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Alfonsín, Raúl
Alfonsín, Raúl (b. 12 Mar. 1927). President of Argentina 1983–9 Member of the Radical Union Party (UCR) from 1945, he was a lawyer as well as a member of the Chamber of Deputies during two brief periods of civilian rule. He became leader of the UCR in 1981, and in 1983 was elected as an erstwhile opponent of military dictatorship and the Falklands War. He succeeded in stabilizing his country's fragile democracy, despite a number of attempted military coups, which was possible owing to popular aversion to a return to authoritarian rule. By contrast, he was unable to lead his country to economic recovery. When he lost the elections to his opponent, Menem, he caused a general surprise by resigning five months before Menem was due to take over, leaving the economy in a state of near-collapse. He became a Senator, and supported President Duhalde's efforts to restore the economy after the economic breakdown of 2001/2002.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Alfonsín, Raúl." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Alfonsín, Raúl." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-AlfonsnRal.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Alfonsín, Raúl." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-AlfonsnRal.html |
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Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Alfonsín (Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín Foulkes), 1927–2009, president of Argentina (1983–89). A long-time political activist, a member of the Radical party, and a provincial and national legislator, he opposed Juan Perón and several military governments. Following the bloody military rule of 1976–83, in which an estimated 10,000 people were killed or "disappeared," and the Falkland Islands war (1982), which discredited the junta, Alfonsín was elected president. His government prosecuted and imprisoned many of the previous military rulers and their collaborators, converting Alfonsín into an international symbol of human rights. He had less success in stemming Argentina's hyperinflation, and his failure in economic policy paved the way for the victory of the Peronist candidate, Carlos Saúl Menem , in the presidential elections of 1989. Alfonsín remained influential in Argentinian politics in subsequent years, and briefly served as a senator (2001–2). |
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"Raúl Alfonsín." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Raúl Alfonsín." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Alfonsin.html "Raúl Alfonsín." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Alfonsin.html |
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