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Arturo Frondizi Ércoli (Paso de los Libres, October 28, 1908 – Buenos Aires, April 18, 1995) was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, teacher, statesman, and politician. He was elected
president of Argentina The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...
and governed from May 1, 1958, to March 29, 1962, when he was overthrown in a military coup. A member of the
Unión Cívica Radical 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 ...
(UCR) from the 1930s, Frondizi was one of the leaders who revived that party in the 1940s by founding the Intransigence and Renewal Movement, which opposed the military's role in politics. In 1946, he was elected national deputy for the city of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. In the 1951 elections, he joined the UCR presidential ticket as a vice presidential candidate, alongside
Ricardo Balbín Ricardo Balbín (29 July 1904 – 9 September 1981) was an Argentine lawyer and politician, and one of the most important figures of the centrist Radical Civic Union (UCR), for which he was the presidential nominee four times: in 1951, 1958, and ...
, who was defeated by the
Peronist Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and movement based on the ideas, doctrine and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, Pe ...
ticket. In 1954 he published "Petroleum and Politics," an exposé of the activities of oil companies in Argentina, and proposed a YPF monopoly over the oil sector. The book would become a bestseller the following year, during the heated debates over the oil contracts signed by
Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...
and
Standard Oil of California Chevron Corporation is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, energy corporation predominantly specializing in Petroleum industry, oil and gas. The second-largest Successors of Standard Oil, direct descenda ...
. Thanks to this—and the reopening of the magazine Qué!—Frondizi would position himself at the forefront of the political scene, further reinforcing his reputation as an intellectual and a leftist. During the period after the military coup—dubbed the "Revolución Libertadora" or "Liberating Revolution" by the military—that overthrew Perón in 1955, Frondizi led the radical faction within the UCR that criticized the dictatorship against the faction led by Balbín, which was closer to it. This led to the split of the party and the formation of the Intransigent Radical Civic Union (UCRI). Frondizi and Balbín faced off in the 1958 presidential elections with Peronism banned, and Frondizi won by a landslide, thanks to an agreement he or his entourage made with Perón, under circumstances that remain unclear. His government was characterized by an ideological shift, inspired by
Rogelio Frigerio Rogelio Frigerio (born 7 January 1970) is an Argentine economist and politician. Since 2023, he has been Governor of Entre Ríos Province. He was Minister of Interior, Public Works and Housing during the presidency of Mauricio Macri, from 2015 ...
, towards a type of
developmentalism Developmentalism is an economic theory which states that the best way for less developed economies to develop is through fostering a strong and varied internal market and imposing high tariffs on imported goods. Developmentalism is a cross-disci ...
less promoted by the State and more oriented to the development of heavy industry as a consequence of the entry of multinational companies. Its labor, oil and education policies sparked sharp conflicts, with large demonstrations and strikes by the labor and student movements, as well as numerous attacks against the government in which 17 civilians and soldiers were murdered. Frondizi responded by signing the Conintes Plan, which placed protesters under the jurisdiction of military tribunals and prohibited strikes. His foreign policy sought closer relations with the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
under
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
, but maintained an independent line, supporting the
Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
, receiving
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
in Buenos Aires, and even meeting secretly with
Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
to try to mediate conflicts between the United States and Cuba, without success. He deepened international relations with Asian countries by making his first presidential visit to Indonesia, India, and Israel, and signed economic agreements with the Soviet Union. The
armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...
demanded that the Frondizi adopt austerity measures, which were drawn up by the Economy Minister
Álvaro Alsogaray Álvaro Carlos Alsogaray (22 June 1913 – 1 April 2005) was an Argentine politician and economist. He has been known for being Minister of Economy on two occasions, Minister of Industry, Ambassador to the United States, and National Deputy. He p ...
and which sparked widespread public criticism that eventually led to Alsogaray's resignation. Despite this, Frondizi was able to continue with his development strategy. Continued pressure from the military brought about the retirement of Frigerio as a government advisor in 1961 and of
Roberto Alemann Roberto Alemann (December 22, 1922 – March 27, 2020) was an Argentine lawyer, economist, publisher, and academic. Twice Minister of Economy, he was also the Argentine ambassador to the United States and director of the traditional Argentine-Ge ...
, Alsogaray's successor, in 1962. He was unable to finish his presidential term, as he was overthrown by a coup on March 29, 1962. That day he was detained by the coup military and a decree issued by
José María Guido José María Guido Cibeira (29 August 1910 – 13 June 1975) was President of Argentina from 29 March 1962 to 12 October 1963, serving as the head of a provisional civilian government after the Argentine military overthrew President Arturo Fr ...
validated his detention without trial for eighteen months, preventing him from participating in the 1963 elections. Frondizi criticized the inauguration and the government of
Arturo Illia Arturo Umberto Illia (; 4 August 1900 – 18 January 1983) was President of Argentina from 1963 until his overthrow in 1966. He was part of the Radical Civic Union, and the People's Radical Civic Union during his presidency. Illia reached the ...
, who accepted the overthrow of Frondizi and annulled some of his oil contracts. In 1966 he supported the military coup that overthrew Illia, thinking that the "
Argentine Revolution The Argentine Revolution (Spanish: ''Revolución Argentina'') is the name given to the civil-military dictatorship that overthrew the constitutional president Arturo Illia through a coup d'état on June 28, 1966, and governed the country u ...
" was an opportunity to make an economic revolution. However, he would abandon that idea when Adalbert Krieger Vasena assumed the Ministry of Economy. Following the coup, Frondizi favored forming a national front that included Peronism. This stance put him at odds with the wing of the UCRI led by
Oscar Alende Oscar Eduardo Alende (6 July 1909 – 22 December 1996) was an Argentine politician who founded the Intransigent Party. Alende was born in Maipú, Buenos Aires Province. He studied medicine at the University of La Plata, where he led the st ...
and led him to break away from the party to create the Movement for Integration and Development (MID), which remained close to Peronism from then on, joining the same electoral fronts. In the presidential elections of March 1973 and September 1973, the MID, led by Frondizi, joined the Justicialist Liberation Front (FREJULI) alongside Peronism and other political forces, emerging victorious with the presidential candidacies of
Héctor Cámpora Hector () is an English, French, Scottish, and Spanish given name. The name is derived from the name of Hektor, a legendary Trojan champion who was killed by the Greek Achilles. The name ''Hektor'' is probably derived from the Greek ''ékhein'', m ...
and Perón. During the dictatorship, which called itself the
National Reorganization Process The National Reorganization Process ( PRN; often simply , "the Process") was the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as the ("last military junta"), ("last military dictatorship") ...
, Frondizi maintained a wait-and-see attitude toward the military regime, while also being critical of some of the economic measures adopted by the de facto government, to which the MID contributed Foreign Minister
Oscar Camilión Oscar Héctor Camilión (6 January 1930 – 12 February 2016) was an Argentine lawyer and diplomat. Born in 1930, he earned a law degree at the University of Buenos Aires in his hometown. Camilión first joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
and several mayors. During the
Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
in 1982, Frondizi and
Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (; 12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after the 7-yea ...
were the exception in the Argentine political landscape in opposing the conflict. On April 18, 1995, Arturo Frondizi died of natural causes at the age of 86 at the Hospital Italiano in the city of Buenos Aires.


Early years

Arturo Frondizi was born on October 28, 1908, in
Paso de los Libres Paso de los Libres is a city in the east of the province of Corrientes in the Argentine Mesopotamia. It had about 44,000 inhabitants at the , and is the head town of the department of the same name. The city is on the right-hand (western) shore ...
, province of
Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragui, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It has ...
, Argentina. He was the thirteenth child of Isabella Ércoli de Frondizi and Giulio Frondizi. The couple, shortly after marrying, had arrived in Argentina in the early
1890s The 1890s (pronounced "eighteen-nineties") was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1890, and ended on December 31, 1899. In American popular culture, the decade would later be nostalgically referred to as the "Gay Nineti ...
from the Italian city of
Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines. History Prehistory The ol ...
. Giulio had learned the art of masonry from his father and made a comfortable living as a construction contractor.Associazione Eugubini nel Mondo
The couple had a total of fourteen children, eight boys and six girls: Luidina (b. 1887), Ubaldo (b. 1888 and died at a young age), and Tersilia (b. 1889), all born in Italy. and Américo (b. 1896, future graduate in pharmacy), María (b. 1897 and died at a young age), Virginia (b. 1899, future primary school teacher), Ricardo Amadeo (b. 1900, future famous English teacher), Giulio (b. 1901, future civil servant), Isabella (b. 1903), Oreste (b. 1905, future civil servant), Silvio (b. 1907, future politician and lawyer, as well as a Trotskyist theorist, who would be assassinated by the Triple A in 1974), Liduvina (b.?), Arturo (b. 1908) and Risieri (b. 1910, future philosopher and rector of the
University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...
). The family relocated to
Concepción del Uruguay Concepción del Uruguay is a city in Argentina. It is located in the Entre Ríos province, on the western shore of the Uruguay River, some 320 kilometers north from Buenos Aires. Its population is about 80,000 inhabitants (). History The city ...
in 1912. Arturo and Silvio traveled in 1923 to the
province of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
, accompanied by their father. They attended the Mariano Moreno National School, where Risieri would also study later. In 1925, before completing the last year of high school, Arturo tried to enter the
Colegio Militar de la Nación The National Military College () is the institution in charge of the undergraduate education of officers of the Argentine Army. It is located at El Palomar, Buenos Aires. Established on October 11, 1869, by President Domingo Sarmiento at the he ...
, but was deferred. Arturo was a poor student until his late teens, more interested in sports such as soccer and boxing than in his studies. In the mid-1920s, Frondizi played soccer as a defender in the lower ranks of
Club Almagro Club Almagro is an Argentine sports club from José Ingenieros, Buenos Aires, although its headquarters are in the Almagro, Buenos Aires, Almagro district. The association football, football team currently plays in the Primera Nacional, the secon ...
. In 1926, he suffered a serious injury to his arm as a result of a bad fall while playing. During those last years of high school, he turned his life around, beginning to focus more on his studies, putting aside games and sports. In this way, during the fifth year, his grades began to improve. Already recognized as a distinguished student, he began to contribute to the student newspaper ''Estimulen.''


