por Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877) was an Argentine soldier and politician who became the main leader of the Argentine Confederation in the first half of the 19th century. He twice held the head of government, with a second term in which he concentrated all the powers of the State in his figure.
Member of an important family in Buenos Aires, the future president had his first contact with the militia at the age of 13, when he participated in the reconquest of his hometown. After that, he spent several years running various businesses that brought him a considerable fortune.
As a landowner, he organized a small military detachment, which went into action during the unitary uprising. This participation in the civil war ended up earning him the appointment of Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires in 1829.
Juan Manuel de Rosas remained in office until 1832, after which he resumed his military activities. In addition, his influence in the new government was absolute. In 1835 he resumed power, this time with absolute powers. After several years of dictatorship, he was overthrown in 1852, and had to go into exile.
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Biography
Juan Manuel de Rosas came into the world in Buenos Aires on March 30, 1793, during the time of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. The child was baptized as Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio.
Born into a prominent family in the region, the severity of his mother, who did not hesitate to whip her children as punishment, and country life marked his childhood.
Studies
Rosas did not go to school until he was eight years old and had to learn his first letters in his own home. His first study center, private, was one of the most prestigious in the area. The young Juan Manuel, however, only stayed one year in that school.
After this, he returned to the family home, where he began to become familiar with his administration, work in which he stood out very soon. Similarly, he quickly assimilated the culture of the gaucho.
First contact with the army
The English invasion of Buenos Aires, when Rosas was only 13 years old, represented his first foray into military life.
The authorities of the viceroyalty fled, leaving the population defenseless against the English. Santiago de Liniers reacted by organizing an army of volunteers to stand up to the invaders.
Rosas enlisted in that militia and, later, in the Migueletes Regiment, made up of children, during the Defense of Buenos Aires in 1807. His commitment was recognized by Liniers himself, who congratulated him on his courage.
Once the hostilities ended, Rosas returned to the family farm, without getting involved in the May Revolution of 1810 or the War of Independence.
Marriage
Juan Manuel de Rosas married Encarnación Ezcurra in 1813. For this he had to lie to his mother, who was opposed to the union, making her believe that the young woman was pregnant.
Rosas decided to abandon the administration of his parents’ lands and start his own businesses. In the same way, he shortened his original last name until leaving it only in Rosas, showing the break with his family.
Business
Rosas then took over the fields of two of his cousins. In addition, together with Juan Nepomuceno and Luis Dorrego, Manuel Dorrego’s brother, he began his life as an entrepreneur by founding a saladero. The relationships that he acquired thanks to his business would be decisive in his future political life.
In 1819, thanks to the large profits obtained from his businesses, he acquired the Los Cerrillos hacienda, in San Miguel del Monte. To fight with the indigenous people, he organized a cavalry regiment called the Colorados del Monte, which became his personal army. The Rodríguez government appointed him campaign commander.
entry into politics
During that period, Rosas lived oblivious to political events. However, the situation completely changed in the early 1920s.
At the end of the period known as the Directory, the region plunged into what has been dubbed the Anarchy of the 20th Year. When the caudillo Estanislao López tried to invade Buenos Aires, Rosas intervened with his Colorados del Monte to defend the city.
In this way, he intervened in the combat of Pavón, which ended with the victory of Dorrego. However, the defeat that Dorrego suffered in Santa Fe was not present, since he refused to follow him to that city.
After this, Rosas and other owners of important ranches promoted the appointment of their colleague Martín Rodríguez as governor of the Province of Buenos Aires. When Manuel Pagola led an uprising against the leader, Rosas sent his army to defend Rodriguez.
Campaigns on the southern border
The following years represented an important military activity for Rosas. First, in the south of the country, where the raids had intensified. The future ruler accompanied Martín Rodríguez on his three campaigns into the desert to fight the indigenous people.
Later, during the war in Brazil, President Rivadavia put him in charge of the troops in charge of pacifying the border, a mission that was assigned to him again during the provincial government of Dorrego.
By 1827, a year before the civil war broke out, Rosas had acquired great prestige as a military leader. Politically he became a representative of the rural owners, of conservative ideology. On the other hand, he supported the protectionist federalist cause, contrary to the liberalizing initiatives of the unitary party.
the december revolution
When the Unitarians overthrew Dorrego in 1828, Juan Manuel de Rosas reacted by leading an uprising in the capital, managing to prevail both in Buenos Aires and on the coast. For a time, the interior remained in unitary hands until the defeat of José María Paz, a unitary military leader, allowed its reconquest.
