Radical (Union) Party

Radical (Union) Party (Unión Civica Radical, Radical Civic Union, UCR) (Argentina) Argentina's main consistently democratic political party, it was founded in 1892 and consisted of a coalition of groups which had either failed to take part in Argentina's agricultural export boom, such as parts of the old nobility, or had done well but failed to attain corresponding political power, such as the newly prosperous middle classes and landowners of the upper Littoral. Following the introduction of universal male suffrage in 1912, the leader of the well-organized Radicals, Yrigoyen, was elected President in 1916. They dominated the 1920s politically through control of both Houses of Congress and the presidency (under Yrigoyen and Marcelo T. de Alvear). In 1930, however, Yrigoyen was deposed by a military coup d'état.

Despite a long spell in opposition it continued to be the largest party, but split in 1956 into the Intransigent Radicals strictly opposed to Perón, and the Popular Radicals in favour of dialogue with Peronism. The latter Radicals formed two democratic governments 1958–66, which were fundamentally weakened by disunity and the need for the mutually exclusive support of both Peronists and the military. The central voice of the middle classes, the Radicals formed the opposition to the governments of the military and the Peronists, and did not return to power until 1983 under Alfonsin, who won the elections on a wave of disgust against a discredited military and a popular desire for a stable democracy. Nevertheless, Alfonsin could not prevent Peronism from becoming a popular force again, and in 1989 the Peronists returned to government. Under Ferdinand de la Rúa, the UCR returned to power in 1999. It turned out to be a phyrric victory, however, as the new government presided over a period of deep political and economic turbulence. De la Rúa resiged in December 2001, with power ultimately returning to the Peronists.