Beginnings in politics

Frondizi identified with Yrigoyenismo when he was a teenager and studying in high school.
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 who served as President of Argentina from 1916 to 1922 and again from 1928 until his overthrow in ...
, "the father of the poor", had been elected president when Frondizi was eight years old and served his term when Frondizi was 14. For the first time in Argentine history, a president had been elected by secret and compulsory vote, in massively attended elections. Despite this, and throughout his university career, Frondizi had a negative view of political activity and vowed never to set foot in a local party. In 1927, he entered the Law School of the University of Buenos Aires, where he graduated in July 1930. He refused to accept his diploma with honors, due to his refusal to receive it from the then ''de facto'' president
José Félix Uriburu José Félix Benito Uriburu (20 July 186829 April 1932) was an Argentine military officer and politician, he was the President of the Provisional Government of Argentina, ousting the successor to President Hipólito Yrigoyen by means of a ...
, who had overthrown Yrigoyen on September 6 of the previous year. His opposition to the dictatorship that overthrew Yrigoyen led him to participate in a demonstration on May 8, 1931, during which he was arrested and remanded to the custody of the provisional government. His brother Silvio Frondizi filed a habeas corpus petition, the first in a life dedicated to defending political prisoners. The judge, however, also ordered the imprisonment of Silvio Frondizi, and both brothers were detained together for twenty days in the National Penitentiary located on Las Heras Street in Buenos Aires, a prison that Arturo would order demolished when he was president Frondizi said that this arrest convinced him to put aside his plans to teach in order to embark on a career as a
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. At the end of 1932, he was arrested for the second time and after being released he joined the
Unión Cívica Radical 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 ...
. On October 28, 1932, Frondizi became engaged to Elena Luisa María Faggionato, to marry on January 5, 1933. His wife became his closest collaborator and was co-editor of his speeches. From this union his only daughter, Elena, would be born in 1937. They built a
summer cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...
in 1935 at the then-secluded seaside resort town of
Pinamar Pinamar is an Argentina, Argentine coastal resort city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Buenos Aires Province. It has about 45,000 inhabitants (2020). Located less than south of Buenos Aires, it is one of several small seaside comm ...
. After the birth in 1937 of their daughter, Elena (their only child), the Frondizis named the cottage ''Elenita''. In December 1933, he would be arrested for the third time, suspected of being involved in an uprising against the national government. He led the Argentine League for the Rights of Man, the nation's first recorded
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
organization, upon its founding in 1936. In December of that year, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while addressing a crowd.Pigna, Felipe. "Arturo Frondizi", ''El Historiador''
During the European conflict that would lead to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Frondizi adopted an anti-fascist political stance from 1936, in opposition to the traditional neutralist stance that Argentina had held since
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. By then, he was already known for his partisan activity, participating in number of ideological organizations. On May 1 of that year, he gave a speech on behalf of the UCR at a massive event of the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT), where he shared the platform with the CGT's general secretary, José Domenech; former Radical president Marcelo T. de Alvear; Mario Bravo and
Nicolás Repetto Nicolás Repetto (21 October 1871 – 29 November 1965) was an Argentine physician and leader of the Socialist Party of Argentina. Biography Nicolás Repetto was born in Buenos Aires in 1871 and enrolled at the prestigious Colegio Nacional de B ...
of the
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
; Paulino González Alberdi for the Communist Party; and
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 ...
for the
Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
. Later that year he gave a lecture on the problem of antisemitism, as seen by an Argentinian, at the Enrique Heine Israelite Society.


Deputy and Radical Civic Union (1946-1958)

Frondizi was part of a generation of young radicals who questioned the conservative leadership of Marcelo de Alvear and the official labor movement, advocating the economic nationalism of Hipólito Yrigoyen and proposing that the UCR adopt a center-left position. Supported and identified with the industrialist and nationalist policies promoted by
Amadeo Sabattini Amadeo Tomás Sabattini (May 29, 1892 – February 29, 1960) was an Argentine politician. He served as Governor of Córdoba from May 17, 1936, to May 17, 1940. Sabattini was born in Buenos Aires to immigrant parents: His mother was Uruguayan, ...
as governor of the province of Córdoba, Frondizi and other young reformers such as Moisés Lebensohn, Ricardo Balbín, Arturo Illia, Crisólogo Larralde, and Alejandro Gómez organized a youth congress in
Chivilcoy Chivilcoy is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, the head town of the Chivilcoy Partido. It has 64,185 inhabitants according to the . Tourism February Carnivals In the month of February, a three-day carnival is held over an extende ...
in May 1942, where the foundations were laid for the 'revolution' they attempted to impose on the party. On April 4, 1945, he was part of the group of radical leaders, formed in opposition to the party's alliance with conservatives in the Democratic Union coalition, who met in the city of Avellaneda to reach agreement on the political foundations for a center-left and nationalist program that could respond to the new social, economic, and political realities that industrialization was producing in Argentina. The result was the 1945
Declaration of Avellaneda The Declaration of Avellaneda was the main platform of the intransigent movement inside the Argentine political party known as Radical Civic Union (''Unión Cívica Radical'', UCR). It was issued on April 4, 1945, in Avellaneda, province of Buenos A ...
, a historic document that became one of the ideological foundations of the UCR. In 1945, during the confrontation between Peronists and anti-Peronists, Frondizi supported the pro-labor measures promoted by Perón when he was Secretary of Labor, although he criticized the center-right educational policies and the authoritarian nature of the military government. During the events of October 1945, Frondizi was expelled from the Radical Assembly in the Federal Capital, accused of being a "collaborator" with Peronism. Shortly after, on November 1, 1945, these radical leaders met in
Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
to form the Movement of Intransigence and Renewal (MIR). Frondizi was elected to the
Argentine Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies (), officially the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation, is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress (). It is made up of 257 national deputies who are elected in multi-member constituencies c ...
in the February 1946 elections. The Democratic Union's electoral defeat by Peronism in the 1946 presidential elections sparked a profound debate within the URC and the resignation of the Unionist leadership. The intransigent movement then assumed leadership of the party, with two of its members, Ricardo Balbín and Arturo Frondizi, elected, respectively, president and vice president of the Radical bloc of national deputies, in the so-called Bloc of 44. In early 1948, Frondizi was reelected as a deputy, with the MIR winning the internal elections in the Federal Capital. In December, Frondizi embarked on a tour of Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Africa. His multiple political commitments did not prevent him from dedicating himself to intellectual activity, which is how at the end of 1954 he published ''Petroleum and Politics'', an exposé of the activity of oil companies in Argentina, and spoke of YPF's monopoly of the oil sector. The book would become a best-seller the following year, during heated debates over the oil contracts signed by Perón and Standard Oil of California; thanks to this, Frondizi would position himself in the foreground of the national political scene, reinforcing his fame as an intellectual and his leftist profile.


1951 presidential election and subsequent coup

In the 1951 presidential elections, he was nominated by the UCR as its candidate for vice president, with Ricardo Balbín the candidate for president. The ticket obtained 31.81% of the votes, being defeated by the Peronist slate, made up of Perón and
Hortensio Quijano Juan Hortensio Quijano (; June 10, 1884 – April 3, 1952) was the Vice President of Argentina under President Juan Perón from 1946 until his 1952 death in Buenos Aires. Quijano was born in Corrientes Province in 1884, and enrolled at the Uni ...
, who obtained 62.49%. In 1954, Frondizi was elected president of the National Committee of the UCR. Later that year anti-Peronist civil and military sectors attempted a coup d'état against the constitutional government, led by General
Benjamín Menéndez Benjamín Andrés Menéndez (1885, Córdoba – 2 September 1975) was an Argentine brigadier general who attempted on 28 September 1951 to overthrow the government of Juan Domingo Perón. The coup was defeated within a few hours. Attempted coup ...
. Frondizi for the UCR, Américo Ghioldi for the Socialist Party, Democratic Progressive Horacio Thedy, and Reynaldo Pastor for the National Democrats (Conservatives) were informed of the upcoming military action and, according to Menéndez, pledged their support for the coup. The attempt ultimately failed, and some of its leaders were arrested. On April 15, 1953 a bomb placed by an anti-Peronist civilian commando exploded in the middle of a workers' rally in the Plaza de Mayo, causing seven deaths and hundreds of injuries. In retaliation, at the end of the march, a group of protesters set fire to the Casa Radical and the Jockey Club. A few days later, the main radical leaders were arrested, including Frondizi. On June 16, 1955, senior leaders of the UCR and the Navy organized a coup attempt to assassinate the president. To this end, they bombed the Plaza de Mayo, resulting in the deaths of more than 300 people. During this period, Frondizi was briefly detained for his connections to the coup plotters, as well as to radicals who were part of terrorist groups known as civil commandos. On September 19, 1955 the military finally succeeded in deposing Perón. Perón went into exile and the military regime barred any reference to him or his late wife in public.


