Social Mobilization, Political Participation, and the Rise of Juan Peron
Much of the persisting bewilderment over the strength of Peronismo in contemporary Argentina derives from the remarkable relationship between El Lider and the country's urban masses. More than a decade after his unceremonious exit from the country, Juan Peron continues to exert an almost mystical influence over large portions of the urban lower class.' Skeptics frequently insist that his transatlantic appeal is based on the practical need of trade-union leaders for a unifying symbol, the persisting results of collective "brainwashing," misleading identification of Per6n with immediate postwar prosperity, or nostalgic recollections of both his rhetorical ability and his extraordinary wife Evita. Explanations of this kind doubtless have some validity,