Argentina: What Went Wrong - Hardcover

"In 1900, Argentina compared favorably to the proserous countries of the world, but by 2000, it was economically prostrate, its currency worthless, its government in default. MacLachlan's history works in observations about the causes of Argentina's ailments as it narrates the country's political gyrations, which exacerbated its century-long decline....Sympathetic to the Argentine people, MacLachlan is an able analyst of the governments under which they've endured." - Booklist "[T]races the development of Argentina from its early colonial past to this century. Interlacing political, economic, and cultural history, he analyzes the complex interaction of factors responsible for both the country's rise and fall. He concludes by summarizing the numerous ideological, political, social, and economic factors and trends that collectively caused the collapse." - MultiCultural Review "Life in Argentina presents challenges that not all Argentines are prepared to meet, as they prefer to emigrate rather than resolve the gnarls that distort national life--corrosive social stresses, endemic corruption, and what this author calls the culpable irresponsibility of its leaders. Constructing a coherent narrative from deceptive sources would seem impossible, but distinguished Latin American history professor MacLachlan succeeds brilliantly. Rather than attempt to reconcile the irreconcilable currents that threaten civilized life in Argentina, he presents them in all their splendid irrationality. His first four chapters discuss the events and ideologies that formed contemporary Argentina. Emphasis is on the struggle to define a national identity: countryside versus capital city, modernizers versus traditionalists, supporters versus resisters of authoritarian rulers from Rosas to Peron (Peron) to the Proceso. The book's second half takes readers through the labyrinth of successive presidencies, from Rivadavia to Menem. Pushing beyond objectivity, MacLachlan disentangles motives, actions, and outcomes that puzzle non-Argentines yet are accepted by natives as the way we do things here. This is a most welcome and useful addition to the author's earlier volumes on Mexico and Brazil. Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." - Choice

Why has Argentina failed so spectacularly, both economically and politically? It is a puzzle because the country seemed to have all the requirements for greatness, including a well-established middle class of professionals. Its failure raises the specter that other middle-class societies could also fail. In Argentina, MacLachlan delivers history with a plot, a sense of direction and purpose, and fascinating conclusions that reveal a much more complex picture of Argentina than one might have had in mind prior to reading this book. Argentina traces the roots of the nation from the late colonial period to the present, and examines the impact of events that molded it: the failure of political accommodation in 1912, the role of the oligarchy, the development of a middle class, gender issues, the elaboration of a distinct culture, the era of Peron, the army, and the dirty war. The conclusion suggests the reasons for the nation's difficulties. The IMF, World Bank, and international financial markets play a role, but so does a high level of political corruption and mismanagement of the economy that emerged from political and economic failure. Juan and Eva Peron tried to override politics to create an economic and social balance between urban labor and agriculture interests, but failed. The dirty war arose from that failure. Nationalism forged a culture of victimization and resentment that continues to this day. Laying aside standard explanations, MacLachlan presents a portrait of Argentina that emphasizes the role of a destructive nationalism-and a form a corruption that turns citizens into clients.