1976 Military Dictatorship by Jorge Rafael Videla (The Dirty War)

Starting in 1976, seven years of a brutal military dictatorship led by General Jorge Rafael Videla proceeded. In Argentina, this government was known as los militares or “the military.” Jorge Rafael Videla, who Isabel Peron appointed commander-in-chief of the Argentine army, was a right winged, narrow-minded political leader. The goal of Videla was to reestablish social order with his “National Reorganization Process,” and in doing so, upwards of 30,000 Argentineans “disappeared” from the streets and their homes. 

Those who disappeared (known as los desaparecidos or translated “the disappeared”) were mostly middle class intellectuals with left-wing ideals and sympathies. Since trials were not necessary in this time to convict someone, the government had the power to arrest anyone that did not support the regime. Political leaders, teachers, some priests, lawyers, and journalists were among those arrested.

During what was named the “Dirty War,” Argentineans were kidnapped, raped, tortured, and/or murdered. Some newborn babies were taken from their unwilling parents and given to adoptive military families instead.

Many were drugged to death or pushed out of small planes over the Rio de la Plata to drown, while others were taken to detention centers in far and remote areas of Argentina where they were blindfolded and tortured. The dictatorship even bombed foreign buildings, such as the Sheraton Hotel.

Military General Leopoldo Galtieri became president in 1981; however, he lost control of the country quickly. For the next two years, the military rule under Galtieri disintegrated due to an economic recession, the embarrassing defeat by the United Kingdom in the Falkland Islands War (see The Falkland Islands section of Other Important Regions of Argentina), and overall incompetence.

In 1983, Raul Alfonsin became president in a fair election. Today there is still tension and disagreement over whether the military leaders should or should not be charged with violating human rights during that time.

tags: dictatorship ·