Argentina: National Development Projects and Industrialization (1940-1945)

Abstract

This text aims to analyze the debates that took place between 1943 and 1945 regarding the direction of the Argentine economy during a period marked by the impacts of the war and the consequences of the 1943 coup d'état. This was largely a result of the growing erosion of the conservative coalition in power, whose national project, despite attempts to adapt it to the new situation, could no longer respond to the dilemmas of the economy in a rapidly transforming society. Different projects clashed, indicating the growing division of Argentine society. This complex historical process culminated in the election of Perón. We seek to point out that the maturation of a project aimed at full industrialization advanced during this period. However, proposals advocating limited industrialization predominated in the debate. Even the Peronist project contained a certain ambiguity.