The Dirty War In Argentina
The “Disappeared” in Argentina
Andrew McClarren
SPAN 131Y
April 17, 2015 Latin America is most often associated with its vibrant culture; the dancing and singing, the flashy colors, the warm weather and boisterous people, and often the topic of those “disappeared” in Argentina is unheard of and forgotten. Within just the last few decades, Argentina had faced severe heartache and terror. With the Dirty War came severe physical and emotional devastation. Thousands of people were forced into disappearance, tortured, raped and/or murdered. Though the topic of the “disappeared” is an extremely sensitive and controversial subject, their stories are not forgotten and the memory of these horrific events lives on today in Argentina. The Dirty War in Argentina was led by a small council referred to as a junta between the years 1976 and 1983. The junta was commanded by a man by the name of Jorge Videla who took control of Argentina during poor economic times. Videla had the idea that to reform the country into what it should be, he had to instill the principles of good Christian faith and conservatism back into its people. In order to do so, Videla took drastic measures to get what he wanted. By and large, the military led by Videla targeted every day civilians who chose to live by different standards, these people being students, union workers, political activists, reporters, etc. He considered these people to be terrorists, and that they were the ones responsible for the decline of Argentina. Rather than immediately killing them, he kidnapped them, vanishing them essentially from the face of the earth, never to be seen or heard from again (Argentina's History and the Dirty War). Author of the novel God’s Assassins: State Terrorism in Argentina in the 1970s, Patricia Marchak stated, “It was not a declared war, there was no specific legislation addressing it, and there were no rules.” The junta started their ideas with the plans to abolish guerrilla
Andrew McClarren
SPAN 131Y
April 17, 2015 Latin America is most often associated with its vibrant culture; the dancing and singing, the flashy colors, the warm weather and boisterous people, and often the topic of those “disappeared” in Argentina is unheard of and forgotten. Within just the last few decades, Argentina had faced severe heartache and terror. With the Dirty War came severe physical and emotional devastation. Thousands of people were forced into disappearance, tortured, raped and/or murdered. Though the topic of the “disappeared” is an extremely sensitive and controversial subject, their stories are not forgotten and the memory of these horrific events lives on today in Argentina. The Dirty War in Argentina was led by a small council referred to as a junta between the years 1976 and 1983. The junta was commanded by a man by the name of Jorge Videla who took control of Argentina during poor economic times. Videla had the idea that to reform the country into what it should be, he had to instill the principles of good Christian faith and conservatism back into its people. In order to do so, Videla took drastic measures to get what he wanted. By and large, the military led by Videla targeted every day civilians who chose to live by different standards, these people being students, union workers, political activists, reporters, etc. He considered these people to be terrorists, and that they were the ones responsible for the decline of Argentina. Rather than immediately killing them, he kidnapped them, vanishing them essentially from the face of the earth, never to be seen or heard from again (Argentina's History and the Dirty War). Author of the novel God’s Assassins: State Terrorism in Argentina in the 1970s, Patricia Marchak stated, “It was not a declared war, there was no specific legislation addressing it, and there were no rules.” The junta started their ideas with the plans to abolish guerrilla