History of Argentina

Not Argentinian, but an Argaboo

I don't know about history books, but their rock music, especially concerning the dictatorship, is pretty incredible. I've been thinking about making a thread about it on Veeky Forums but I haven't been sure if it would be worth the effort. May as well post about it here and see who bites.

I'll give you tldr of an article that provides the context to the whole movement, but of which I unfortunately can't post a link to without getting my post discarded as span:
>Argentine dictatorship decides to go full Orwell
>Starts banning certain words, disappearing critics
>Completely gets rid of the conception of teenagers, media just portrays youth and adults with nothing in between
>In response, Argentine rock nacional bands start releasing deeply metaphorical songs criticizing the regime
>Teenagers would gather to listen to albums, and also discuss the meanings of the songs, which allowed for a dialog against the dictatorship to form among the youth
>Ends up creating probably what can be considered one of the greatest music movements in history, with artists like Sui Generis and Luis Spinetta

Here's a direct quote from the aforementioned article, google it and you'll find a link:
>In the 20th century Argentina experienced a series of dictatorial regimes of varying intensity, but the last dictatorship stands apart. The Process of National Reorganization or Proceso (1976–1983) was not only the most brutally repressive, “disappearing” 30,000 of its own citizens into concentration camps, but also the most ambitious in terms of ideological mission. Its campaign, officially called “the war against subversion,” was committed to the total eradication of leftist ideas from the political landscape of the country by any means necessary. This radical transformation was to be brought about not only in the torture chamber, but in the media as well. The regime planned an Orwellian redefinition of words: the systematic creation of a national vocabulary that would exclude certain ideas and parties. In order to achieve its overt project of the appropriation of language, the junta maintained obsessive control over the media, instituted strict censorship reinforced by terror, and bombarded the airwaves and newspapers with official communiqués. In the face of this repression, most journalists and writers and many artists could not express dissent of any kind. Yet singers of a new Argentine music genre that came to be known as rock nacional developed codified and oblique metaphorical expression in their lyrics that allowed them to evade censorship and to continue to criticize the military regime with relative impunity. Moreover, many Argentine youths found solace in the music and used it to create communities in which they could meet and express themselves. The regime had sought to deny young Argentines a forum for public speech; however, together artists and listeners created a rock nacional culture that provided community for the isolated and lent a voice to the silenced.

Ok, so lets get to some music:
>Sui generis, Cancion para mi muerte
youtube.com/watch?v=IatPmeHd2nc
Basically, it's written as a love ballad, but with a lot of hidden meanings. Probably one of the best songs I've ever heard.

Hubo un tiempo que fue hermoso
y fui libre de verdad,
guardaba todos mis sueños
en castillos de cristal.
Poco a poco fui creciendo,
y mis fábulas de amor
se fueron desvaneciendo
como pompas de jabón.
>Here Sui Generis is lamenting the death of democracy and freedom in his country, although it's only indirectly hinted at

Te encontraré una mañana
dentro de mi habitación
y prepararás la cama
para dos.
>The trick with the refrain is that it has a double meaning, on one hand, being a cute sexual reference that Argentinian culture excels at, but keep listening

Es larga la carretera
cuando uno mira atrás
vas cruzando las fronteras
sin darte cuenta quizás.
Tomate del pasamanos
porque antes de llegar
se aferraron mil ancianos
pero se fueron igual.
>This parts a bit more clear, especially the reference to crossing borders

Te encontraré una mañana
dentro de mi habitación
y prepararás la cama
para dos.
>And now, it's starting to become clear that the chorus is actually referring the secret police, that he believes will come to murder him. "Preparing a bed for two" is actually a very bold statement, referring to a death bed rather than a sex bed

Quisiera saber tu nombre
tu lugar, tu dirección
si te han puesto teléfono,
también tu numeración.
Te suplico que me avises
si me vienes a buscar,
no es porque te tenga miedo,
sólo me quiero arreglar.
>And so on
...