The division of the UCR

On November 9, 1956, the National Convention of the UCR met in Tucumán. The Intransigence and Renewal Movement of the party led by Frondizi rejected cooperation with the military government; He proposed taking the initiative and putting pressure on him by appointing a presidential slate. The Balbinistas (now separated from the MIR), Unionists and Sabattinistas, closer to the military's Liberating Revolution, rejected the proposal. The National Convention voted in favor of the intransigent proposal and chose Frondizi as the candidate for President. The Unionists, Balbinistas and Sabattinistas then left the Convention and on February 10, 1957 formed a new party, the Unión Cívica Radical del Pueblo, which represented the conservative wing of the UCR. The intransigents also renamed the party the Unión Cívica Radical Intransigente. The party quickly defined a position inspired by the
Declaration of Avellaneda The Declaration of Avellaneda was the main platform of the intransigent movement inside the Argentine political party known as Radical Civic Union (''Unión Cívica Radical'', UCR). It was issued on April 4, 1945, in Avellaneda, province of Buenos A ...
, but adapted to the postwar situation, attracting a large number of youth and progressive sectors outside the party, such as the socialists Dardo Cúneo and
Guillermo Estévez Boero Guillermo Estévez Boero (28 December 1930 – 3 February 2000) was an Argentina, Argentine student activist, lawyer and Socialism, Socialist politician. Estévez Boero was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, and studied law at the National Unive ...
and the writer and journalist
Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz (February 14, 1898 – May 30, 1959) was an Argentine writer, philosopher, journalist, essayist and poet, friend of Arturo Jauretche and Homero Manzi, and loosely associated with the political group ''Fuerza de Orient ...
. These were characterized by a non-anti-Peronist national center-left position, as well as by the developmental thinking supported by
Rogelio Frigerio Rogelio Frigerio (born 7 January 1970) is an Argentine economist and politician. Since 2023, he has been Governor of Entre Ríos Province. He was Minister of Interior, Public Works and Housing during the presidency of Mauricio Macri, from 2015 ...
from the magazine Qué!. Furthermore, Frondizi and Frigerio established a close relationship with the newspaper Clarín, to the point that until 1982 the newspaper identified itself with developmentalism and the future MID.


1958 elections

The campaign for the 1958 presidential elections had a high level of activism from the militants, who, in addition to doing their usual task of stickers, began to massively paint the walls of buildings with the names of the presidential slate. Such acts did not take long to arouse criticism from the press. It was the most expensive campaign up to that point in Argentine history. The party ordered the recording of a tango entitled "Frondizi, ¡Primero vos!", With lyrics and music by Daniel Quiroga. The military dictatorship decided to ban the
Peronist Party The Justicialist Party (, ; abbr. PJ) is a major political party in Argentina, and the largest branch within Peronism. Following the 2023 presidential election, it has been the largest party in the opposition against President Javier Milei. Fou ...
in the
1958 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1958. Africa * 1958 French Togoland parliamentary election * 1958 Nigerien Constituent Assembly election * 1958 South African general election * 1958 Southern Rhodesian general election * 1958 Sudanese ...
. It also established that only those provinces that had a constitution in force as of December 1, 1957, could participate in it; the provincial constitutions had been abolished by the dictatorship through the military proclamation of 1956. Due to this, citizens of the provinces of
La Pampa La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza. History In ...
and
Misiones Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes P ...
were not allowed to participate in the election. Three years after Perón fell victim to a military coup in 1955, Arturo Frondizi was elected president. Most historians accept that there was some kind of secret understanding between Perón and Frondizi for the proscribed Peronist vote to turn out in favor of the
UCRI The Intransigent Radical Civic Union (, UCRI) was a political party of Argentina. The UCRI developed from the centrist Radical Civic Union (UCR) in 1956, following a split at the party's convention in Tucumán between the UCR's progressive factio ...
candidate. It is presumed that the pact was made through the efforts of
Rogelio Frigerio Rogelio Frigerio (born 7 January 1970) is an Argentine economist and politician. Since 2023, he has been Governor of Entre Ríos Province. He was Minister of Interior, Public Works and Housing during the presidency of Mauricio Macri, from 2015 ...
, who made contact with
John William Cooke John William Cooke (14 November 1919 – 19 September 1968) was an Argentine lawyer and politician. An early follower of President Juan Perón, Cooke went on to form part and lead the revolutionary leftist wing of the Peronist movement. Followin ...
or with Perón himself during his exile in
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, agreeing on the conditions in various meetings held, first in
Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...
in January 1958 and then in
Ciudad Trujillo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the city center had a population of 1,029,110 while its Metr ...
(
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
) in March 1958. The pact would have consisted of Perón ordering his followers to vote for Frondizi, and if he won the elections, he would have to comply with fourteen points that made up the agreement, including normalizing the unions and the CGT, repealing the decrees prohibiting Peronism and order the return to Perón of the personal property that he had left in the country and the dictatorship had confiscated. Frondizi remained obligated to the strongly anti-Perón military establishment, however, and was forced to annul the election victory of the Peronist candidates in 1960. The People's UCR proposed the Balbín-Del Castillo ticket, obtaining 2,416,408 votes, against the Intransigent UCR, which nominated Frondizi-Gómez, who triumphed with 4,049,230 votes. According to historian Félix Luna, the support that ensured Frondizi's success was heterogeneous: Peronists; Catholics and nationalists, sympathetic to the anti-divorce and free education stance defended by the UCRI; and left-wing sectors attracted by their progressive ideas. The 1958 presidential elections had the highest voter turnout in Argentine history and also the highest number of blank votes in a presidential election, reaching 90.86% and 9.26%, respectively. On May 1, General Pedro Eugenio Aramburu handed over power to Arturo Frondizi, the president elected on February 23, 1958. 824] 8 The UCRI won in all the provinces where the Frondizi-Gómez ticket was presented, claiming all the governorships, the senate and two thirds of the chamber of deputies, in a victory unequalled until today. On May 1, General
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu Pedro Eugenio Aramburu Silveti (May 21, 1903 – June 1, 1970) was an Argentine Army general and the ''de facto'' President of Argentina from 1955 to 1958. He was a major figure behind the ''Revolución Libertadora'', the military coup against J ...
handed over command to Arturo Frondizi, the president elected on February 23, 1958.