Governor of the province of Buenos Aires
Juan Manuel de Rosas was named Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires in 1829. This first mandate lasted 3 years, until 1832.
When he took office, the region was going through times of great political and social instability. Rosas requested, in 1833, that he be granted dictatorial powers in order to pacify the entire Argentine Confederation.
between two mandates
However, Congress refused to grant him those extraordinary powers, so he decided to leave office. His successor was Juan Ramón Balcarce.
Rosas, then, organized a military campaign in the desert, in an area controlled by aboriginal tribes in the south of Buenos Aires. His detachment reached the Río Negro, conquering a large expanse of land for cattle ranching.
This military action earned him the sympathy of the army, the ranchers and a large part of public opinion. In addition, he obtained the thanks of the provinces of Córdoba, Santa Fe, San Luis and Mendoza, frequent targets of looting by the indigenous people.
Civil war in the North and assassination of Quiroga
The provinces of Tucumán and Salta came into conflict after the formation of the province of Jujuy. Given the situation created, the governor of Salta asked the government of Buenos Aires for help. Although, formally, Rosas was not a member of this government, his influence was notable, which is why he was consulted before making any decision.
Rosas sent Facundo Quiroga to mediate between the two governments so that they lay down their arms, but, before Quiroga could reach his destination, the war had ended with the triumph of Tucumán and the governor of Salta had been assassinated.
Upon returning from his mission, on February 16, 1835, Quiroga was attacked and assassinated by a group of militiamen. It was clear to everyone that it was a political crime committed by the Reinafé brothers.
When the news of Quiroga’s death reached Buenos Aires, it caused a political earthquake. Governor Maza resigned and, fearing anarchy would break out, the House of Representatives appointed Rosas to replace him. Thus, he offered him a five-year term and granted him absolute power.
return to power
Rosas accumulated all the power of the State during this second term. Even so, during the first years he had to face an army organized by Juan Lavalle, a Unitarian leader, and who had French support.
Rosas, shortly after, reached an agreement with France and recovered the interior provinces controlled by the unitarios. In this way, by 1842, he had control of the entire national territory. In his own words, he became a «tyrant anointed by God to save the country.»
Among other measures, Rosas eliminated the House of Representatives and founded the Apostolic Restoration Party. Throughout that term, he tirelessly fought against the Unitarians, equally repressing anyone who dared to oppose his policies.
On the positive side, Rosas politically stabilized the country and managed to maintain national unity. Likewise, his policies promoted an improvement in the economy, although this did not reach many sectors.
In the mid-1940s, the French and the British established a blockade on Buenos Aires in response to the siege of Montevideo imposed by Rosas. Both European countries tried to send troops through the Paraná.
loss of power
Despite the fact that Rosas managed to prevent the French and British from conquering Buenos Aires, five years later the story would be different.
In 1850, the governor of Entre Ríos, with the help of the Unitarians and the governments of Montevideo and Brazil, rebelled against Rosas. His troops invaded Santa Fe, managing to reach Buenos Aires.
The battle of Caseros, in 1852, marked the end of the government of Juan Manuel Rosas. With greatly diminished popular support, he had no choice but to go into exile, to Britain. There, in the city of Southampton, he died on March 14, 1877.
first government
Juan Manuel Rosas was appointed Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires on December 8, 1829. According to historians, the appointment enjoyed great popular support.
In this first term, although he did not reach the extremes of the second, Rosas was granted extraordinary powers.
During that time, there was no national government as such, since Argentina had not been constituted as a nation. Therefore, the position of Rosas did not have a national character. However, the rest of the provinces decided to delegate foreign policy to him.
From the outset, Rosas declared the unitary party an enemy. One of his most famous slogans, «he who is not with me, he is against me», was frequently used to attack members of that party. This made him gain support among conservatives (moderates or radicals), the bourgeoisie, the indigenous people and part of the rural population.
The civil war in the interior
The unitary general, José María Paz, successfully organized an expedition to occupy Córdoba, defeating Facundo Quiroga. He withdrew to Buenos Aires and Paz took the opportunity to invade other provinces governed by the federales.
In this way, the four coastal provinces were…