National Reorganization Process
Main articles: National Reorganization Process and Dirty War
The "first military junta"—Admiral Emilio Massera, Lieutenant General Jorge Videla and Brigadier
General Orlando Agosti (from left to right)—observing the Independence Day military parade on
Avenida del Libertador, 9 July 1978
The "Dirty War" (Spanish: Guerra Sucia) was part of Operation Condor, which included
the participation of other right-wing dictatorships in the Southern Cone. The Dirty War
involved state terrorism in Argentina and elsewhere in the Southern Cone against
political dissidents, with military and security forces employing urban and rural violence
against left-wing guerrillas, political dissidents, and anyone believed to be associated
with socialism or somehow contrary to the neoliberal economic policies of the
[97][98][99]
regime. Victims of the violence in Argentina alone included an estimated
15,000 to 30,000 left-wing activists and militants, including trade unionists, students,
[100]
journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas, and alleged sympathizers. Most of the
victims were casualties of state terrorism. The opposing guerrillas' victims numbered
[101] [102]
nearly 500–540 military and police officials and up to 230 civilians. Argentina
received technical support and military aid from the United States government during
the Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations.
The exact chronology of the repression is still debated, yet the roots of the long political
war may have started in 1969 when trade unionists were targeted for assassination by
Peronist and Marxist paramilitaries. Individual cases of state-sponsored terrorism
against Peronism and the left can be traced back even further to the Bombing of Plaza
de Mayo in 1955. The Trelew massacre of 1972, the actions of the Argentine
Anticommunist Alliance commencing in 1973, and Isabel Perón's "annihilation decrees"
against left-wing guerrillas during Operativo Independencia (Operation Independence)
[F]
in 1975, are also possible events signaling the beginning of the Dirty War.
Onganía shut down Congress, banned all political parties, and dismantled student and
worker unions. In 1969, popular discontent led to two massive protests: the Cordobazo
and the Rosariazo. The terrorist guerrilla organization Montoneros kidnapped and
[106]
executed Aramburu. The newly chosen head of government, Alejandro Agustín
Lanusse, seeking to ease the growing political pressure, allowed Héctor José Cámpora
to become the Peronist candidate instead of Perón. Cámpora won the March 1973
election, issued pardons for condemned guerrilla members, and then secured Perón's
[107]
return from his exile in Spain.
Argentine soldiers during the Falklands War, 1982
On the day Perón returned to Argentina, the clash between Peronist internal
factions—right-wing union leaders and left-wing youth from the Montoneros—resulted in
the Ezeiza Massacre. Overwhelmed by political violence, Cámpora resigned and Perón
won the following September 1973 election with his third wife Isabel as vice-president.
[108]
He expelled Montoneros from the party and they became once again a clandestine
organization. José López Rega organized the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance (AAA)
[109][110]
to fight against them and the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP).
Perón died in July 1974 and was succeeded by his wife, who signed a secret decree
[111]
empowering the military and the police to "annihilate" the left-wing subversion,
[112]
stopping ERP's attempt to start a rural insurgence in Tucumán province. Isabel
Perón was ousted one year later by a junta of the combined armed forces, led by army
general Jorge Rafael Videla. They initiated the National Reorganization Process, often
[113]
shortened to Proceso.
The Proceso shut down Congress, removed the judges on the Supreme Court, banned
political parties and unions, and resorted to employing the forced disappearance of
suspected guerrilla members including individuals suspected of being associated with
the left-wing. By the end of 1976, the Montoneros had lost nearly 2,000 members and
by 1977, the ERP was completely subdued. Nevertheless, the severely weakened
Montoneros launched a counterattack in 1979, which was quickly put down, effectively
[citation needed]
ending the guerrilla threat and securing the junta's position in power.
In March 1982, an Argentine force took control of the British territory of South Georgia
and, on 2 April, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. The United Kingdom
dispatched a task force to regain possession. Argentina surrendered on 14 June and its
forces were taken home. Street riots in Buenos Aires followed the humiliating defeat
[114][115]
and the military leadership stood down. Reynaldo Bignone replaced Galtieri and
[116]
began to organize the transition to democratic governance.
