Populism, Local Institutions and Democracy (Province of Buenos Aires, 1945-1958)

Abstract

The image of a centralizing and authoritarian Peronism, that is still hegemonic in social sciences, is largely a legacy of the arguments “desperonizantes” of the “Revolución Libertadora”. These interpretations have been built since Tocqueville’s view, combining a priori ideas of decentralization, civil society’s activation and democracy. In this article we use those investigations that consider populism as inclusive and democratizing forces. This helps us to rethink the relationship between classical Peronism and local institutions, a dimension that has been little discussed. Specifically, we investigate the changes and continuities that have suffered the municipal government and local school boards in the province of Buenos Aires before and after Peronism.