authored a program for a state ruled by the militia. In 1942, Ramírez was appointed War Minister by President

Ramón Castillo Ramón Antonio Castillo Barrionuevo (November 20, 1873 – October 12, 1944) was a conservative Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from June 27, 1942 to June 4, 1943. He was a leading figure in the period known as t ...

, and began to reorganize the Argentine Army. At the same time, the Guardia Nacional joined with another party to form "Recuperacion Nacional," a fascist political party. Castillo fired Ramírez following a cabinet meeting on 18 May 1943. Two weeks later, on 4 June 1943, Ramírez assisted Arturo Rawson in overthrowing Castillo's government, and was again made Minister of War. Three days later, on 7 June Ramírez forced Rawson's resignation and maintained Argentina's neutrality during World War II. Because of this, the United States refused Argentine requests for

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

aid. Argentina finally declared war on Germany and Japan during the government of Edelmiro Farrell. Despite having been brought to power through a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

Peronist Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of ...

historiography never calls him a dictator.

In popular culture

*Ramirez makes a brief appearance in the film '' Evita'' during the song "The Lady's Got Potential", which depicts

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected ...

's rise to power. Here he is depicted as a very elderly man, played by Hector Malamud.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramirez, Pedro Pablo 1884 births 1962 deaths Argentine generals Argentine anti-communists Presidents of Argentina World War II political leaders Argentine people of Spanish descent People from Entre Ríos Province Burials at La Chacarita Cemetery Leaders who took power by coup Leaders ousted by a coup Defense ministers of Argentina