Dictator of Argentina from 1971 to 1973
Alejandro Agustin Lanusse Gelly
(28 August 1918 ? 26 August 1996) was the
de facto
president of the
Argentine Republic
between March 22, 1971, and May 25, 1973, during the military dictatorship of the country called the "
Argentine Revolution
".
On 26 March 1971, Lanusse assumed the presidency in a totally unfavorable political climate. Guerrilla violence grew, popular discontent also, the continuity of the military government became difficult to sustain. Lanusse evaluated that the solution to the multiple conflicts was to end the proscription of
Peronism
and to decree a political opening that allowed a transition towards democracy.
[1]
Early life
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He was born as
Alejandro Agustin Lanusse Gelly
on 28 August 1918, in
Buenos Aires
to Luis Gustavo Lanusse Justo and Albertina Gelly Cantilo.
[
citation needed
]
Career
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A graduate of the Army Academy (
Colegio Militar de la Nacion
, class of 1938), he served in different Cavalry units before becoming commander of the
Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo
(Regiment of Horse Grenadiers, presidential escort unit). In 1951, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in an attempted coup to overthrow
Juan Peron
. He was released in 1955 with the
Revolucion Libertadora
, a military uprising which ousted General Peron and set up a military dictatorship which was in power from 1955 to 1958. In 1956, he was designated Ambassador to the
Holy See
.
In 1960, he became assistant director of the Superior Military School and later Commander of the First Armored Cavalry Division. In 1962, he took part in the overthrowing of president
Arturo Frondizi
, and, in 1966, supported General
Juan Carlos Ongania
in the ousting of president
Arturo Illia
. In 1968, he became
Commander-in-Chief of the Argentine Army
.
Presidency
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]
Lanusse became president of Argentina in 1971. During his administration he established diplomatic relations with
China
and continuously faced political unrest, with an increase in
guerrilla
activity. Many political opponents were jailed, and Lanusse decided to negotiate with the
Montoneros
(a
Peronist
guerrilla movement) for the return of the corpse of Evita (
Eva Duarte
de Peron),
Juan Domingo Peron
's second wife whose body had been hidden by the "Revolucion Libertadora". On 22 August 1971, several imprisoned guerrillas attempted to escape from the Naval Base of
Rawson
in
Patagonia
, and were executed without trial in the
Trelew massacre
.
In March 1973,
presidential elections
were held, and won by
Hector Campora
.
[2]
[3]
Later years
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]
In 1985, Lanusse published his autobiography and criticized the human rights violations that took place during the
Dirty War
, including the state murder of his cousin, diplomat
Elena Holmberg
.
[4]
He was placed under
house arrest
in 1994 for criticizing president
Carlos Menem
in a magazine interview.
References
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