Political role in the military

Lecture 8

Explain the desaparecidos concept in terms of military regimes.

People who oppose to regimes might go “missing”, and after the assesination of their parents, children were given away by the military. Sometimes the children of desaparecidos are able to reunite with family members.

What does the term caudillismo entail?

• Several armed militias emerged during the wars of independence in the early 19th century.

• Led by charismatic leaders → the Caudillos.

• Supported by loyal followers → patronage relations.

Why did caudillos fiht each other?

To gain control within a province, region, or the capital city where the central government was.

What are some examples of caudillos?

Rafael carrera, Juan Manuel de Rosas and Mariano Melgarejo.

Were national armies allowed with the existence of these armed militias?

Not always, for a long time it did not allow the establishment of a single national army.

Why were National Arms finally established by governments?

They were forced to establish them due to the generation of armed conflicts with neighboring countries.

Other than the National Army, in which other ways did countries expanded their political control?

There were some countries who expanded their control through the creation of a navy.

Which were the main example for the Latam military in the second half of the 19th century?

The German and the French armies.

What happened after Latam caudillos decided to contact foreign military missions for their help?

The missions helped to professionalize the national armies, bringing in discipline, doctrines, improvements in organization, strategic skills, logistic, etc.

They taught the local armies what now is called the old professionalism.

The missions clearly favoured the military and industrial interests of their home countries.

Old professionalism definition:

Not to intervene in politics and to adopt an apolitical stance, to be subordinate to the civilian authorities, etc.

Explain the Triple Alliance War.

Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay against Paraguay.

What was the War of the Pacific?

Chile against Bolivia and Peru.

Why were foreign military consults made and brought?

They were made after the triple alliance war and the war of the pacific to calm things down.

Explain the ‘Prussialization’ of the Chilean army.

Körner was a German military asviser who came to Chile in the late 19th century to modernize the Chilean Army and to introduce the Prussian rigor and discipline. He became the chief of the Chilean Army.

Explain the ‘sector progresista’ and its relation to the Army.

There is a tradition of progressive political involvement by the sectors of the army.

• Not always a clead ideological orientation.

• Sometimes they can be nationalists, other times populists, and sometimes desarrolistas (they just want to achieve development in their country).

• Sometimes socialists (like Chavez) or a combination of various orientations.

• The military left (minority sector) was counteracted by the dominant conservative sectors of the army.

Explain the Peruvian Revolution and mention General Juan Velasco Alvarado.

• Velasco came into power folowing a bloodless coup.

• Named his government the ‘revolutionary government of the armed forces.’

• Later overthrown by the military.

What did General Juan Velasco Alvarado acheive during his time in power?

• Nationalized a series of local and foreign-owned enterprises.

• Implemented land reforms and expanded the basic education in remote areas.

What did General Guillermo Rodríguez Lara do in Ecuador?

• Named his government nationalist and revolutionary.

• In 1976 he was removed from power by the military.

• He expanded the state’s stake in the oil industry and conducted improvements in the country’s infrastructure.

When were the two types of military governments in the 20th century?

Type 1 was from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Type 2 was from the 1960s-1980s.

Who led the first type of military governments?

Governments led by traditional military caudillos.

Did the armed forces lead as institutions during the first type of military governments?

No, the armed forces did not govern as an institution.

How did the governments from the first wave of military governments came into power?

The govs came into existence to contain social and poltiical upheaval. Often as puppets of the social elites, meaning that the military did not have their own long-term political project.

Explain how the second type of military governments differ from the first one.

• It was a government of armed forces, who governed as institutions.

• They had long-term projects and showed a relative autonomy of the national social elites.

• There was institutional dictatorship.

• There was the emergence of Military Juntas, led by a collegiate group of generals.

What are some example of the second type of military governments, and how long did they last?

• Brazil → 21 years

• Argentina → 14 years

• Uruguay → 12 years

• Chile → 17,5 years

Explain the modernization of the armed forces after WW2.

• Adoption of the Cold War rhetoric and anti-communism.

• Professionalization of curriculum of Military Academies.

• Increasing alienation from existing political structures and from civil political elites.

• The status quo is seen as inadequate.

• The armed forces regard themselves as the supreme protector of the Nation.

• Military coups and the establishment of the armed forces is presented as a necessary step to guarantee social order and economic development.

How did militaries change after democratization?

The slowly adopted more democratically oriented doctrines including the respect for human rights. They went from combating narcotics to internaitonal peace missions.

What were the ‘White Books’ of defense?

• Publication in which the armed forces of several countries describe their defense strategies and provide an open view of their military capacity → transparency.

What did new democratic governments want to achieve with the creation of 'the ‘White book’ of defence?

They aimed to reduce the uncertainty and the tensions between the armies of neighbouring nations and to stop an arm race among the Latam countries.

Briefly explain the Uruguayan military regime.

The Tupamaros (left wing guerrilla group) were fighting against the government, then in 1973 the military took control of the gov. Cause disapeareances, murder, and more.

Briefly explain the Chilean military regime.

The country was under the rule of Allende, but then a coup led by General Pinochet overthrew him in 1973. Pinochet steped down in the 90s.

Briefly explain the Argentina military regime.

Overthrow of Perón in 1976. Desaparecidos, deaths, “Guerra Sucia.”