José Luis Gabriel Terra Leivas ( Montevideo, 1 August 1873 - Montevideo, 15 September 1942) was a lawyer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

of batllista origin in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, and advisor to all Uruguayan governments on diplomatic,

Economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

and financial issues between 1900 and 1938. He spent part of his childhood and adolescence in his father's ( José Ladislao Terra) farm and studied

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

UDELAR The University of the Republic ( es, Universidad de la República, sometimes ''UdelaR'') is Uruguay's oldest public university. It is by far the country's largest university, as well as the second largest public university in South America and t ...

while also specializing in economic and financial science, graduating in 1895. He practiced as lawyer and Justice of the Peace at the end of the 1890's and he was

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

at the Higher School of Commerce (known since 1935 as the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Administration) from 1901. He was a national deputy from 1903 to 1907, minister of Industry, Labor and Public Instruction from 1907 to 1911. He founded the industrial oxygen production company CINOCA in 1908 and was a member of the National Constituent Assembly of 1917, Minister of the Interior from 1919 to 1921, member of the National Administration Council from 1926 to 1929. He was Constitutional President between 1931 and 1933, but became a

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

president from March 1933 to May 1934 after launching a self-coup. However, he once again became a de jure Constitutional President until June 1938. Terra was president of the

Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay (also known as Banco República or BROU) is a state-owned bank in Uruguay, founded in 1896 under the presidency of Juan Idiarte Borda. It is the most important Uruguayan bank with the largest number o ...

in 1938. However, he suffered a stroke that same year, causing him to remain paralytic for four years until his death in 1942. Terra died in poverty, passing away in an armchair on the early morning of 1September 15, 1942. At his funeral he received the corresponding state honors, and the country entered a mourning period. His remains were accompanied by hundreds of thousands of people along the procession. However, due to his presidency beng very controversial, his coffin was spat on by editors of the newspaper El Día (Uruguay), El Día, causing a fight to break out. The location of his grave is unknown. Terra left no economic inheritance or Political Party, political party. He remains a controversial president and his name spurs disgust in Uruguay.

Background

Terra graduated as a lawyer in 1895 from UDELAR and had a lengthy political career, being a national deputy, he was deputy, minister of Industry, Work, and Public Instruction, a member of the 1917 Uruguayan Constituent Assembly, and member of the National Board of Directors. He was affiliated to the Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado Party, although he was often independent of the dominant positions of its leader, José Batlle y Ordóñez. Terra was an expert in economic and diplomatic issues, areas in which he advised all Uruguayan governments between 1904 and 1938.

Political career

Graduated as a lawyer in 1895, he was deputy minister to the President Claudio Williman, member of the Constituent Assembly in 1917, Minister to the President Baltasar Brum and member of the National Board of Directors. He was an expert in economic and diplomatic issues, areas in which he advised all the Uruguayan governments between 1900 and 1938, he was a member of the Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado Party, although many times independent of the dominant positions of its leader , José Batlle y Ordóñez. He was a defender of Cooperativa, cooperativism, he wanted this model to be imposed in all areas of society, in 1907 as "Minister of Industry, Labor and Public Instruction" he founded more than 200 rural schools, promoted a bill to create an inheritance tax, it created the "National Labor Office

where for the first time he named the regulation of the 8 working hours that in 1915 was approved, among other social security laws, through the same body by Pedro Cosio. He was a pioneer in promoting the development of Hydroelectricity, hydroelectric energy and the use of hydrogen as fuel. His candidacy for the presidency in 1930 was opposed to the Luis Alberto de Herrera, leader of the National Party (Uruguay), National Party who obtained 47.26% of the votes cast, compared to 52.02% in favor of Earth. On February 13, 1938, during a spontaneous congregation of workers to honor him in front of his house, in his last public speech to a popular crowd, he said: He was the Uruguayan President (government title), President who held office for the longest uninterrupted time, the only one to have 3 terms and the first to be re-elected, he presided over a Government Constitution, Constitutional between 1931 and 1933, from 1933 to 1934 one dictatorial and was re-elected by more than 60% of the electorate in 1934 for the period 1934-1938. On June 19, 1938, his government ends, he is appointed President of the Bank of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, in the last months of 1938 his physical condition deteriorates, he suffers a cerebrovascular accident and is left paralytic until his death on September 15, 1942. He died in poverty, he left no economic inheritance, nor Partisanship, political-partisan inheritance, his name is synonymous with repudiation in

National Government (1931-1938)

