The Civic Union () was a short-lived

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

in Argentina, founded on April 13, 1890 out of the Civic Union of the Youth. That same year it led the

Revolution of the Park The Revolution of the Park (''Revolución del Parque''), also known as the Revolution of '90, was an uprising against the national government of Argentina that took place on July 26, 1890, and started with the takeover of the Buenos Aires Artill ...

that forced President Miguel Juárez Celman's resignation, but shortly after dissolved itself in two branches, the

Radical Civic Union The Radical Civic Union (, UCR) is a major political party in Argentina. It has reached the national government on ten occasions, making it one of the most historically important parties in the country. Ideologically, the party has stood for r ...

and the National Civic Union, each following one of the Civic Union's foremost leaders, Leandro Alem and

Bartolomé Mitre Bartolomé Mitre (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of Argentine Civil Wars#National unification, unified Argentina. Mitre i ...

, respectively. Since 1880, the exercise of power was concentrated in an

elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...

that controlled access to candidacies. For this reason, the Civic Union emerged, which proposed to regenerate political life by promoting citizen participation in public space and demanding respect for the constitution and political freedoms.

History

On April 13, 1890, supporters of the Civic Union of the Youth established the Civic Union in a ceremony at the Buenos Aires Frontón. Leandro N. Alem was elected president and leaders were drawn from all tendencies within the anti-government movement, including Francisco A. Barroetaveña, José Manuel Estrada, Pedro Goyena, Aristóbulo del Valle, Bernardo de Irigoyen, Juan B. Justo,

Lisandro de la Torre Lisandro de la Torre (6 December 1868 – 5 January 1939) was an Argentine politician, born in Rosario, Santa Fe. He was considered as a model of ethics in politics. He was a national deputy and senator, a prominent polemicist, and founder o ...

, and influential ex-president and general

. The same year, supporters of the Civic Union, led by Leandro Alem and Bartolomé Mitre, instigated the

, an armed uprising that ousted president Juárez Celman and replaced him with vice president

Carlos Pellegrini Carlos Enrique José Pellegrini Bevans (October 11, 1846 – July 17, 1906) was Vice President of Argentina and became President of Argentina from August 6, 1890 to October 12, 1892, upon Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman's resignation (see R ...

. The Civic Union established a presidential ticket with Bartolomé Mitre and Bernardo de Irigoyen. However,

Julio Argentino Roca Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an Argentine army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the ...

, undisputed leader of the pro-government National Autonomist Party, made a deal with Mitre to form a "national unity" ticket headed by Mitre. After learning of the arrangement on April 16, Leandro Alem opposed it emphatically, splitting the Civic Union and forcing Mitre to abandon his candidacy. On June 26, 1891, Alem's supporters formally founded the

. In response, Mitre's followers formed the National Civic Union. Members of the latter became known as the ''Civics'', while those of the former became known as the ''Radicals''.

References

{{Former political parties in Argentina Radical Civic Union Defunct political parties in Argentina Political parties established in 1890 1890 establishments in Argentina Political parties with year of disestablishment missing

History

See also

References