WWI in Argentina:
Agriculture: By 1910 they were the “worlds greatest exporter of wheat” (Keen 318). Exported 21 tons of wheat in 1876 and over 1000 times that much by 1900; cattle and sheep were also major exports.
Business: remained neutral and sold to all types of customers; low wages.
Middle class: grew rapidly between 1880 and 1930, but still only represented 25-33% of the population.
Growth of industry: exports grew rapidly; demand was higher than supply on manufactured goods because they were expensive to obtain.
Economic growth in the early 1900s:
Type of economy: market economy.
• Relied heavily on foreign imports for manufactured goods
How the economy grew: High international demand for wheat and meat made argentina a very powerful exporter. Heavy british investment made it possible for Argentina to “boast a railroad network unsurpassed outside of Western Europe and the united States” (Keen 318).
Role of foreign investments: between 1900 and 1929, foreigners controlled 30-40% of the nation’s fixed investments
The Radical Era (1916-1930):
Leader: Hipólito Yrigoyen (radical, catered to the middle class), eventually became the scapegoat for the problems of the Argentine Depression.
What he did: instituted democracy, university reform in 1918 that allowed middle class citizens to gain access to better education, thus giving them more job opportunities.
Effect on society: many feminist groups rose up and a few minority groups revolted; workers struck against foreign-owned companies, often for higher wages; U.S. Depression greatly affected Argentina’s economy because they relied so heavily on imports.
Causes of the Depression:
• Role of domestic policies and events: as the middle class began to take over officer positions in the military which was the basis of Argentina’s Oligarchy government the military’s government reformed into a democracy.
• The oligarchy party created uneven land distribution which in turn created uneven wealth...