March 1, 1931 assumed the Presidency of the Republic for the period 1931-1935. He opposed the Constitution of Uruguay of 1918, Constitution of 1918 from the beginning, claiming that it was an unviable system that generated ungovernability. In 1932 the economic and political crisis worsened, in November of that year he finally separated from the leading figures of Batllismo and began an unconstitutional tour of the interior of the country in favor of a Constitutional reform, instigating the mobilization of thousands of farmers through the center of Montevideo, on April 1 a "March on Montevideo" is organized, inspired by the March on Rome of Benito Mussolini, they parade on Larrañaga Avenue to the "Centro Eúskaro" thousands of people, manages to unite the support of the rural sectors and Reaction (political), reactionaries. On the night of March 31, 1933, with the support of the National Police of Uruguay, National Police, led by Alfredo Baldomir, Baldomir Ferrari, the Armed Forces of Uruguay, Armed Forces, more than 70% of the Batllismo with the former presidents Claudio Williman, José Serrato, Juan Campisteguy, the Vierismo, the Riverismo and the majority sector of the National Party (Uruguay), National Party, led by Luis Alberto de Herrera, carried out a coup d'état by which the National Council of Administration, the Uruguayan Parliament, Parliament and the Chamber of Senators (Uruguay), Chamber of Senators. The period inaugurated by said coup is known as "Terra's dictatorship", named by the putschists as "Third Republic" or "March Government", who give the Coup d'etat the name of "Revolution of March". He established a Political Tradidiconalismo, traditionalist and anti-liberal government that was opposed by Batllismo, the Independent Whites (Economic Liberalism, liberals), the Socialist Party of Uruguay and the Communist Party of Uruguay (Marxism, Left). In 1934 he promulgated a new Uruguayan Constitution of 1934, Political Constitution of a presidential character, which was in full force until 1942, it restricted the immigration of "alcoholics, mentally ill and disabled", decriminalized the homosexuality, recognized new Right, Rights that the State should guarantee, such as the Right to strike, Right to housing, Right to work, Right to health, Right to food, Protection of Children and the family, Gender equality, Equality between both sexes, Women's suffrage, women's vote, increased State control in the economy, with new sections and articles for the Uruguayan Autonomous Entities and Decentralized Services, Autonomous Entities and Decentralized Services, the Statism, State Comptroller on Trusted Capitals and Oligopolies and the Usury, Prohibition of Usury. He was elected Constitutional President again for the period 1934-1938, and held office until June 19, 1938.

Economic and financial policy and international relations

During his mandate an aggressive import substitution industrialization policy was developed, between 1933 and 1938 the industry grew by 60%, more than 11,000 new factories were founded, important public works were carried out, such as a massive program of roads and workers' housing to Through the Ministry of Transport and Public Works of Uruguay, Ministry of Public Works, the "National Institute of Affordable Housing" was creat

by 1938 a powerful middle class was created, the agro-export model was completely replaced by that of Import Substitution Industrialization, poverty and unemployment were eliminate
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It carried out programs for the modernization of agricultural production, the elimination of hunger and the subdivision of the land, with the creation of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay, Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, the "Institute National Scientific Food of the People", the "Compulsory Cultivation Law", the "Field Distribution Law", granted more than 2,000 poor families, fields and elements for production, among more than 2,300 nationally manufactured tractors and plows For 1937, agricultural production increased the cultivated area by 351,000 hectares and gave work to 31,000 more people than at the beginning of the dictatorship. In 1933, it created the free school canteens of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay, Ministry of Education and Culture in all public primary schools in the country. His sayings about the Jewish people and international finance, in one of his long radio-conferences, are recorded on page 310 of the book "Gabriel Terra: The Man, The Politician, The Ruler" by General Dr. José Luciano Martínez. The financial system was reformed through the approval of the "Revaluation Law", the issuance of credit and the commercial activity of the Commercial bank, banking was 100% monopolized by the "Issuance Department" created in 1935, based on article 51 of the 1934 Constitution ("All types of usury are prohibited"). On April 14, 1933, debt collection was eliminated, benefiting especially small and medium-sized Agricultural production, rural producers, amortized debts, canceled the payment of 55,000,000 of External debt, external credits and fixed all Interest, interests at 4% per year through Law 9,071. It did not ask for External debt, external credits, in 1935 it paid the debt with United Kingdom, in 1936 with United States and by 1938 it paid all the external debt of Uruguay, which constituted 61,000.00 of Uruguayan Peso, pesos incurred since the Great War in the century XIX, until 1933. Tax, taxes were reduced, all taxes on those who earned less than 100 Uruguayan peso, pesos per month, between 1934 and 1938 the administration had significant Economic surplus, surpluses, such as 9.65% in 1935.

Sources

Geneall

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Terra, Gabriel People from Montevideo Presidents of the Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay Presidents of Uruguay 20th-century Uruguayan lawyers Education and Culture Ministers of Uruguay 1873 births 1942 deaths Colorado Party (Uruguay) politicians Uruguayan anti-communists Uruguayan bankers Collars of the Order of the White Lion