Here are two more reports our class has done on Argentina. We learned about recent history in Argentina, including "The Dirty War" and "Los Desaparecidos". It was really sad to find out about those kidnappings. It makes us feel sympathetic towards the people who lost family members. We learned that there are people who have "disappeared" in many other countries as well, because they spoke against the government. There is an International Day of the Disappeared to remember these people. That day is 30th August. By Aminderdeep and Nikeeta.
The Dirty War
(This is a picture of one of the mothers who is remembering the people that died in the Dirty War.)
The Dirty War, from 1976 - 1983 was a seven year campaign by the Argentine government against people they suspected were against them.
Many people ‘disappeared’ or were kidnapped. It is said some were taken to secret labs where they were tortured and eventually killed. Some people were even put on drugs and were thrown out of planes into the ocean. These people are called ‘Los Disaparecidos’ or “The Disappeared”. The numbers are believed to be from 10,000 to 30,000 people.
After the death of the president, Juan Peron, in 1974, his wife and vice president Isabel Peron took power. However she was not really into military. The military led a coup against her and removed her from office. This way the military could maintain its grip on power by cracking down on anyone who they thought was challenging their authority.
In early 1980s, it became clear to the Argentine people that the government was behind the tens of thousands of kidnappings. The military was facing increasing opposition over its human rights as well as corruption. The government decided to mount a campaign to regain the ‘Los Islas Malvinas’(The Falkland Islands) from Great Britain.
Las Islas Malvinas had been an issue between England, who controlled them, and Argentina who claimed them since 1820. The government thought they could reclaim them and England wouldn’t mind losing them and the government would regain their popularity and control over their people. However the government was wrong. In 72 days after the invasion of the Falkland Islands, the British military won the war, capturing 9,800 Argentines.
This unexpected loss for the military was the last straw. The Dirty War ended when Raoul Alfonsin’s government took control of the country on December 10,1983.
I got my information from the internet and a book "Countries of the World - Argentina" by Les and Daisy Fearns.
By Aminderdeep
(This is a picture of one of the mothers who is remembering the people that died in the Dirty War.)
The Dirty War, from 1976 - 1983 was a seven year campaign by the Argentine government against people they suspected were against them.
Many people ‘disappeared’ or were kidnapped. It is said some were taken to secret labs where they were tortured and eventually killed. Some people were even put on drugs and were thrown out of planes into the ocean. These people are called ‘Los Disaparecidos’ or “The Disappeared”. The numbers are believed to be from 10,000 to 30,000 people.
After the death of the president, Juan Peron, in 1974, his wife and vice president Isabel Peron took power. However she was not really into military. The military led a coup against her and removed her from office. This way the military could maintain its grip on power by cracking down on anyone who they thought was challenging their authority.
In early 1980s, it became clear to the Argentine people that the government was behind the tens of thousands of kidnappings. The military was facing increasing opposition over its human rights as well as corruption. The government decided to mount a campaign to regain the ‘Los Islas Malvinas’(The Falkland Islands) from Great Britain.
Las Islas Malvinas had been an issue between England, who controlled them, and Argentina who claimed them since 1820. The government thought they could reclaim them and England wouldn’t mind losing them and the government would regain their popularity and control over their people. However the government was wrong. In 72 days after the invasion of the Falkland Islands, the British military won the war, capturing 9,800 Argentines.
This unexpected loss for the military was the last straw. The Dirty War ended when Raoul Alfonsin’s government took control of the country on December 10,1983.
I got my information from the internet and a book "Countries of the World - Argentina" by Les and Daisy Fearns.
By Aminderdeep
Los Disaparecidos
In Argentina there is a date, the 24th of March, and that day is to remember some of the most terrifying days in Argentina's history. It is called The Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice . What happened was that people were kidnapped, some of them got tortured and many were killed. This is a fact, it is believed that over 30,000 people "disappeared" between 1976 and 1983. They are called Los Desaparecidos. They were kidnapped because they spoke against the government dictatorship. Some of the mothers and grandmothers are still looking for their children and want to know what really happened. Some of the grandchildren could still be alive because they were taken from their mothers as babies and were given to other families. Not forgetting that some people also had been beaten up and some of them got to serious pain! Some of the people in the following cities in Argentina were kidnapped:
Buenos Aires
Rosario
Córdoba
Santa Fe
This is a really sad thing in Argentina. That time in Argentina was called "The Dirty War". There is a song by U2, which is about the "Mothers of the Disappeared". The Mothers of the Plazo de Mayo is an organisation of women. It started when the women got together to search for their missing children. They wear white head scarves, with their children's names embroidered on them. They meet every Thursday afternoon for half an hour and walk around the Plaza de Mayo, in Buenos Aires to protest. They want to keep the memory and spirit of there children alive.
I got my information from a variety of websites, including:
wicked homepage
Argentina research
wikipedia
factmonster
online encyclopedia
and some books on Argentina
by Nikeeta
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