Australia and the World Past and Present

There was a certain symmetry to the careers of Spain’s Francisco Franco and Argentina’s Juan Perón.

Franco was in power between 1939 and 1975. Perón served as President between 1946 and 1955, then from 1973-1974.

Both Perón and Franco were military men.

Both shared a a certain ideological affinity.

Both had authoritarian tendencies.

Perón had been a military attaché in Mussolini’s Italy during the 1930s. Many parts of Europe at this time were undergoing experiments with state corporatism.

Many countries had gone through significant change at the beginning of the 20th century. Democratic systems of government were expanding across Europe and there was an explosion of political parties.

A move towards Republicanism was another major trend at this time.

The opening up of the political space to the more liberal or radical influences was often accompanied with greater instability. This was certainly the case in countries such as Portugal in the early part of the 20th century.

Economic stability was not assured either.

The Catholic religion was coming under attack.

Democratic change was often perceived to be synonymous with chaos, political infighting, pettiness and instability. It is not entirely unsurprising that military men looked at what was happening in their own countries and wondered if the civic powers had lost the plot. They began to wonder if they needed to step in to save their countries from the squabbling politicians. In a way, the authoritarian leaders that emerged in the 1930s can be seen as a reaction to the instability of the early 20th century.

Spain was officially neutral during WWII. A deepening of Spain’s relationship with Argentina after the war was way for Franco to develop stronger relationships with other countries.

Perón wanted to expand Argentina’s influence abroad. If Argentina had a strong relationship with Spain, it could elevate Perón’s influence within the Hispanic world.

When Perón was overthrown in a coup in the 1950s, he sought exile in Spain. Franco didn’t stop Perón from being politically active while he was in Spain. Nevertheless, the two did not have a particularly deep personal connection.

Peron and Franco had many similarities. They were born at a similar stage in world history. They were born only 3 years apart. They both passed away in the mid 1970s – just 1 year apart.

Both men began their careers in the army and made the transition to politics. Argentina had stayed neutral in WWII and benefited from trading with both sides. Perón was overthrown by the military but Franco never was.