Roberto Eduardo Viola
 |
Roberto Eduardo Viola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 44th President of Argentina | |
| In office 29 March – 10 December 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Jorge Rafael Videla |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Alberto Lacoste |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 13, 1924 |
| Died | September 30, 1994 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Profession | Military |
Roberto Eduardo Viola Redondo (October 13, 1924 – September 30, 1994) was a military officer who briefly served as president of Argentina from March 29 to December 11, 1981 during a period of military rule.
President of Argentina
Viola appointed Lorenzo Sigaut as finance minister, and it became clear that Sigaut (and his protegé Domingo Cavallo) were looking for ways to reverse some of the economic policies of Videla's minister José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz. Notably, Sigaut abandoned the sliding exchange rate mechanism and devalued the peso, after boasting that "they who gamble on the dollar, will lose". Argentines braced for a recession after the excesses of the plata dulce ("sweet money") years, which destabilized Viola's position.
Viola was also the victim of infighting within the armed forces. After being replaced as Navy chief, Eduardo Massera started looking for a political space to call his own, even enlisting the enforced and unpaid services of Montoneros cadres held in detention by the regime. The mainstream of the Junta's support was strongly opposed to Massera's designs and to any attempt to bring about more "populist" economic policies.
Ousted in a coup
Viola found his maneuvering space greatly reduced, and was ousted by a military coup in December 1981, led by the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri, who soon became President. The official explanation given for the ousting was Viola's alleged health problems. Galtieri swiftly appointed Roberto Alemann as finance minister and presided over the build-up and pursuit of the Falklands War.
Later years
After the collapse of the military regime and the election of Raúl Alfonsín in 1983, Viola was arrested, judged for human rights violations committed by the military junta during the Dirty War, and sentenced to 17 years in prison. His health deteriorated in prison; Viola was pardoned by Carlos Menem in 1990 together with all junta members.
Death
He died in 1994.
See also
| May Revolution and Independence War Period up to Asamblea del Año XIII (1810–1814) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme directors of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (1814–1820) | ||
| Unitarian Republic – First Presidential Government (1826–1827) | ||
| Pacto Federal and Argentine Confederation (1827–1862) | ||
| National Organization – Argentine Republic (1862–1880) | ||
| Generation of '80 – Oligarchic Republic (1880–1916) | ||
| First Radical Civic Union terms, after secret ballot (1916–1930) | ||
| Infamous Decade (1930–1943) | ||
| Revolution of '43 – Military Dictatorships (1943–1946) | ||
| First Peronist terms (1946–1955) | ||
| Revolución Libertadora – Military Dictatorships (1955–1958) | ||
| Fragile Civilian Governments – Proscription of Peronism (1958–1966) | ||
| Revolución Argentina – Military Dictatorships (1966–1973) | ||
| Return of Perón (1973–1976) | ||
| National Reorganization Process – Military Dictatorships (1976–1983) | ||
| Return to Democracy (1983–present) | ||
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