History of Argentina

Named for the Latin word for silver, Argentina grew from a remote Spanish colonial backwater into one of the wealthiest nations on Earth by the early 20th century on the strength of its vast pampas grasslands, before a turbulent century of coups, Peronism, and economic upheaval reshaped its politics.

Timeline

• pre-1500

  Indigenous Peoples

  Diverse peoples including the Diaguita in the northwest and various groups across the pampas and Patagonia inhabit the region long before European contact.

• 1536 / 1580

  Spanish Colonization

  Spanish expeditions found Buenos Aires in 1536 (abandoned after Indigenous resistance) and refound it permanently in 1580, though the colony remains a peripheral outpost of the Spanish Empire for over two centuries.

• 1810 – 1816

  Independence

  The May Revolution of 1810 begins the break from Spanish rule; formal independence is declared in 1816, followed by decades of conflict between centralist and federalist factions.

• 1880 – 1930

  The Golden Age

  Waves of European immigration and booming beef and grain exports make Argentina one of the ten richest countries in the world by the early 20th century, earning it the nickname 'the breadbasket of the world'.

• 1946 – 1955 / 1973 – 1974

  The Perón Era

  Juan Perón and his wife Eva ('Evita') build a mass political movement, Peronism, blending labor rights with nationalist populism; Perón is ousted in 1955 and briefly returns to power in the early 1970s.

• 1976 – 1983

  Military Dictatorship and the 'Dirty War'

  A military junta seizes power in 1976, waging a brutal campaign against political dissidents in which tens of thousands of people are killed or 'disappeared'.

• 1982

  The Falklands War

  Argentina's military government invades the British-held Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Britain retakes the islands after a short war, and the defeat helps trigger the junta's collapse and a return to democracy in 1983.

Key facts

• Argentina was among the ten wealthiest countries in the world in the early 20th century, driven by beef and grain exports.
• Buenos Aires received one of the largest waves of European immigration in the Americas, shaping its culture and architecture.
• The 1976–83 military dictatorship's campaign of forced disappearances remains a defining trauma in Argentine history.

Notable figures

• José de San Martín — Military leader who helped liberate Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule.
• Eva Perón — First lady and political force whose advocacy for workers and women made her a lasting national icon.