The exile of Peron in Latin America and its influence on the Southern Cone (1955-1960)

Abstract

The overthrowing of President Juan Domingo Peron in September 1955 had a strong impact within Latin America, triggering a rash of politically driven exiles. These forced migrants followed a number of time-tested exile protection routes that allowed them to return home quickly, as well as to continue their partisan activity. Hence, the Southern Cone became a huge operations area racked by political convulsions.

This paper outlines some possible approaches to this many-sided phenomenon. The core of this particular approach is based on the importance of understanding the overall implications of the international politics of that time, the relationships between the different Latin American governments and the networks created by the groups of political refugees who moved through these countries. Indeed, it was not uncommon to see distinct groups of people in different countries sharing a single ideology and its practices within the harsh setting of the economic and sociopolitical situation in the continent, and particularly in the Southern Cone of Latin America.