Nutshell Report: Argentina

Argentina

The first sentence of our text's chapter on Argentina tells us that, “Argentina began the twentieth century as the richest country in Latin America” (244). Sadly, the chapter concludes by informing us that today, “Argentina continues to struggle to find a balance between its reliance on export agriculture and its need to develop a vibrant source of national growth. A return to prosperity remains, for now, a still elusive promise” (277).

Labor Force & Agriculture

• “Argentina achieved notable economic growth in the 1880-1914 era. This success was based on supplying agricultural goods to the North Atlantic industrial world, since Argentina had a comparative advantage in producing meat and grain” (248).
• “...because of its overwhelming export dependence on foodstuffs... the entire Argentine economy [was] vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices of agricultural and pastoral goods” (249).

Environment

• According to the WWF: “More than 16 million ha of forest cover lost between 1980 and 2000. Deforestation and pollution are the main threats to Argentina's biodiversity and landscapes. A census in 1914 revealed that Argentina had approximately 105 million ha of forest. Today, studies estimate a remaining 28 to 45 million ha.”
• Other concerns noted by WWF and FSD: Lead blood levels too high, burning of forests, over farming soy, and over ranching cattle.
• The WWF also notes that, “Argentina also faces the issue of energy consumption and management and the inefficient use of non-renewable resources.”

Culture & History

• During the 19^th century, Argentinian aristocrats pushed for a particular brand of “enlightenment” that was a mixture of liberal social and economic policies as well as certain eugenics based concepts of natural selection playing a role in determining the ruling class.
  
• Between 1857 and 1930 Argentina received a net immigration... of 3.5 million... 60 percent of the total population increase could be attributed to immigration... 46 percent were Italian and 32 percent were Spanish” (248).
• From indexmundi.com, 2013 Argentina Census Data:
  • Ethnic groups: white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3%
  • Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
• Rough Time Line of Political Ups and Downs: 1946: Juan and Evita Perón > Militarism > Unrest >1973: Juan and Isabel Perón>Inflation & Unrest> Militarism>Disappeared>Guerrillas>1983: Radical Raúl Alfonsín>Trails on Disappeared> Troubled Economics(Food Riots)>1989: Carlos Menem (Peronist)> Privatizations> 1999: Fernando de la Rúa>2003: Nestor Kirchner>2007: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner