Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OPINION OF THE MONTONEROS
BY AN OLDER PERONISTA
I
[María Roldán] knew many of those kids who were Montoneros.
They would come to the [union] meetings where I was talking
and shout, “Si Evita viviera, sería montonera” [If Evita were alive she
would be a Montonera]. At that time in the years of Perón's return
I spoke at a lot of meetings in Berisso and La Plata, and there were
always Montoneros there. I would ask them to be silent, tell them
that I was speaking of justicialism, that they should calm down. But all
those kids were crazy, what with the bombo [bass drum] beating away.
I would try and speak to them with respect, with calm, as a mature
woman who had been down the torturous paths of politics. Basically,
I told them that with love of the patria, love of the family one can go
very far, but with accusations, insults, bombs, and threats you could go
nowhere. They would stand in the meetings with a banner and chant,
“Si Evita viviera, sería montonera.” It was like a dirge. We know that
Perón had had trouble with the Montoneros; everyone knows that.
They spoke of the
patria socialista,
and Perón spoke of the patria
per-
onista.
They weren't bad kids, but from time to time they made bombs,
and you know where that can lead to if it isn't brought under control.
Source:
James, Daniel.
Doña María's Story: Life History, Memory, and
Political Identity
(Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2000), p. 111.
Perón's new administration purged all the Montonero officeholders
as he made conciliatory gestures to the opposition parties, industrial-
ists, and the military. A state of euphoria gripped even members of the
middle class, many of whom believed that only Perón could govern the
country. Inflationary rates declined somewhat, and capital flowed back
into the country. But Perón proved mortal, and in the middle of winter,
on July 1, 1974, he died of heart failure. His state funeral surpassed
even the massive outpouring of grief that had accompanied the burial
of Yrigoyen, Gardel, and Evita. Thousands waiting to pass by his casket
stood in a cold rain, setting a somber mood of grief mixed with uncer-
tainty. Under these circumstances, Isabel Perón became the first female
chief executive in the Americas.
