History

History

Buenos Aires was officially established in 1580, though settlements in the area were first documented in 1536. The port-city’s location on the Rio de la Plata allowed for much trade; however, under Spanish rule Argentineans could only ship goods to Spain. At first, many of these goods such as cowhides or cereals had to go through Lima before 1776 when Spain implemented a viceroy in the Rio de la Plata region. Trade through Peru created an inefficient process for merchants and as Argentine commodities expanded and grew to be quite popular, Argentineans started exporting goods illegally to Brazil and the Caribbean with the help of British funds by the early 1700s. In 1806 and 1807, the United Kingdom attempted to invade Buenos Aires to profit from all of the trade and goods of the city, but was defeated by Spanish forces in 1806, and Argentine militias in 1807. On May 25, 1810, Buenos Aires declared their independence from Spain, and then became fully independent along with the rest of Argentina in 1816. In 1853, Buenos Aires Province seceded from Argentina, only to be reunified with Argentina in 1880 when Buenos Aires was named the capital.

Trade and exports continued to be the main source of income for Buenos Aires and by the 1880s, the city was one of the richest in the world. In the early 1900s, Argentina was ranked twelfth in the world in terms of wealth with a GDP per capita of $2,756 USD. Today, Argentina has a GDP of $5,472 USD GDP per capita. In 1900, the GDP per capita for the United States was $4,096 USD and today is $44,155 USD (both http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_gdp-economy-gdp). Buenos Aires initiated lots of new construction during the early 1900s including mansions, wide cobblestone streets, and luxurious hotels during these economically prosperous times. The bejeweled Teatro Colon opened in 1908. Massive immigration started then as well and the population skyrocketed. Many immigrants, mostly from Italy, Spain, and Germany, worked in factories thereby fueling industry (see Italian Influence section in Argentine Culture). During the First World War, Argentina continued exporting agricultural goods to Europe and other parts of world. Though this brought in lots of money, not everyone shared in the wealth. Many factory workers went on strike, only to have the military retaliate. Argentina and Buenos Aires soon resigned from their golden years.

As the capital city, Buenos Aires saw many other protests against governmental and societal issues as well as the consequences first-hand of new governments trying to claim rule throughout the twentieth century. For example, after Peron’s first presidency that ended in 1955, a military coup took over and initiated their occupation by bombing the Plaza de Mayo and killing 364 people—a sad event referred to as the Bombardeo de la Plaza de Mayo (“Plaza de Mayo Bombing”) or Masacre de Plaza de Mayo (“Plaza de Mayo Massacre”). In 1974, many communist rebels protested against the second Peron government in riots, killing some civilians. During the economic collapse in 2001, many protesters took to the streets of Buenos Aires, angry that government could not curb inflation and increase the employment rate. 

Today, though inflation is still an evident problem, Buenos Aires thrives as a cosmopolitan city.

tags: buenos aires ·