Peronism

Peronism (Spanish: Peronismo), or Justicialism (Spanish: Justicialismo), is an Argentine political ideology based on the ideas and programs associated with former president Juan Perón.

Perón was a pragmatic figure, and through the course of his long career his views would frequently change. His ideology was nevertheless marked by some constants, including:

• Strong authoritarian centralized government, with strict control of opposition forces (see political repression).
• Freedom from foreign influences.
• A third way approach to economics which purported to be neither socialist nor capitalist, but to incorporate elements of both in a corporativist manner, resembling a kind of state capitalism.

Perón's party, the Partido Justicialista, derived its name from the Spanish words for justice and socialism.

Peronist policies

Perón's ideas were widely embraced by a variety of different groups in Argentina across the political spectrum. Perón's personal views would eventually become a burden on the ideology, his anti-clericalism did not strike a sympathetic chord in Argentine society, and prior to his overthrow many Argentines began to call for "Peronism without Perón". Nevertheless, a symptom of the success of Perón's cult of personality has been the difficulty many Argentines have had in identifying themselves as "patriotic" without being Peronist.

Perón's public speeches were consistently nationalist and populist. It would also be difficult to separate Peronism from corporate nationalism, for Perón nationalized Argentina's large corporations, blurring distinctions between corporations and government. At the same time, the labor unions became corporate themselves, relinquishing the right to strike in agreements with Perón as Secretary of Welfare in the military government from 1943-45. In exchange, the state was to assume the role of negotiator between conflicting interests.

Peronism as fascism

Peronism is sometimes considered to be a fascist ideology, though this would apply more to the style of Peronism practiced during the early years of Peron's government. It should be noted that after Perón was overthrown in a coup in 1955 led by General Aramburu, he spent 18 years in exile, mostly in Francisco Franco's Spain. Though his feelings for Franco were mixed, Perón never disguised his admiration for Benito Mussolini's domestic policies.

Violence, though certainly present in the early days of Perón's rule, was never taken to the extremes of many other 20th century dictators. Peronism also lacked a strong interest in matters of foreign policy other than the belief that the political and economic influences of other nations should be kept out of Argentina and could thus be said to be somewhat isolationist.

Peron, despite his ties to Mussolini, never showed parallels to Hitler's Nazi regime, and never possesed racist ideas or views like that of the Third Reich or several other fascist regimes.

Legacy

Even after Perón's death, the legacy of Peronism left a lasting impression on the working class, who valued its goals and ideals.

Today, there are several Argentine political parties identifying themselves as Peronist.