Argentina’s National State Formation and Socio-Political Evolution

Argentina’s Path to Nationhood

The formation of the national state was a convergent process between nation-building and establishing a system of domination. With the rise of agricultural exporters, landowners, and foreign trade, Buenos Aires became the socio-political center and capital of the nation. The dominance of Rosas and Buenos Aires province in 1848 sparked reaction from the coast. The north-central region, tied to the Potosi mines and Lima’s port, declined with the mines’ depletion and Spanish occupation. The Cuyo region, linked to Chile’s economy, developed agriculture. Catamarca and La Rioja were less developed.

Buenos Aires exported livestock, controlled trade, and collected customs revenue. Closing inland river navigation hindered coastal trade, necessitating free river navigation, diminishing Buenos Aires’ power, and organizing trade. Regional economic differences, vast territory, poor infrastructure, and internal conflicts hampered national state formation.

In 1850, Entre Rios, Brazil, and Uruguay allied against Rosas. In 1851, Urquiza took over foreign relations from Rosas (known as the “delivery”) and joined forces with Corrientes. In 1852, an army from Buenos Aires, Corrientes, and Entre Rios defeated Rosas at the Battle of Caseros.

Urquiza aimed to consolidate victory, organize the state with a constitution respecting provincial autonomy, and convened governors in San Nicolás in May 1852. He was appointed Provisional Director of the Argentine Confederation, tasked with regulating river navigation, organizing transport and communications. Provincial armies formed the national army under his command. Urquiza held influence nationwide, and provinces contributed to the national government based on their resources, mostly federalized from Entre Rios.

With communication limited, a courier service was established. Mail was centralized, but official use was low despite reduced rates and confidentiality guarantees. Steam navigation to Santa Fe and Paraná faced interruptions, leaving passengers stranded. Paper money was not accepted, hindering credit, banking, and customs revenue systems. By the late 1850s, the Confederation was economically strained.

The 1880 Regime and Socio-Economic Changes

1. Socio-Economic and Political System After 1880

The political turmoil of Avellaneda’s government subsided under Roca, ushering in political peace and transforming the inadequate institutional structure. Peace and administration resulted from economic prosperity driven by agricultural exports, mainly cereals (wheat, corn, flax), oats, rye, and onion. This established a dominant agrarian bourgeoisie.

It was a semi-closed, restricted democratic regime. Political participation was low due to limited social development, high immigration rates, illiteracy, and many fatherless households. Electoral fraud and violence were common. Inter- and intra-regional conflicts disappeared during this period.

2. Roca’s Second Government (1890-1892) and Social Issues

The Social Question: Immigrants brought European ideologies and labor struggles, leading to the first strikes against agro-exporters, causing negative international perceptions. Miguel Cane advocated government intervention in immigrant contracting to address issues like vagrancy. This resulted in the Residence Act, along with the state of siege and the creation of a special police section, linking violence, anarchism, and communism with immigrants and racial degeneration. Joaquín González was the first to propose state involvement in social issues and their political implications. He was a leading conservative reformer, advocating social peace through consensus and worker integration. The state sought more organized, legal, and effective forms of domination.

3. The Path to the 1912 Political Reform

The state had grown significantly, necessitating broader political participation. Fraud and violence were rampant; votes were manipulated, voter registration was voluntary, and Justices of the Peace collected ballots. The Radical Party abstained from elections to demand ballot integrity. Discussions between Sáenz Peña and Irigoyen led to the Radicals ending their abstention in exchange for electoral reforms: military standard, incomplete list, secret and compulsory vote. The law passed in February 1912, but widespread citizen participation was limited by high immigration and low naturalization rates.

4. Changes in Labor-State Relations

Ideological Foundations of Radicalism

• Modeled on U.S. political parties: standing, principled, and impersonal.
• Respect for the Constitution, freedom of voting, and administrative morals.

During Irigoyen’s government, a personal relationship with the labor movement emerged. Arbitration favored workers, replacing repression with mediation and dialogue. Alvear proposed a new labor code regulating women and children’s work and establishing provident funds. Irigoyen’s first government established a minimum wage, mandated local currency payments, and granted legal status to unions.