Presidency


Economic policy

When Frondizi took office, the Argentine economy was suffering from severe external restrictions caused by a large trade deficit, which prevented it from having the necessary foreign currency to import the inputs needed by the industrial sector. A substantial part of this deficit was due to oil imports; oil production had not grown significantly since
Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...
was forced out in the 1930s. 60% of the oil consumed by Argentina had to be imported and 80% of all the oil was used to generate electricity), As Argentina relied more on motor vehicles, oil imports drained the country in foreign exchange. How to achieve increased oil production was a contentious issue by the 1940s. The UCR (
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 ...
) favoured a state monopoly, believing it necessary to control the
oil reserves An oil is any chemical polarity, nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobe, hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilicity, lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable ...
. In the
Declaration of Avellaneda The Declaration of Avellaneda was the main platform of the intransigent movement inside the Argentine political party known as Radical Civic Union (''Unión Cívica Radical'', UCR). It was issued on April 4, 1945, in Avellaneda, province of Buenos A ...
(a common platform supported by Balbin's UCRP—his wing of the UCR—and Frondizi's UCRI), the state's need to invest in
oil exploration Hydrocarbon exploration (or oil and gas exploration) is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits, particularly petroleum and natural gas, in the Earth's crust using petroleum geology. Exploration methods V ...
and to make Argentina self-sufficient in the short term was expressed as policy. In addition to the insufficiency in oil production Frondizi also needrd to address inadequate steel production, the lack of electricity, and the insufficiency and obsolescence of transport (especially railways). He had inherited economic problems from Perón's 1946-55 administration, characterized by budget deficits because of huge railroad subsidies that cost the treasury a million dollars a day. In addition, Perón had used much of the US$1.7 billion in budget reserves at the time of his election to nationalize the various private railway companies by buying them from French and British interests, then modernizing and expanding them. Critics complained that the railways employed too many workers and produced bloated payrolls that strained national budgets. Frondizi adopted
developmentalism Developmentalism is an economic theory which states that the best way for less developed economies to develop is through fostering a strong and varied internal market and imposing high tariffs on imported goods. Developmentalism is a cross-disci ...
as his basic government policy, based on the recommendations of
ECLAC The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC, ECLAC or ''CEPAL'', in Spanish: ''Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe'') is a United Nations regional commission to encourage economic cooper ...
and "dependency theory", originated during the 1950s by intellectuals from all over
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
. His main collaborators were Rogelio Frigerio, Gabriel del Mazo (one of the fathers of the University Reform),
Oscar Alende Oscar Eduardo Alende (6 July 1909 – 22 December 1996) was an Argentine politician who founded the Intransigent Party. Alende was born in Maipú, Buenos Aires Province. He studied medicine at the University of La Plata, where he led the st ...
(governor of the province of Buenos Aires), Roque Vítolo, Rodolfo Martínez, and Carlos Florit. However, frondizista developmentalism differed from the ECLAC model by relying mainly on multinational companies, rather than the State, as a driving force behind industrial development. Frondizi began to abandon the position of his book ''Petroleum and Politics'' as early as 1956 and concluded that oil contracts with foreign industries could constitute a solution to the energy deficit. Frondizi assigned economist
Rogelio Julio Frigerio Rogelio Julio Frigerio (November 2, 1914 – September 13, 2006) was an Argentine economist, journalist and politician. Background and early career Rogelio Frigerio was born in Buenos Aires in 1914 to Gerónimo Frigerio, an Italian immigra ...
to develop a bold plan to make Argentina self-sufficient in motor vehicles and petroleum, as well as to quickly extend the country's semi-developed road and electric networks. In the 1950s, these served less than half the population, and fewer than 20% in the poorer north. Frondizi's economic vision was a radical departure from the nationalist one of Perón. To achieve greater investment in industrial development, Frigerio supported passage of the Law of Foreign Investment. This provided foreign corporations with incentives similar to those offered to local ones. It created the Department and Commission of Foreign Investments, which was also designed to give foreign investors more legal recourse when operating in the country. In 1958, contracts were signed with US oil companies for them to operate on behalf of
YPF YPF S.A. (, formerly ; English: "Fiscal Oilfields") is a vertically integrated, majority state-owned Argentine energy company, engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, and the transportation, refining, and marketing of gas and pe ...
. The goal was to achieve self-sufficiency in hydrocarbons and avoid having to purchase them abroad. In three years of management, Argentina achieved a 150% increase in oil and natural gas production. For the first time in history, the country achieved self-sufficiency in oil, and Argentina went from being an oil importer to an exporter. The achievement of self-sufficiency produced a gain of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual crude oil import costs, which helped create almost uninterrupted economic growth over the next thirteen years, especially in industry. The new oil contracts totaled two hundred million dollars. Thanks to these contracts, oil production tripled in four years. Due to these actions, in September the oil workers' unions declared a general strike in protest of the oil contracts. The president declared a state of siege, imprisoning Peronist unionists; in effect, the Frondizi-Perón pact was broken. Thirty-six oil drilling rigs had been purchased for the extraction of oil, the largest purchase made in the history of Argentina. In 1960, more than one hundred of these teams were working for the Administration, twice as many as
YPF YPF S.A. (, formerly ; English: "Fiscal Oilfields") is a vertically integrated, majority state-owned Argentine energy company, engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, and the transportation, refining, and marketing of gas and pe ...
normally had, thus solving the energy crisis that existed around 1958, and ending the "electric diet" and the blackouts that occurred. the country suffered constantly. Inflation would rise as a result of the investments made in 1958 and 1959 (some of them emerging in relation to the energy problem), to the point that it reached 113% annually by early 1959. To combat inflation, the government implemented a 60% salary increase, with the warning that much of this increase would be absorbed by rising inflation, in addition to reducing public spending. Thanks to oil exploitation and increased production, inflation fell to 27.1% in 1960, and to 13.7% in 1961. Until the late 1960s, according to World Bank data, Argentina had a per capita GDP similar to that of Austria, Italy, Japan, and Spain.


Industrial policy

Between 1958 and 1963, the historical maximum of foreign investments in Argentina was reached: around 23% of the total for the period between 1912 and 1975. The industrial branches favored in this second stage of the import substitution process were the automotive, the
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
and
petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...
,
chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...
,
metallurgical Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
and
electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
and non-electrical machinery. Investments were oriented towards taking advantage of the possibilities offered by a protected domestic market. During those years, foreign investment increased tenfold, as did domestic investment, thus achieving significant industrial modernization. And just as Frondizi had anticipated, the foreign currency reserves previously spent on imported fuel and other raw materials were now allocated to the purchase of industrial equipment, modernizing the industry, and basic infrastructure. There was an investment of $140 million in the petrochemical industry between 1959 and 1961. The industry was modernized in 1960 and 1961 with a value of one billion dollars in imported machinery and equipment. Expansion of the steel industry was achieved despite obstacles from the Directorate of Military Manufacturing, which opposed the involvement of private capital. There was also progress in the agricultural sector, starting with the development of the steel and petrochemical industries, which promoted the modernization and provision of fertilizers, pesticides and machinery, thus increasing agricultural production and productivity.
INTA Inta (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Komi Republic, Russia. Population: History Inta was founded around 1940 as a settlement to support a geological expedition to explore coal deposits and projecting of mines. The ...
promoted rigorous scientific research in this field in accordance with national standards;
Conicet The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (, CONICET) is an Argentine government agency which directs and co-ordinates most of the scientific and technical research done in universities and institutes. History The National Scient ...
played a similar role for industry as a whole.


Petroleum

Frondizi's development of Argentina's sizable petroleum reserves was used to foster nationalism among voters as well as strengthen the economy. When Frondizi came into office in 1958, oil production had not grown significantly since the sometimes abusive
Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...
was forced out in the 1930s. As Argentina relied more on motor vehicles, oil imports drained the country in foreign exchange. How to achieve increased oil production was a contentious issue by the 1940s. The UCR (
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 ...
) favoured a state monopoly, believing it necessary to control the
oil reserves An oil is any chemical polarity, nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobe, hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilicity, lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable ...
. In the
Declaration of Avellaneda The Declaration of Avellaneda was the main platform of the intransigent movement inside the Argentine political party known as Radical Civic Union (''Unión Cívica Radical'', UCR). It was issued on April 4, 1945, in Avellaneda, province of Buenos A ...
(a common platform supported by Balbin's UCRP—his wing of the UCR—and Frondizi's UCRI), the state's need to invest in
oil exploration Hydrocarbon exploration (or oil and gas exploration) is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits, particularly petroleum and natural gas, in the Earth's crust using petroleum geology. Exploration methods V ...
and to make Argentina self-sufficient in the short term was expressed as policy. Frondizi encouraged foreign investment in the sectors that had created chronic trade deficits between 1949 and 1962. 90% of all foreign investment during his term went into oil exploration, oil refineries, the auto industry, steel, and household durables. Ten of the 25 largest projects were for exploration of new oil fields. The record public investment in the
petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...
sector led to a fivefold increase in
synthetic rubber A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About of rubber is produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubber, just like natural ru ...
production; by 1962, the production of crude oil tripled to 16 million cubic meters. Achieving self-sufficiency in oil freed hundreds of millions of dollars in annual import costs for Argentina. It helped create 13 years of nearly uninterrupted economic growth, particularly in industry.''"Homenage a Arturo Frondizi"''
, ''Cámara de Diputados de la Nación,'' 2007 ]


Labor policy

From 1957, elections were held in the unions, most of them winning Peronism. The unions had been grouped into three groups: the 62 Organizations (Peronists), the 32 Democratic Guilds (socialists and radicals) and the MUCS (communists). In 1958, through law 14 499, it was established that each retiree would automatically receive an equivalent of 82% of what they received when they worked. In October 1960, independent Peronist unions formed the Commission of 20 to demand the return of the General Confederation of Labour (Argentina), General Labor Confederation (CGT), which had been intervened by the government since the military coup in 1955. To pressure the government, the Commission of the 20 declared a general strike on November 7, which forced President Frondizi to receive them and finally agree on March 3, 1961, to return the CGT to the Commission of the 20.


Political challenges

As president, Frondizi struggled with conservative and military interference over much domestic and international policy. Because of economic problems in the country and a steep rise in consumer prices, the military forced him to impose harsh austerity measures in 1959, which resulted in civil unrest. Better able to maneuver after the 1959 recession, Frondizi began to see results from his economic policies (known as ''desarrollismo'' — "developmentalism"); by 1961, he earned the support of much of the country's large
middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...
. He tried to lift the electoral ban on
Peronism Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and movement based on the ideas, doctrine and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, P ...
. In addition, he met with
Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
and
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
to aid in mediating their dispute with the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. This led the
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
to withdraw their support from his administration, as it opposed leftist populist movements and
Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
. In this period, most Perónists feared being associated with left-wing figures, and sided with the military in their opposition to the left. Military pressure on Frondizi did not relent. He signed the Conintes Plan in 1960, which banned
Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
and suspended
civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...
, but he eschewed doing any implementation. Frondizi tried to negotiate an entente between the
U.S The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. and
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
with a secret meeting in August 1961 at the
Quinta de Olivos The Quinta presidencial de Olivos, also known as Quinta de Olivos, is an architectural landmark in the north side Buenos Aires suburb of Olivos and the official residence of the president of Argentina. It is one of the president's official reside ...
residence with the Cuban envoy (and fellow Argentine)
Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
. The military scuttled any future talks, and Frondizi adopted a neutral stance afterwards.


