The 1905 Argentine Revolution and Electoral Reform

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and figures from the 1905 Argentine Revolution and its political context.

Kennedy quote on peaceful revolution

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

PAN (National Autonomist Party)

Elite-led party that controlled elections and excluded opposition through fraud and manipulation.

UCR (Radical Civic Union)

Political party formed in the 1890s; sought democratic elections and reform, later adopting armed action after electoral fraud.

Abstentionism

Radical tactic of boycotting elections until suffrage is free and fair.

Leandro N. Alem

Founder of the UCR; early reformist leader who sought democratic elections.

Hipólito Yrigoyen

Leader of the UCR who argued fair elections were impossible under PAN; later became president in 1916.

4–8 February 1905

Dates of the failed uprising in Argentina; began February 4 in Buenos Aires and ended February 8.

Arsenal seizure (Buenos Aires)

Radical attempt to seize the central arsenal; repelled by government troops.

Mendoza National Bank looting

Insurgents looted the National Bank to fund their campaign.

José Figueroa Alcorta

Vice President who was captured briefly by rebels in Córdoba.

Martial law

Government declaration that intensified repression, closed newspapers, and targeted unions.

Amnesty of 1906

General amnesty freeing political prisoners.

Sáenz Peña Law (1912)

Law introducing universal male suffrage and secret ballots.

1916 election

First presidential election under the Sáenz Peña system; Hipólito Yrigoyen elected.

Oligarchic system

Argentina's political system dominated by PAN and elites with limited participation.

Kennedy quote on peaceful revolution

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

PAN (National Autonomist Party)

Elite-led party that controlled elections and excluded opposition through fraud and manipulation.

UCR (Radical Civic Union)

Political party formed in the 1890s; sought democratic elections and reform, later adopting armed action after electoral fraud.

Abstentionism

Radical tactic of boycotting elections until suffrage is free and fair.

Leandro N. Alem

Founder of the UCR; early reformist leader who sought democratic elections.

Hipólito Yrigoyen

Leader of the UCR who argued fair elections were impossible under PAN; later became president in 1916.

4–8 February 1905

Dates of the failed uprising in Argentina; began February 4 in Buenos Aires and ended February 8.

Arsenal seizure (Buenos Aires)

Radical attempt to seize the central arsenal; repelled by government troops.

Mendoza National Bank looting

Insurgents looted the National Bank to fund their campaign.

José Figueroa Alcorta

Vice President who was captured briefly by rebels in Córdoba.

Martial law

Government declaration that intensified repression, closed newspapers, and targeted unions.

Amnesty of 1906

General amnesty freeing political prisoners.

Sáenz Peña Law (1912)

Law introducing universal male suffrage and secret ballots.

1916 election

First presidential election under the Sáenz Peña system; Hipólito Yrigoyen elected.

Oligarchic system

Argentina's political system dominated by PAN and elites with limited participation.

Demands of the 1905 Uprising

The UCR's demands for fair and democratic elections, aiming to end the electoral fraud and manipulation by the ruling PAN party.

Significance of the 1905 Uprising

Although militarily defeated, it highlighted the need for electoral reform and contributed to the eventual passage of the Sáenz Peña Law in 1912.

UCR's shift to armed action

A response to the persistent electoral fraud and the perception that fair elections were impossible under the ruling PAN, leading to a shift from abstentionism.