Jessica Moertel
Argentina, 2008
Parallel Paths of Acceptance of the Tango and Evita Perón
The country of Argentina in the 19th century was in need of a large turning point. The economy was growing quickly causing the upper class to become extremely wealthy, but there was a strikingly growing amount of individuals in poverty. This working class of Argentina made up a great portion of the population, but had always been underrepresented when it came to matters involving what the country should do. They really needed a place in Argentina and a way to be represented as part of the country. This is the situation that both the tango and Eva Peron developed in. Both were able to give the working class a feeling of belonging in the country, and both are still represented in the country to this day. Evita Peron and the tango both follow a similar path of evolution into the culture of Argentina because the country was in need of unifying nationalist ideas.
At the time just preceding the development of Evita and the tango, the British had just developed extensive railroads throughout the country in order to ship agricultural products and natural resources from outside the city to be exported. Once more land was available, more workers were needed to cultivate it all. The Argentine government had organized a massive flood of immigration offering accommodations and decent pay. Many fled to Argentina hoping to “make it rich”, and then go back home to their family. Because of this attitude, the majority of immigrants in Argentina were male. This made the brothels a much more common place than it would have usually been. The government at this time was quite unstable. The radical party and National Autonomist party were both fighting for political power, but neither of them was very focused on helping the working class. Lastly, modernization was plowing through the world. The new development of radios and soon to come cinema became quite important in the city...