Why Perón Came to Power: A Book Review of Barager's Essay Collection
This paper reviews Joseph R. Barager's edited volume Why Perón Came to Power (Alfred A. Knopf, 1968), a collection of 21 essays by scholars, journalists, and historical figures examining the political and social conditions that enabled Juan Domingo Perón's rise and rule in Argentina. The review summarizes key contributions — including essays by economist Robert J. Alexander on Perón's co-optation of labor unions and a firsthand account by Eva Perón — and evaluates Barager's editorial decisions regarding essay selection, placement, and balance. The paper argues that Barager successfully fulfills his stated thesis by presenting multiple perspectives without tilting toward hagiography or condemnation, and closes with a broader reflection on Argentina's recurring cycle of democratic aspiration and authoritarian rule.
- Overview of the Edited Collection: Barager's thesis, scope, and editorial approach
- Key Essays and Contributors: Summaries of notable individual essay contributions
- Editorial Structure and Placement: Analysis of essay ordering and tonal balance
- Balance of Perspectives and Final Retrospect: Multi-viewpoint balance and broader historical conclusions
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The review clearly articulates the editor's thesis early and then evaluates how successfully each section of the book fulfills it, giving the paper a coherent evaluative thread.
- Specific page citations and direct quotations from multiple contributors demonstrate genuine engagement with the primary source rather than surface-level summary.
- The contrast drawn between Eva Perón's emotional, subjective account and Maria Flores's objective journalism is an effective critical observation that illustrates editorial judgment concretely.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper exemplifies source-driven critical evaluation: rather than simply summarizing content, it assesses the editor's curatorial and structural decisions — essay ordering, thematic balance, and tonal variety — as distinct intellectual choices worthy of analysis. This approach treats an edited anthology not as a passive container of texts but as an argument in its own right.
Structure breakdown
The review opens with an overview of the volume's scope and the editor's stated thesis, then moves to summaries of selected key essays with supporting quotations. A clearly labeled critique section follows, analyzing Barager's editorial placement decisions and his success in maintaining balance across viewpoints. The paper closes by connecting the book's historical findings to a broader observation about democratic governance in post-colonial states.
Overview of the Edited Collection
Joseph R. Barager, editor of Why Perón Came to Power (Alfred A. Knopf, 1968), opens the volume with a 38-page introduction before giving way to 21 individual contributors — each of whom offers a short essay on a pivotal period or event leading up to and into the Perónist era. Each of the 21 essayists brings a distinct area of expertise and, accordingly, a unique point of view. Barager's overriding thesis is clear from the outset: the book will argue that Juan Domingo Perón was not responsible for "all the ills and misfortunes" that afflicted Argentina following World War II — notwithstanding the claims of some Latin American journalistic observers and the anger of many hostile Argentineans. Nor, the editor asserts, was Perón the uncomplicated "champion" of the lower class (the descamisados — "shirtless ones"), as approximately one-third of the Argentine electorate maintained. Barager's purpose, then, is to trace through 21 individual narratives the key political and social events in Argentine history leading up to and including Perón's ascension — events which, in Barager's view, paved the way for a man like Perón to come to power, rule with a dictator's hand, be imprisoned, and ultimately rise from his cell to rule again.
Barager's engagement with the subject grew out of personal scholarly interest. He received a Doherty Foundation Fellowship to study the Perón phenomenon and was also awarded a Penfield Traveling Scholarship, which funded an extended research stay in Argentina from 1949 to 1950. His style is straightforward and matter-of-fact; he does not indulge in a great deal of opinion but instead attempts to cover the voluminous material in an objective, non-opinionated manner. The book's historical scope spans from the early 1800s through part of the 1960s.
Reference
Barager, Joseph R. Why Perón Came to Power: The Background to Peronism in Argentina. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968.
Already a member? Log in
Unlock the rest of this paper
135,000+ research papers · AI writing tools · Plagiarism & AI detection
24-Hour Pass
Does not renew
Get 24-Hour PassMonthly
Renews at $12.99/month until canceled
Start MonthlyAnnual
Renews at $99/year until canceled
Start Annual- Unlimited AI writing tools
- Plagiarism and AI text detection tool
Plan details
Unlimited AI writing tools are for individual, non-automated use and are subject to our Terms of Service and abuse-prevention measures.
TextChecker scans: 1 during the 24-Hour Pass, or 5 per month with Monthly and Annual.
Prices exclude applicable tax.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.