Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Fleeting Golden Years
Rosas' overthrow came in 1852 at the hands of Justo José de Urquiza, a rival governor who
tried to transfer power to his home province of Entre Rios. In protest, Buenos Aires briefly
seceded from the union, but it was reestablished as the capital when Bartolomé Mitre
crushed Urquiza's forces in 1861. From there, Buenos Aires never looked back and became
the undisputed power center of the country.
The economy boomed and Buenos Aires became a port town of 90,000 people in the late
1860s. Immigrants poured in from Spain, Italy and Germany, followed by waves of new-
comers from Croatia, Ireland, Poland and Ukraine. Its population grew nearly seven-fold
from 1869 to 1895, to over 670,000 people. The new residents worked in the port, lived
tightly in crammed tenement buildings, developed tango, and jump-started the leftist labor
movement. The onslaught of Europeans not only expanded Buenos Aires into a major in-
ternational capital but gave the city its rich multicultural heritage, famous idiosyncrasies
and sharp political differences.
By Argentina's centennial in 1910, Buenos Aires was a veritable metropolis. The follow-
ing years witnessed the construction of the subway, while British companies built modern
gas, electrical and sewer systems. Buenos Aires was at the height of a golden age, its bust-
ling streets full of New World businesses, art, architecture and fashion. Argentina grew rich
during this time based on its meat production. Advances in refrigeration and the country's
ability to ship beef to distant lands was key to its economic success. In fact, by the begin-
ning of WWI, Argentina was one of the world's 10 richest countries, and ahead of France
and Germany.
Conservative forces dominated the political sphere until 1916, when Radical Party leader
Hipólito Yrigoyen took control of the government in a move that stressed fair and demo-
cratic elections. After a prolonged period of elite rule, this was the first time Argentina's
burgeoning middle class obtained a political voice.
It was also at this time that Argentina's fortunes started to change, but unfortunately not
for the better. Export prices dropped off, wages stagnated and workers became increasingly
frustrated and militant. La Semana Trágica (Tragic Week), when over 100 protesters were
killed during a metalworkers' strike, was the culmination of these tensions; some say this
radical reaction was due to the government being pressured by moneyed interests. The Wall
Street crash of 1929 dealt the final blow to the export markets and a few months later, in
1930, the military took over the country in a coup led by General José Félix Uriburu. The
golden age rapidly became a distant memory.
