The Dirty War: Corruption In Argentina

Ludwig von Mises once said, "There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt, or vile men." The Dirty War of Argentina is a very good example of how corrupt a government can become and how that corruption can pose a great threat to the foundation of a country. The Dirty War lasted from 1974 through 1983. Over the course of the War, anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 of Argentina's citizens were murdered or declared missing. The War was between the powerful oppressors of the Argentinian government and the millions of citizens of Argentina. It's not exactly clear what date marks the true beginning of the Dirty War in Argentina. The Dirty War had its roots in corruption. As with most corruption,

Juan Peron had been a military leader, so his presidency was a result of a prior military coup. He was in a secret group of military officers that overthrew the Argentinian government with a military coup in 1943. Juan Peron then became the secretary of labor under President Edelmiro Farrell. He became very popular with working class citizens in Argentina. He then rose to war minister then Vice President. Juan was then elected president of Argentina in 1946. He was assisted greatly by his second wife, Eva "Evita" Peron who is the subject of many books, plays, and movies. Evita is the inspiration for the famous song, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." However, Evita died of cancer in 1952 and ironically her husband Juan was transported from the office by another military coup in 1955. He had to flee Argentina and he lived in exile in Paraguay and then Spain until he returned to Argentina in late 1973 with his third wife, Isabel Peron and was re-elected president of Argentina. However, after Juan's unexpected death as a result of a heart attack on July 1, 1974, his third wife, Isabel rose to power from her previous