Educational policy

Following the university reform of 1918, Argentine education, especially at university level, became more independent of the government, as well as the influential
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. The church began to re-emerge in country's secular educational system during Perón's rule, when
catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
was reintroduced in public schools, and parochial institutions began receiving subsidies. A sudden reversal in the policy in 1954 helped lead to Perón's violent overthrow, however, after which his earlier, pro-clerical policies were reinstated by Aramburu.Esti Rein, Mónica. ''Politics and education in Argentina, 1946-1962''. M.E. Sharpe, 1998. Frondizi initially opposed Aramburu's Law 6403 of 1955, which advanced private education generally, and parochial, or more often, Catholic-run schools (those staffed with lay teachers), in particular. Confident the new policy would be upheld, church supporters founded the Argentine Catholic University. The UCRI campaigned against the policy, though when Frondizi took office, he shifted in favor of further, pro-clerical reforms, which he then referred to as "free education." Opposed by many in his own party, and especially by the President of the
University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...
(his brother, Risieri), Frondizi was open about his motivation for the policy change, declaring that "I need the support of the church." The Educational Freedom Law, signed in early 1959, also freed private universities from limits imposed by the 1885
Avellaneda Avellaneda (, ) is a port city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 342,677 as per the . Avellaneda is located within the Greater B ...
Law, under which they could not issue official degrees directly, only through a public university. The law led to controversy because most of the new universities and private schools, which would become eligible for state subsidies, were religious. Supporters applauded Frondizi's vision of private universities that could co-exist with public ones, and it was seen as a progressive measure. Those in favour of a strictly secular educational system believed the law to be a concession given to the Church in exchange for support, however, and became disillusioned with the pragmatic Frondizi. Frondizi, however, advanced other educational reforms to dovetail with his economic policy. His administration incorporated the National Workers' University network of campuses (
technical school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...
s inaugurated by Perón in 1948) into the
national university A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...
aegis, by which he established the UTN system in 1959, and opened numerous new campuses. The UTN became the leading alma mater for Argentine engineers in subsequent decades.


Cultural ferment

The opening to the world also took place in the cultural field, when certain cultural expressions that had been buried under
Peronism Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and movement based on the ideas, doctrine and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, P ...
flourished during the Frondizist period. Universities adopted new disciplines such as
sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
and
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
and those subjects surfaced in cinema, as in the films of
Leopoldo Torre Nilsson Leopoldo Torre Nilsson (5 May 1924 – 8 September 1978), also known as Leo Towers and as Babsy, was an cinema of Argentina, Argentine film director, producer and screenwriter. Born as Leopoldo Torres Nilsson (he later changed his paternal s ...
and
Fernando Ayala Fernando Ayala (2 July 1920 – 11 September 1997) was an Argentina, Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer of the classic era. He is widely considered one of the most important Argentine film directors and producers in the hi ...
, while independent theater popularized great contemporary authors, and the
Torcuato di Tella Institute The Torcuato di Tella Institute is a non-profit foundation organized for the promotion of Argentine culture. Overview 1959-1960 The Di Tella Foundation and its institute were created on July 22, 1958, the tenth anniversary of the death of indust ...
, created on July 22, 1958, began to disseminate the artistic avant-garde works that the State promoted through the National Arts Fund. Technological advances revolutionized popular entertainment media: one of the most notable was the Spika portable radio, which made it possible for people to instantly follow the exploits of the country's greatest athletes, such as race car driver
Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio (, ; 24 June 1911 – 17 July 1995) was an Argentine racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "el Chueco" and "el Maestro", Fangio won five Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and—at the ti ...
. Qué! magazine developed the American magazine format in Argentina; and the satirical weekly
Tía Vicenta ''Tía Vicenta'' ("Aunt Vicenta") was a satirical current events magazine published in Argentina between 1957 and 1966. Created by caricature artist Juan Carlos Colombres, aka "Landrú", ''Tía Vicenta'' became highly popular, being one of the most ...
revolutionized graphic humor in the country. Its creator, Juan Carlos Colombres (" Landrú"), was the first scriptwriter for
Tato Bores Mauricio Borensztein (27 April 1925 – 11 January 1996), known by the stage name Tato Bores, was an Argentine film, theatre and television comedian, who specialized in political humor. His ironic TV monologues, delivered at a fast pace, becam ...
, who introduced political humor to Argentine television.


International policy

Arturo Frondizi maintained a policy of good relations with foreign countries. The Frondizi presidency began in times of the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
and politics exterior embodied by the president sought to be at the service of a national strategy of economic development and integration. They were the beginnings of decolonization, sought to avoid conflicts even though they existed at a lower rank, within the blocks. The Frondizi government imagined the postwar world in competition economic and peaceful coexistence, factors that replaced the bloc strategy and containment. Against a majority political opinion, he dismissed a new world conflagration. Argentina's foreign policy should then serve a national development and integration strategy. The perimidated economic link with the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and the need to finance development led to the foreign policy will veer towards relocation within the continent. Frondizi becomes in more than one country the first
Argentine president The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under the national constitution, the president is also the chief executive of the federal gover ...
to set foot on these lands. He maintained strong relations with his
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
n peers, with the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, European countries and also Asian countries.


Latin America

While Arturo Frondizi formed his cabinet, he planned a tour of countries in Latin America, with the purpose of promoting bilateral relations. Between April 7–17, 1958, frondizi toured the cities of Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Santiago and Lima.


Beagle conflict

After the Snipe islet incident in the Beagle Channel, the governments of Argentina and Chile tried to make approaches to solve their border problems. On February 2, 1959, President Arturo Frondizi landed at Los Cerrillos Airport and signed, together with his Chilean counterpart Jorge Alessandri, the Joint Declaration on Arbitration in which both leaders agreed to "immediately enter into negotiations aimed at finding the right formulas appropriate arbitrations, which allow the resolution of existing disputes ". The two presidents had agreed to submit to arbitration by the British government (or in its absence the president of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation), the border dispute in the area of the Encuentro river and the valleys of Palena and California, while the Beagle dispute would be submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. A series of diplomatic protocols were signed with Chile in 1960, one of the protocols submitted the Paleina issue to arbitration, another was the Beagle Protocol, in addition to two Agreements: one for navigation through the southern channels and another for permanent arbitration. Presidents Frondizi and Alessandri met in Santiago, Santiago de Chile, where they made a Declaration on the "agreement that contains all the bases for the peaceful solution of pending boundary issues within the two countries" except Antarctica. It was in this agreement that the dispute in the Beagle Channel was intended to be submitted to the decision of the Inter-American Court of Justice in The Hague. On June 12, 1960, they met in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
the ambassadors of both countries to sign what became known as the Beagle Protocol and the Navigation Protocol, which allowed, among other things, the passage of Argentine warships through the channel and the Strait of Magellan, in addition, the treaty established limits precise, as for example, a border line that would run along the middle line of the canal leaving the canal divided for both countries. But the treaty like the Navigation Agreement were rejected by the congresses of both nations. Throughout his entire government, Frondizi had meetings with Latin American figures such as Juscelino Kubitschek, Jânio Quadros, Jorge Alessandri, Manuel Prado Ugarteche, Adolfo López Mateos, Víctor Paz Estenssoro, among others.


Europe

Throughout the year 1960, President Frondizi carried out a European tour in which he visited Italy, Vatican City, The Vatican, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Holland, Great Britain and Spain. Frondizi arrived in Rome where he was received by the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Gronchi. The Argentine president included a short stay in the city of his ancestors:
Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines. History Prehistory The ol ...
. Frondizi visited the pontiff Pope John XXIII, John XXIII in a private audience that, later, was shared by other members of the Argentine delegation. The Pope stated that the Argentina, born Catholic, sought to bring to the world a message of peace in which the values of the spirit will illuminate understanding among men. Frondizi visited Bern. Although the Swiss country did not maintain an intense movement trade with Argentina, however it was an opportunity to do business with Swiss industrialists. The Argentine president was received by Max Petitpierre, president of the Confederación, who hailed him as "the rebuilder of the economic stability of Argentina, the new liberal line that you adopted for the new Argentine economy has won the sympathy and trust of our authorities and those who support commercial relations with your country ". Frondizi arrived in France with knowledge of the discrepancy between the two countries in the United Nations Assembly, on Algeria. In the first interview between Frondizi and Charles de Gaulle, de Gaulle, he received him with his hand raised and a question: "How has your country voted in the United Nations against France?" Frondizi will responded: "my country cannot stop showing solidarity with the peoples who fight for theirself-determination ", and added" we learned it from the influence of the French Revolution ". The Argentine president arrived in Brussels, where he received a "warm reception"; in the speeches the reference to José de San Martín was present, for his residence during some of his years of exile. It was the first time that a president Argentinean visited this country which ranked third in European exports to the Argentina. The Argentine president visited the port of Antwerp and took the opportunity to make contact with businessmen and authorities of the Chamber of Commerce of that city. Jacques Van Offelen, Jacques van Offelen, Minister of Foreign Trade, was present at the press meeting given by the Argentine president. Frondizi in Bonn and Bad Godesberg, Bethovenian cities, exalted the German contributions to universal culture. He also visited Cologne, where he met with businessmen, and Essen, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia located in the heart of the industrial region of the Rhur basin, center of the German steel industry. The Argentine president was received by Konrad Adenauer, Adenauer, who was accompanied by his finance minister Ludwig Erhard. At the meal offered by Chancellor Adenauer to Frondizi, he called him "a friend of our country "and praised the skill with which he kept the helm:" we continue with interest in the development of
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
". The Argentine president arrived in Amsterdam, where he was received by members of the royal family: Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, Juliana and Prince Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Bernhard. The Dutch press had greeted to the president who came with favorable headlines. Queen Juliana entertained Frondizi with a meal in which she recalled the cordiality with which Prince Bernhard had been received, on the occasion of attending the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Argentine independence. He stressed: "isolation is no longer of our era." Frondizi arrived in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, in a trip that aroused great expectations, Upon his arrival he was received by the Prime Minister English Harold Macmillan; complied with the protocol for visiting Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II, the imposition of the decorations and, immediately afterwards, a meeting awaited him press at the Argentine embassy. In the two interviews with Mac Millan, the Argentine president expressed his hope that Britain would use its influence to channel investment into Argentina. The Argentine president raised the possibility that Argentina could be part of the OECE or, at least, have an observer, since in it Latin America it must have his voice. Spain could not be absent from the European tour of the Argentine president, who was hailed as "professor of humanism." He was received by General Francisco Franco, remembering the community of language, religion and culture that united both peoples. In the official interview, Frondizi was awarded the Order of Isabella the Catholic, Order of Isabel la Catholica and, in turn, imposed on the head of the Spanish government that of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín, Liberator General San Martin. The two leaders held an interview behind closed doors.


