Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Battle of Tuyutí depicting the bloody Triple Alliance War in 1866, by 19th-century artist Cándido López
The Argentinian Boom
The decades that followed Rosas's over-
throw saw the ratification of Argentina's
federal constitution, which established a
strong central government with autono-
mous provinces, and the creation of the
Argentinian Republic, which came under
the rule of a conservative oligarchy. The
War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) against
Paraguay created a national army out of
the provincial militias.
Along with political stability came
expansionism. The government's Conquest
of the Desert military campaign against the
indigenous population annihilated resis-
tance in the Pampas and Patagonia by
1880. Great tracts of land were opened up
and foreign investors, responding to
European demand, built numerous sheep
ranches; wool exports increased tenfold
between 1850 and 1880.
Post-1880, foreign investment, trade, and
immigration exploded. Railroads built by
the British linked rural areas to Buenos Aires
and other port cities. Grain farming and
ranching turned into fabulous successes,
with Argentina becoming the world's
primary cereal exporter and the second-
largest meat exporter. Prosperity sparked
demographic growth: Argentina's popu-
lation grew from about 2 million in 1869 to
almost 8 million by 1914. Cities embodied
the era's ambition. New metropolises
sprang up and great public buildings and
parks were built. The capital city became
synonymous with sophistication: its news-
papers gained international prestige; its
theaters were vibrant and numerous; its
new buildings, such as the Teatro Colón,
were monuments to progress.
The boom, however, was fragile and
interrupted by a severe financial crisis in
1890 that caused the collapse of the
Argentinian currency. Progress also hid
A 19th-century painting showing the grand Teatro Colón
in Buenos Aires
1878-9 Conquest of the Desert campaign ends indigenous
resistance across the Pampas and Patagonia
1865-70 War of the Triple Alliance pits
Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay against
Paraguay
1880 Buenos Aires becomes
Federal Capital
1860
1870
1880
1890
1877 First shipment of
frozen beef from Argentina
to Europe
1890 Financial crisis
leads to the
Revolution of 1890
1862 Bartolomé Mitre
elected first president
of the Argentinian
Republic
Bartolomé Mitre
 
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