Like all good poetry, the meaning's hidden in the title. The entire song is Sui Generis daring the secret police to murder him, and really an amazingly brave protest against the military dictatorship when placed in it's proper context. On a superficial level, it's a beautiful song too.

Some more great songs, I'll leave them up to you to interpret.

youtube.com/watch?v=Yz-ST82vc8g

youtube.com/watch?v=n17l0RWG1to

youtube.com/watch?v=P80DceLNU-g

youtube.com/watch?v=llo76gK9UvM

youtube.com/watch?v=BV1b9vbd7oQ (this one is great, Pappo Blues played with B.B. King a couple times, in my opinion, he's the better half of the duo)

You can find something in these links from this pastebin pastebin.com/u/jonstond2

pastebin.com/D52Suy4q
pastebin.com/ezVRHj8g
pastebin.com/Jn4L6wvw
pastebin.com/4FViyUQ5
pastebin.com/xxPNtHcp
pastebin.com/AF2gG9ZT

As a bonus, here's a video of Charly Garcia jumping out of a window like a rock star:

youtube.com/watch?v=ikIfnh_ygeM

...

Thank you all anons. I'll check those bibliographies. Concerning music, I've been listening to Argentine music for years. I don't like Charly García (only La máquina de hacer pájaros debut album) although the lyrics are strong. I find Spinetta to be the best musician from South America along with Piazzolla. His work in Invisible, Pescado Rabioso and the soloist album Artaud is superb.
Also I've been with two girls from Argentina. One from Buenos Aires and the other from Rosario. Why the fuck are women in Argentina so beautiful while Chileans are usually ugly?

>Why the fuck are women in Argentina so beautiful while Chileans are usually ugly?
I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the meat in their diet. Eating asado every day boosts their hormone levels or something.

I haven't heard Piazzolla, thanks for sharing, I'll make sure to check him out

While we're talking about music, it's interesting how intertwined the music and politics of Argentina (South America?) is. Even outside of the narrow focus of the military junta, every province and region of Argentina has it's own forms of music and dance.

Personally, one of my favorite music genres is the chacarera, from northern Argentina (Formosa, Salta) and (I'm assuming) Paraguay. Pure gaucho melancholy.

youtube.com/watch?v=anktaszpvOQ

youtube.com/watch?v=4vtg2Zu9HPs&t

youtube.com/watch?v=FBcsA3MB3TA

I used to dance it a bit, even the form of dancing is a kind of philosophy. The two dancers never actually touch each other, just circle with a kind of flamboyant machismo, the whole ritual of closeness and distance builds this incredible sexual energy between the two dancers that I've never seen in any other dance.

Unfortunately I can't find any good videos of it, but some of the male performers can get really intense, with elaborate costumes and foot movements, and they'll even pull out knives for theatrical effect. It's a really amazing art form, that unfortunately doesn't exist in the Anglo world.

Piazzolla is amazing. Whole different level. You should listen the album Libertango. Here I link Adiós nonino. It's an strong emotional piece he wrote shortly after his father died.

youtube.com/watch?v=VTPec8z5vdY

Also if you're into the whole gaucho thing, you should give Larralde a try. Herencia pa un hijo gaucho is an album where he humbly passes on teachings of life to his son, always making reference to the difficulties of life in the country and class struggle.

“Perdone m´hijo y no crea
Que le voy a dar consejo,
Solamente en el reflejo
De un parecer sin pasión,
Quiero darle la ocasión
De verle el alma a su viejo.”

youtube.com/watch?v=GLJjeJDn_FA

Both of them leave me in tears. My dad was from Argentina and this is what's left from him. He was a simple man.

Because Argentine women are of European descent (no meme) while Chilean women are non white.

Listening to them now. Thanks for the recommendations user.

You're welcome my friend

Bump because of music

If you like economic history, read Rapoport. If you like political history, read Halperín Donghi.

Since you like la máquina i'll assume you like prog rock and recommend this incredible band:
youtube.com/watch?v=-5pmx5tZ-80

>I haven't heard Piazzolla
Jesus christ user, are you an argie? Get your shit together.