United States and Cuba

Arturo Frondizi was the first
Argentine president The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under the national constitution, the president is also the chief executive of the federal gover ...
to make an official visit to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. He was there from January 19 to February 1, 1959. Frondizi met with Eisenhower on January 22 at the White House. The Argentine President would once again highlight the achievements of having been in office for a year, and reiterated that Argentina would need credits for hydroelectric power and producing steel. Then he mentioned the Peruvian-Ecuadorian border conflict, everyone present agreed that the solution to the conflict would be of great importance for the entire continent. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Eisenhower then told Frondizi that members of his administration were watching the progress made in Argentina, and they admired the president's courage and leadership. During a speech before the OAS Frondizi denounced the deterioration of the terms of trade in the region and supported the Pan-American Operation of President Juscelino Kubitschek, whose goal was the development and formation of capital in Latin America. The president Dwight D. Eisenhower, Eisenhower visited Argentina in February 1960. Both leaders issued the "Declaration of Bariloche" (a treaty on the protection of national parks), with the intention of promoting a better standard of living for the American countries. Presidents Arturo Frondizi and
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
came to have a good personal relationship and even mutual consultation on international issues. Although both had similar positions politically and economically, they defined certain aspects of security in the hemisphere. On the one hand, Kennedy encouraged the Alliance for Progress to counter Cuban influence in order to help underdeveloped countries and favored democratic change in
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
. However, his administration endorsed a security policy with characteristics opposed to the foreign policy of the Frondizi government, and precisely in February 1962 he delivered a message to the country in which he defended the principle of non-intervention and the right of self-determination of the peoples. John F. Kennedy, Kennedy wanted Argentina to be the mediator between the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
in the conflict of the "Cuban Missile Crisis, missile crisis", since these two countries were experiencing a very serious confrontation motivated by the fear of the United States that Cuba could have weapons at its disposal nuclear weapons coming from the Soviet Union pointing towards its territory. Hence, at the request of the US president, a meeting between Frondizi and Che Guevara, Ernesto Guevara was encouraged to discuss the thorny issue in addition to trying to direct relations between the two countries after the Americans failed to invade the island. from Cuba. Thus Frondizi tried to approach as a mediator between both sides in a neutral way, but, due to military pressure, on February 8, 1962, he would be forced to break relations with Havana, La Havana. Four months after the revolution in 1959, Cuba was still part of the Organization of American States (OAS), the island had not yet declared itself a socialist, and the figure of
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
was even sympathetic to some sectors that would later revile him. On May 1, he arrived at the Ezeiza Airport, and Hermes Quijada was the first to welcome him on behalf of President Arturo Frondizi. He immediately arrived in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, and the following day he gave a famous ninety-minute speech before the Commission of the 21 of the OAS in the building of the Secretariat of Industry, in his speech praised the American democracy, which had welcomed Latin American immigrants with decorum. A group of protesters received the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Cuban revolution. The visit was not welcomed by the Argentine military. During the OAS Conference, meeting in Punta del Este in January 1961, Argentine Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Cárcano opposed the exclusion of Cuba from the inter-American system. After the conference, Frondizi received Ernesto Guevara, Argentine representative from Cuba, at the Olivos residence. Of the four possible mediators, Arturo Frondizi argued in favor of Argentina, due to its balance in foreign policy (Brazil and Mexico were closer to third-partyism) and due to the lack of a deep internal contradiction (Chile had a conservative government with opposition Communism, communist). In the first polls, both John F. Kennedy, John Kennedy and the Cubans were willing to accept that basis for the talks: Frondizi came very close to achieving a great diplomatic solution, but did not take into account the inconveniences he would encounter on his home front. Preliminary talks were held at the Cuban Embassy in Buenos Aires. Someone who did not belong to the diplomatic service, but who was linked to the Frondizi team, contacted Che Guevara, Ernesto Guevara at that time (1961) and let the Argentine president know that the Cuban minister accepted his mediation to try to find a negotiated solution. At the same time, some Argentines such as Horacio Rodriguez Larreta (father) met with Guevara in Punta del Este and participated in the famous meeting he held with Richard Goodwin, an advisor to President Kennedy. After that conference, Guevara let Frondizi know that he was interested in talking with him. At that time, Guevara agreed to reach an understanding with the United States to coexist peacefully. When Che Guevara, Guevara told Frondizi that he wanted to speak with him and that he was willing to travel to Argentina, he also added that if the news of his visit to Argentina was publicly known, his life was at great risk, and that it would most likely be murdered. Frondizi replied schematically: first, that he was preparing to receive him and considered the interview convenient; second, that if he was determined to travel, he should go to Carrasco International Airport, Montevideo Airport (Guevara was in Punta del Este): from that moment on, he would be under the responsibility of the Argentine government. Guevara accepted and Frondizi sent a civilian plane from
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
to the Montevideo, Uruguayan capital. The meeting between President Arturo Frondizi and Che Guevara, Ernesto Guevara caused Adolfo Mugica to resign twenty days later from his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship on August 29, 1961. Frondizi's attitude towards the
Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
of 1959, along with the visit of Fidel Castro and Ernesto Guevara ended up weakening the government's relationship with the military power, even more than it already was. The army formally protested these meetings with Cuban leaders, and pressured the president to change his policy with respect to
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. Cuban exiles in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
tried to forge documents with the intention of implicating members of the Government in an alleged Castro plot. Frondizi ordered an investigation, and even the army's own report, the famous case of the "Cuban letters," was nothing more than a lie. Frondizi gave a speech on the national network to try to provide explanations.


Asia

During a tour of India, Thailand, and Japan, President Frondizi met Rajendra Prasad, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX and Emperor Hirohito. The objective was to seek new markets, in response to Argentina's imperative need to trade and obtain investments, a key to the program development and trade cooperation. One of the objectives sought with these meetings was to reinforce Argentina's non-aligned international position in the face of the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
.


Israel: kidnapping of Adolf Eichmann

At the end of 1952, the fugitive Nazism, Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann had been located in Argentina thanks to information provided by a friend of the Austrians, Austrian Nazi hunter of Jews, Jewish origin Simon Wiesenthal. Given the difficulty that Israel could obtain the extradition of Eichmann by Argentina (with the consequent danger that the criminal would flee), the Israeli secret services of Mosad designed the kidnapping of the wanted Nazi criminal with the firm support of Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, David Ben Gurion, thus violating consular assistance treaties and Argentine national sovereignty. Finally, on May 11, 1960, Eichmann was kidnapped in the middle of the street, getting him into a private car when he was getting off the bus to return home from work. Later, the four men of the Israeli Secret Service transferred him on May 20 from Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires to Israel in a private plane, with another identity and pretending that he was drunk. Faced with this kidnapping, the Foreign Ministry, through Ambassador Mario Amadeo, complained to the United Nations Security Council for the serious violation of sovereignty. It received support from the international body, but Israel never intended to return the Nazi criminal to Argentina. Diplomats from the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, Great Britain and France tried to formalize a meeting between President Arturo Frondizi and David Ben-Gurion, David Ben Gurion so that both would seek a solution to the Eichmann case, and that diplomatic relations between Argentina and Israel would not be broken as a result. After several contacts, it was agreed that the meeting between the two leaders would be held in Brussels in June 1960, finally frustrating such meeting due to misgivings between the diplomacy of both countries. Ultimately, Frondizi severed diplomatic relations with Israel, relations that had recently been established by President
Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...
. A short time later, Frondizi re-established ties with Israel. On December 11, 1961, Adolf Eichmann was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death on December 15, carried out on May 31, 1962. His last words were: "Long live Germany. Long live Austria. Long live Argentina. These are the countries that I identify with the most and I will never forget them. I had to obey the rules of war and those of my flag. I'm ready ".


