Literature and History: Rethinking Representations of the Regimes of Juan Manuel de Rosas and Juan Domingo Perón

For many decades, Argentina’s former populist President Juan Domingo de Perón has been frequently compared with the infamous nineteenth-century Federalist dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas. The official liberal historical perspective postulates that the Perón government was the ‘second tyranny’, the first being the notorious Rosas regime, but this assertion is problematic. Despite the evident parallels to be drawn, both men’s zealous supporters and archenemies use the similarities to reinforce their own political agendas. This thesis explores the plausible comparisons between Argentina’s most polemical political leaders, focusing on the literary representations of both figures in a series of nineteenth and twentieth-century fictional and historical works. Studying Rosas and Perón is even more significant in view of the striking similarities between their wives, who were instrumental in elevating their husbands to long-term political supremacy. Both women assumed unofficial roles in their spouses’ administrations and one, namely Eva Perón, is arguably Argentina’s most celebrated political icon. The parallels between both men and women have – strangely – never undergone literary treatment. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of the four most controversial political figures who have influenced much of the historiography of Argentina.