Read John Lynch's "Argentine Caudillo: Juan Manuel de Rosas", he is a British historian who specializes in Argentina, and his books are used/respected/translated in Argentina.
You should be able to find it in English.

Read "Revolución y Guerra" by Halperín Donghi. He was the most prestigious Argentine historian.
This is the Translation
amazon.com/Politics-Economics-Argentina-Revolutionary-Cambridge/dp/0521109035

Read this

I'm here listening to piazzolla (the tango way) and this thread pops up, coincidences huh.
And while I'm not from Argentina (I'm from somewhere else in LatAm) nor am argieboo it's undoubtedle that their contribution to music and literature (why was Borges so based?) has been vast.

Thanks user, I'll check those. Also I can read Spanish so if you have more untranslated recommendations, go ahead.

Have any idea what's the main difference between this one and historia argentina by Busaniche? First user recommended that and I'm not sure which general overview should I get.

not him, but Felix Luna, who is dead, is the best "pop historian", as in, a historian whose books are good and normal people can read them in the subway.
His books arent used in academia but you cant really go wrong with him.

Avoid Felipe Pigna like the plague.

Busaniche was a historical revisionist, they mainly disagree with the official historiography created by President Mitre. Rosas and Peron are the two most controversial Argentines.

fucking interesting m8, thanks
it's obvious yet weird to think that music can provide some insight to a historical context

i'll check them

I should have mentioned that I'm not looking for pop history.

All listed shit has wrong basement which prevent clear vision of Latin American history. I can recommend you some french articles about true but without hard proofs.

I have some argie friends since I came here to finish my studies (at first they seem strange, but after they break the ice, they are GOLDEN) and they keep jocking about this Pigna guy, to meme levels.
They even have fb group pages just to hate/mock the guy

Sadly I can't read French, only Spanish and English.

I was aware of this Pigna guy luckily.

I've an idea when it comes to books about specific periods but I'm still undecided about the general overview book which is the first I'm going to read of course. Breve historia de la Argentina by Romero really caught my eye.
I still have time anyway since I'm finishing a book on WW1.

Ok. Condensed information of articles.
18 century was epoch of French and British dominance. Both these countries planned to seize Spanish colonies of Latin America, but didnt want to start and give opportunity to opponent.
France was becoming weaker during 1789-1815 events and Britiain got world supremacy.
Initial British plan was to convert Spanish colonies into British. But USA announced Monroe Doctrine, so Brits chose indirect management. They organised hundreds of revolutionary bands and execute massive amount of coups during 1820s-1840s. All new states (including Argentina) were under British power. The only exception - near USA: unstable Mexica and untouchable Cuba.
USA was becoming stronger during 19 century and start to press in Latin American countries. Absolute majority of these coups and civil wars - part of struggle between USA and Britain. All radical leftists and most of leftist - British followers. USA still havent domination there.
Most interesting related topics about Argentina - territorial dispute with Chile, which was solved by British king. And war for icelands - Britain showed that memes about British fall and weakness are just memes.

so in the end it was all memes again.

Ok, this is what I got. I'm comfortable now.

- Breve historia de la argentina by Romero
- Breve historia contemporánea de la Argentina by Romero
- Historia económica, política y social de la Argentina by Rapoport
- Revolución y guerra by Donghi
- Juan Manuel de Rosas by John Lynch
- Unitarismo, federalismo, Rosismo by Enrique Barba
- Historia de la clase media Argentina. Apogeo y decadencia de una ilusión, 1919-2003 by Ezequiel Adamovsky
- Historia de las clases populares en la Argentina, desde 1880 hasta 2003 by Ezequiel Adamovsky
- Resistencia e integración by Daniel James

I'm going with Romero because I read good things about him. It's a brief overview with an effort in trying to be unbiased. All the other books I took some from here and the others from university bibliographies (University of Buenos Aires and University of La Plata). Also some of the books mentioned here like the ones by Rapoport, Donghi and Lynch look really good and appear to be standard in college curriculum. Can't wait to read them.