Antarctic Treaty

The Antarctic Conference was inaugurated in Washington, D.C., United States on October 15, 1959, in an atmosphere of uncertainty, attended by representatives of twelve states, of which seven claimed their sovereignty over some fraction of the Antarctica, Antarctic continent, among which were : Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Norway, New Zealand, and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The territorial rights claimed by Argentina, Chile, and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
overlapped considerably. Meanwhile, five other countries (Belgium, the United States, Japan, South Africa and the Soviet Union) had carried out explorations in the region without having presented territorial claims. There were aspects of the future regulation for Antarctica that had the general consensus of the nations, such as the pacification of the continent and excluding all activities of a warlike nature, as well as guaranteed access for scientific research for any country that desired to do so. The most complex problem was the consideration of sovereignty claims. Argentina's position was to establish the peaceful use of Antarctica and scientific cooperation within agreed limits, and that the Conference not modify the rights of the parties in the least. Regarding the use of the territory, the Argentine Government maintained the need to put limits on absolute freedom, in order to preserve ecological interests, and to prohibit nuclear tests and the deposit of radioactive waste. The last proposal took the US delegation as well as the Soviet one by surprise, and the Argentine insistence on it came close to causing a crisis in the meeting, not only internationally, but also within the government of Arturo Frondizi. The treaty was finally signed on December 1, 1959, and was maintained in accordance with the demands of Argentina that activities of a military nature had to be outlawed. The Antarctic Treaty entered into force on June 23, 1961. The pact had some success since the area remained free of conflict. The council also succeeded in internationalizing and demilitarizing the Antarctica, Antarctic continent, where nuclear testing and storing radioactive waste were banned. During the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
these activities were carried out with great intensity by the belligerent powers. It was ensured that the region is used for peaceful purposes, including mainly joint exploration and scientific research. The signatory countries obtained free access to the entire region with reciprocal rights to inspect their facilities. In his speech on May 1, 1960, Frondizi dedicated a paragraph to the Conference on Antarctica, stating that Argentina had been able to include in the treaty its opposition to the internationalization of the area. The principles of freedom and scientific cooperation had also been included in the treaty. After signing the treaty, Frondizi visited Antarctica. On March 6, 1961, he embarked, along with his entourage, in the Aguirre Bay to go to the Deception Station, Decepción base (Deception Island, Decepción Island). The outward journey was somewhat uncomfortable, as they had to endure severe storms at the crossing of Drake Pass. On March 8 in the afternoon, they anchored in Bahía 1º de Mayo, and then with the icebreaker José de San Martín, General San Martín the first tributes were paid to the authorities who disembarked, being transferred by helicopters and boats to the detachment where the honors were repeated. The military vicar Donamin held a mass, and from there Frondizi gave a speech to the country and greeted the members of the National Navy, researchers, scientists and technicians.


Overthrow

Around 4:00 in the morning, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army Poggi sent a radiogram to all the military units communicating: ''The President of the Republic has been deposed by the Armed Forces. This decision is immovable.'' At 7:45 a.m. on March 29, 1962, Frondizi left the Olivos residence by car accompanied by his usual personal custody and by Captain Eduardo Lockhart, Head of the Military House, heading to the distant Metropolitan Airport a few minutes from trip, where he boarded a Navy plane that took him to Martín García Island where he was detained. Lockhart had personally drawn up the instructions to be delivered to the head of the base - who had already been notified by telegraph of the trip - so that he would receive treatment according to his status as former president. After ordering the overthrow of Frondizi at 4:30 in the morning, the coup plotters remained without defining who would take over the government. Just at 11:00 am, "with the presidential office vacant for almost eight hours," the three commanders held the first of many other meetings to evaluate the alternatives. But Frondizi, aware that he did not have much time left in government, idealized a plan.


Frondizi's plan

Since the previous day, a group of civilians and soldiers had been moving against the clock and in the midst of great difficulties, to carry out Frondizi's latest plan, destined to save what could be legally, making José María Guido, Guido swear before the Supreme Court, under of the law of acephalia. The difficulties to carry out Frondizi's plan were many. Guido had no direct contact with Frondizi and his loyalty to the President prevented him from making any decision that Frondizi had not ordered. Martínez, for his part, did not belong to the
UCRI The Intransigent Radical Civic Union (, UCRI) was a political party of Argentina. The UCRI developed from the centrist Radical Civic Union (UCR) in 1956, following a split at the party's convention in Tucumán between the UCR's progressive factio ...
, he had assumed as Minister two days ago on the recommendation of Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, Aramburu and did not even know Guido personally. For that, Guido himself, the members of the Supreme Court, the coup commanders and the leaders of the
UCRI The Intransigent Radical Civic Union (, UCRI) was a political party of Argentina. The UCRI developed from the centrist Radical Civic Union (UCR) in 1956, following a split at the party's convention in Tucumán between the UCR's progressive factio ...
had to be convinced. Potash says that four men played the most important roles in this operation: Defense Minister Rodolfo Martínez, Supreme Court President Julio Oyhanarte, Air Force Commander-in-Chief and one of the coup leaders Brigadier Cayo Alsina, and himself Arturo Frondizi.


Guido's oath before the Supreme Court

At 3:55 p.m., when the formalities for Guido's oath before the Supreme Court were still being completed, the three coup leaders settled in the Casa Rosada. Aware of the fact and with Guido on his way to court, Martínez went to the Casa Rosada to buy time and prevent the military from formally taking over the government, especially Poggi, who showed a clear intention to assume as president. Shortly after five o'clock in the afternoon, Guido appeared at the Supreme Court to take the oath, visibly shaken. The oath was carried out in the utmost reserve, with the sole presence of the judges of the Court, Guido, and his private secretary. Minister Martínez had asked General Aramburu to join the small group, but Aramburu did not accept. Tradition indicated that the oath was taken on the Bible, but due to the urgency and the lack of a Bible in the offices of the Court, the decision was made to take the oath on the text of the Constitution. Immediately afterwards Guido burst into tears and embraced Oyhanarte, asking that he not be considered a "traitor to his party or the people." Villegas Basavilbaso for his part said - expressing his objections -: "We can say, like Cicero, that we have saved the Republic by violating the law." It was Colombres who replied: "Cicero is wrong, because whoever saves the Republic can never be breaking a law."


Later life

Frondizi was held in detention until July 1963. After his release and the return of Frigerio from exile, they founded the Integration and Development Movement (MID) on a developmentalism, developmentalist platform. Unable to field candidates in the 1963 Argentine general election, 1963 elections due to military and conservative opposition, the MID and Perón agreed on a "National Popular Front." The alliance was scuttled by military pressure, and the MID endorsed a "blank vote" option. Those among Frondizi's former allies who objected to this move backed the progressive former Buenos Aires Province Governor,
Oscar Alende Oscar Eduardo Alende (6 July 1909 – 22 December 1996) was an Argentine politician who founded the Intransigent Party. Alende was born in Maipú, Buenos Aires Province. He studied medicine at the University of La Plata, where he led the st ...
, an erstwhile Frondizi ally who ran on the UCRI ticket (its last) and finished second. Following the pragmatic Arturo Illia's election, the MID was allowed to participate in the 1965 Argentine legislative election, 1965 legislative elections, sending 16 members to the
Argentine Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies (), officially the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation, is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress (). It is made up of 257 national deputies who are elected in multi-member constituencies c ...
. Policy differences over Frondizi-era oil contracts, which Illia rescinded, led the MID to oppose him actively. Frondizi initially welcomed the 1966 coup against Illia. Frigerio became a significant shareholder in Argentina's largest news daily, Clarín (Argentine newspaper), ''Clarín'', following a 1971 deal made with the news daily's owner, Ernestina Herrera de Noble. Her late husband and ''Clarín'' founder Roberto Noble had supported Frondizi. With Perón's return from exile imminent, Frondizi chose to endorse the aging leader's ticket for the March 1973 Argentine general election, 1973 elections. Following seven years of military rule, the reopened Argentine Congress included 12 MID Deputies. Frondizi was given little say in the new Perónist government, and its policy shifted from populism to erratic crisis management measures. The return of peronism exacerbated political tensions in Argentina, and there was an outbreak of violence between factions. In 1973, members of Perón's government organized the Triple A, a right-wing death squad. Among its estimated 600 murder victims was Frondizi's brother, Law Professor Silvio Frondizi, who had served as chief counsel to the Trotskyite, Trotskyist Workers' Revolutionary Party (Argentina), ERP. He was killed in 1974. Frondizi initially supported the 1976 coup against Perón's successor (his inexperienced widow Isabel Perón). He dropped his early support for the regime because it appointed an ultra-conservative Economy Minister, José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz. Numerous MID figures received death threats. The dictatorship conducted the Dirty War against the political opposition, killing and injuring tens of thousands of political opponents and distantly related suspects in terrorist Forcibly disappeared, disappearances, kidnappings and tortures. In 1982 it was defeated in the
Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
, which further damaged its popular support. Finally the junta allowed return to democracy with 1983 Argentine general election, elections in 1983. The dictatorship left an insolvent Argentina; business, political and consumer confidence almost shattered; and international prestige damaged because of its years of state terrorism against its population. Suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's disease, Frondizi named his friend, Frigerio, the MID nominee for president. Refusing to condemn the regime's Dirty War, human rights atrocities, the MID fared poorly on election night. It garnered 4th place (1.5%) and elected no congressmen. Elected by an ample margin, UCR leader
Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (; 12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after the 7-yea ...
excluded Frondizi from the economic policy discussions he held before taking office. In 1986 Frigerio succeeded the ailing Frondizi as President of the MID, though the former president remained influential in the party. The MID maintained a considerable following in a number of the less developed Argentine provinces, where voters had fond memories of the Frondizi administration's development projects. It helped elect allies within the Justicialist Party (Peronists), in Formosa Province, Formosa and Misiones Provinces, as well as Mayoral candidate Néstor Kirchner in Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz Province (Argentina), Santa Cruz Province; Kirchner was elected as governor and, in 2003, President of Argentina. Frondizi supported Peronist candidate Carlos Menem in the 1989 Argentine general election, May 1989 elections. His support soured when Menem turned to neo-liberal and free trade policies.


