Peronism is an Argentine political ideology based on the ideas and programs associated with former president Juan Perón.
Perón was a pragmatic figure, and through the course of his long career his views would frequently change. His ideology was nevertheless marked by some constants, including:
- Strong authoritarian central leadership, with strict control of opposition forces.
- Freedom from foreign influences.
- A third way approach to economics; neither communist nor capitalist, but instead incorporating some elements of both
Perón's ideas were widely embraced by a variety of different groups in Argentina, ranging from neo-fascist military cliques to socialists and Marxists. Perón's personal baggage would eventually become a burden on the ideology, his anti-clericalism did not strike a sympathetic chord in Argentine society, and prior to his overthrow many Argentines began to call for "Peronism without Peron." Nevertheless, a symptom of the success of Perón's personality cult is the difficulty Argentinians have had since, in identifying themselves as 'patriotic' without being Peronist.
Today, there are several Argentine political parties identifying themselves as Peronist, including the party of the nation's current president, Néstor Kirchner.
His public speeches were consistently "nationalist" and "populist". It would also be difficult to separate Peronism from corporate nationalism, for Perón nationalized Argentina's large corporations, blurring distinctions between corporations and government. At the same time, the labor unions became corporate themselves, reliquishing the right to strike in agreements with Peron as Secretary of Welfare in the military government from 1943-45. Instead, the State was to assume the role of negotiator between conflicting interests.
While leaving aside fascist influences, it should be noted that after Perón was overthrown in a coup in 1955 led by General Aramburu, he spent 18 years in exile, mostly in Franco's Spain. Peron never disguised his admiration for Benito Mussolini's domestic policies.
Racism was notably absent from Peron's agenda. Racism is often made out to be integral to fascism.