Personal life and death

Frondizi lost his daughter in 1976, and his wife in 1991. Living in seclusion in his Beruti Street apartment (in Buenos Aires' Barrio Norte, Buenos Aires, northside), Frondizi occasionally received political figures seeking advice. On April 18, 1995, Arturo Frondizi died at the age of 86 at the Italian Hospital in the city of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
for unknown causes. His death went so unnoticed that to this day it is very difficult to find out the exact cause of it. In 2019 his remains, which rested in the La Recoleta Cemetery, Recoleta Cemetery, were transferred to the
Concepción del Uruguay Concepción del Uruguay is a city in Argentina. It is located in the Entre Ríos province, on the western shore of the Uruguay River, some 320 kilometers north from Buenos Aires. Its population is about 80,000 inhabitants (). History The city ...
. Three years after his death, in 1998, the Konex Foundation awarded the memory of the former president with the decoration of honor.


Theft of the presidential sash and stick

On April 3, 2008, almost one hundred years after his birth, and the Casa Rosada museum was being remodeled since January of that year, an employee noticed that the cane and the presidential sash that Frondizi had donated seventeen years earlier to the museum were missing. . No explanations were found for this fact, since there were four security cameras around the museum sector, and to enter it you had to leave a fingerprint, but, apparently, no progress was made in the investigation of this case.


Tribute and legacy

Arturo Frondizi is recognized not only as a lucid and effective politician, but as a statesman, that is, a politician capable of looking beyond the routines of the situation, a consideration that surely includes more or less critical nuances, but with its lights and shadows even his most bitter opponents ponder him. In 1958 Frondizi set out to think the nation in tune with the theoretical and political categories that he considered more modern. Sixty years later Frondizi won its place in history and
developmentalism Developmentalism is an economic theory which states that the best way for less developed economies to develop is through fostering a strong and varied internal market and imposing high tariffs on imported goods. Developmentalism is a cross-disci ...
continues to be one of the most interesting and suggestive proposals when it comes to thinking about the national destiny. Dr. Arturo Frondizi was the democratic president of the Argentines between 1958 and 1962. His prestige, based on personal and political values, has grown over time. He was an intellectual "borrowed" from politics and a builder of examples, prosperity and wealth for his country and his people. He lived with austerity and died surrounded by the affection and recognition of a grateful society. Increasingly, Argentine democracy and Argentines exalt his figure and serve as a role model of the politician with ethical, civic conduct and as a public servant. On Friday, October 28, 1999, a plaque with the name of the former Argentine president was discovered in a square in the Gubbio, city of Gubbio, in the Italian region of Umbria where Frondizi's parents were born, on the occasion of the anniversary of his birth. The mayor of the city, Ubaldo Corazzi and the president of the local Rotary Club, Gaetano Nardelli, represented the Italian officials. On behalf of Argentina, the ambassador to Italy, Félix Borgonovo; the Minister of Education, Manuel García Solá; the head of the Arturo Frondizi Foundation, Dr. Cañete and the former minister and official of the Frondizi government, Antonio Salonia. This is how this square in Gubbio was named «Piazza Arturo Frondizi». Argentine politicians such as Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Cristina and Néstor Kirchner, Roberto Lavagna, Ricardo López Murphy and Eduardo Duhalde (among others), claimed to be admirers of Arturo Frondizi's management, regardless of their ideology or political party. Many of them considered him one of the best leaders, and also, as the last president with a country project. Ten years after his death, a tribute was paid at the central headquarters of Banco Nación, on Avenida Rivadavia, Rivadavia Avenue, in front of the Casa Rosada, where more than one hundred and fifty friends and great followers of him gathered. Frondizi was a great defender of democracy. Through his permanent developmentist affirmation, ''he opened a path that Argentines must necessarily travel'', said Raúl Alfonsín, who praised Frondizi in this way despite the fact that they had both belonged to different lines of radicalism, which were very much at odds at that time. The tribute lasted all that day. On March 6, 2008, the Legislature of the Buenos Aires, City of Buenos Aires renamed the 9 de Julio Sur Highway with the new name of Autopista Presidente Arturo Frondizi in homage to the former Argentine president. By municipal ordinance 5465 of October 7, 2008, the name of "President Arturo Frondizi" was imposed on the Junín Industrial Park in homage to the contribution that the ex-president made to the national industry. The corresponding act was carried out on November 7, 2009. On June 22, 2008, the official courier presented a stamp with the slogan "Arturo Frondizi - 100 years after his birth - 50 years since he became president of the Nation" in the Blue Room of the Palace of the National Congress. On the stamp you can see the face of the former president, and next to it, some oil extraction pumps, all with a light sky blue background. On October 28, 2008, a statue in homage to the former president was erected in a square that bears his name in
Paso de los Libres Paso de los Libres is a city in the east of the province of Corrientes in the Argentine Mesopotamia. It had about 44,000 inhabitants at the , and is the head town of the department of the same name. The city is on the right-hand (western) shore ...
. On April 3, 2009, the Argentine Government ordered the issuance of a coin with the image of Arturo Frondizi, in commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of his birth and the fiftieth anniversary of his assumption as President of Argentina, president of the Argentine Nation. The measure was made official on March 4, 2009, in Law 26,479, published in the Official Gazette. The regulation bears the signature of Vice President Julio Cobos, that of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Fellner and that of Parliamentary Secretary Enrique Hidalgo. On September 29, 2010, the councilors unanimously approved the draft ordinance to name "President Arturo Frondizi" to the La Carlota industrial park. The councilors participated in the Honorable Deliberative Council on September 29. The Justicialist Party, Justicialista Party supported the project, as did the Union of the Democratic Centre (Argentina), UCEDE. Radicalism was not present, although Vice President Roberto Gadea stated that: «the important thing is the Industrial Park, therefore, the name is fine; so we also support this agreement. Frondizi also received an extensive list of decorations and recognitions both nationally and internationally.


Honours


Decorations


Honorary doctorates

* : University of Ottawa, 1961 * : National University of San Marcos, University of San Marcos, 1958 * Hawaii: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawái, 1961 * : University of Perugia, 1960 * : Waseda University, 1961 * : Complutense University of Madrid, University of Madrid, 1960 * : Thammasat University, 1961 * : Fordham University, 1959


Awards and distinction

* : Konex Award, Konex of honour, 1998 * : Key to the Tokyo, city of tokyo, 1960 * : Key to the Madrid, city of madrid, 1960 * : Uruguayan Parliamentary Distinction, 1958


Notes

# The economic plan was known as Developmentalism. Basically, it consisted in achieving industrialization through foreign investment. This idea came originally from Raul Prebisch from the CEPAL (Economic Commission for Latin America) and was modified by Rogelio Frigerio, the right hand of Frondizi. # The government created both departments under the orbit of the "Secretary of socio-economic relations" (controlled by Frigerio) on the 21 of July 1958 #320 million of a total of 1310 million of the imports went into oil: Celia Szusterman, Frondizi: La política del desconcierto, emecé, Buenos Aires, 1998


Bibliography

* Potash, Robert A. ''The Army & Politics in Argentina: 1945-1962; Peron to Frondizi'' (Stanford University Press, 1969). * Szusterman, Celia. '' Frondizi and the Politics of Developmentalism in Argentina, 1955—62'' (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1993), * Belenky, Silvia. ''Frondizi y su tiempo''. Buenos Aires: Centro Editor de Latinoamerica, 1984. * Díaz, Fanor. ''Conversaciones con Rogelio Frigerio''. Buenos Aires: Editorial Hachette, 1977. * Frigerio, Rogelio. ''Los cuatro años (1958–1962)''. Buenos Aires: Editorial Concordia, 1962. * Frigerio, Rogelio. ''Diez años de la crisis argentina''. Buenos Aires: Editorial Planeta, 1983. * Frondizi, Arturo. ''Qué es el Movimiento de Integración y Desarollo''. Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana, 1983.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frondizi, Arturo 1908 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Argentine lawyers 20th-century presidents of Argentina Argentine people of Italian descent Argentine prisoners and detainees Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Heads of government who were later imprisoned Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Integration and Development Movement politicians Intransigent Radical Civic Union politicians Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Buenos Aires Leaders ousted by a coup People from Paso de los Libres Presidents of Argentina Radical Civic Union politicians University of Buenos Aires alumni