Peron, Eva

Maria Eva Ibarguren was born on May 7, 1919 in the town of Los Toldos in the province of Buenos Aires . She was the youngest of five illegitimate children, Juan Duarte, the owner of a small livestock farm, and his maid, Juana Ibarguren, who came from a poor Basque immigrant family.

At age 12, Eva, inadvertently crouching at a cauldron with boiling olive oil, received severe burns to her face and hands. The doctor called to the girl said that, most likely, she would have monstrous scars, but when the bandages were removed a month later, the doctors were surprised. Face and hands were covered with snow-white healthy skin, without a single scar.

In 1926, Duarte died in a car accident, after which the life of Juana and the children changed dramatically. The lawful spouse with children, belonging to a wealthy landowner clan, claimed the right to inherit, and the “collateral family” lost their homes. Juana managed to get along with the children in the neighboring town of Junin. Despite the humiliating position of a “married widow” in the eyes of many, Juan was able to find the three eldest daughters of wealthy husbands “from society”, and identify her son for military service in the capital. The youngest daughter, having finished elementary school very late, announced that she wants to leave for the capital and become an actress.

She did so, in January 1935, taking the train to Buenos Aires . Maria began to work in a small acting troupe, performing in small theaters in the capital and touring in other cities - there were many such bands in those years in the capital. Already in March 1935 she made her debut in a tiny role in the capital's Comedy Theater. Professionally, Maria Eva Ibarguren, or Eva Duarte, as she began to call herself on stage, never studied anything, did not attend any acting classes. She never reached the heights of acting. Meanwhile, she began to work as a model in the advertising business, where she achieved notable success. Some magazines, including those writing about the theater and cinema (for example, Sintoniya, Antenna, etc.), began to place photographs from the cover from time to time.

Great success for Eva was the conclusion in 1938 of a contract for advertising on the radio products of the well-known company "Guerillo", producing soap. Eva began working as a speaker, but dreamed of a theater. In 1939, Eva organized the first acting group to work on a short radio show.

Since 1941, she leaves the stage and focuses entirely on radio shows and radio advertising. The name of the young actress of the Eva Duarte radio theater is becoming more and more famous, her photographs are increasingly appearing on the covers of illustrated magazines - Radiolandia and Gyon can be added to the above-mentioned ones. Eva also gets some small movie roles.

Successful for the career of Eva Duarte on the radio was 1943 , when the magazine "Antena" announced a new project for the radio channel "Belgrano" with the support of the company "Guernault". He envisioned the production of the radio series “Heroes in History” with Eva as the lead actress. The cycle of radio plays, the idea of ​​which belonged to Eva herself, included performances about famous women - empresses, queens, actresses ( Josephine , Catherine II , Alexandra Fedorovna , Anna of Austria , Lady Hamilton , Sarah Bernhardt , Eleanor Duse and others).

The year 1943 became important in the personal life of Eva. Then she first heard about Colonel Juan Peron . He was the initiator and organizer of the military coup, but for the time being remained in the shadows, occupying the modest post of head of the labor secretariat he created. Perhaps at the end of 1943, Peron and Eva Duarte met. It is known that Peron, who was interested in popularizing his social policy, repeatedly visited the Belgrano radio station, where Eva worked. However, in his memoirs, Peron reports that they met in January 1944 , when Eva, as part of a group of artists, was invited to an official meeting to organize fundraising to help the victims of the San Juan earthquake . In turn, later, Eva, in numerous speeches and an autobiographical book published in 1951 ^[5] , called acquaintance with Peron “a magical day”, which was the beginning of her “real life”. Indeed, a meeting and a love affair with Peron dramatically changed the life of a young actress. In 1944, on his initiative, Eva became the announcer of the new political broadcast, Towards a Better Future, aired several times a week. The program promoted the activities of the labor secretariat and its leader. Then, Eva began working with the secretariat as the chairman of the new union of radio workers. When Peron became Minister of Defense and Vice President, her position on the Belgrano Channel was further strengthened. Her salary reached a record amount of 35 thousand pesos. At the beginning of 1945, Eva first received an offer to star in the title role in the film “ Waste ". Peron personally attended the filming, which, thanks to generous funding, was furnished with great fanfare.

Peron openly appeared with his young girlfriend, shocking fellow officers with a relationship with the actress. Thanks to her petition, F. Munoz Aspiri, the author of the texts for “Heroes in History,” headed one of the divisions of the propaganda department under the president of the country, and O. Nicolini was appointed to the post of head of the communications and communications department. This exacerbated the contradictions between Peron and the army ranks, which were already frightened by the growth of his popularity among workers. In early October 1945, under pressure from a group of conspiratorial officers, authorities were forced to arrest Peron.

October 17, 1945 went down in the history of Argentina as the date of the "liberation of Peron by the people" and the emergence of the Peronist movement. On this day, thousands of workers and their families gathered on May Square in Buenos Aires in front of the presidential palace , demanding "to return the colonel." The widespread view that Evita participated in organizing these mass performances (as presented in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “ Evita ”, based on which the famous film starring Madonna was shot) does not correspond to reality: at that time she was not involved in politics and had no influence. The Peronists themselves usually exaggerate the place of Eva in the events of October 1945 . This is because Peron, trying to emphasize the “spontaneity” of popular support, repeatedly wrote that in those days it was she who headed the “ shirtless ” ^[6] and, together with the trade unions, directed the speeches of the workers. In fact, Eva at that time was almost unknown in the working environment and, despite all her energy, could only act as a “colonel’s friend”. Even the speech of the liberated Peron before the "shirtless" she heard only on the radio.

After October 17, Peron began preparations for the presidential election, which was announced. October 22, 1945 Eva and Peron got married. Thus, the promise he made in the days of his arrest was fulfilled. Since that time, Eva completely left work in the cinema and on the radio and gradually entered the headquarters of Peron’s closest assistants. At first, her role was small, but very soon she became more and more noticeable. Peron himself sought to draw her into the political struggle. It seemed to him advantageous that next to the presidential candidate is a wife, personifying the increased role of women in the modern world. In addition, he intended to include Argentine women in the political life of the country, to give them the right to vote. In Eva, he saw a suitable candidate for campaigning among women. The later role and influence of Eva in peronism has increased significantly. This led some authors to argue that from the very beginning she purposefully aspired to leadership, wanted to push Peron into the background and only her illness and early death prevented her from doing this. This point of view is absolutely groundless. Undoubtedly, Eva was an energetic woman who possessed the makings of an organizer, but in relation to Peron she always occupied a subordinate position. Peron, without Eva, was and remains a politician who had his own views and style. She acted in accordance with his recommendations, was his student, spoke his language. This is confirmed by the texts of all her speeches, without exception, in which, according to the figurative expression of Sylvia Segal and Eliseo Verona , the authors of the book on the discursive features of peronism, "managed not to utter a single word of her own."

The first public political appearances of Eva date from the end of 1945 - the beginning of 1946 . Together with Peron and his headquarters, she made several trips around the country, visiting many cities. The presence of the wife of the presidential candidate at meetings with voters was a new phenomenon in Argentina. Eva's short speeches were addressed mainly to female workers. Eva successfully copied the oratorical style found by Peron, addressing, first of all, the feelings of the listeners, and not their reason. She assured her and Peron of love and loyalty to the people, called herself "Comrade Evita." Taking into account the low educational level of the bulk of the population, as well as the special emotionality of the Argentinean and, more broadly, Iberian character, characteristic of Eva herself and her listeners, it was such a speech style that was obviously the most effective.

In the presidential election in February 1946, Peron won a landslide victory. Eva became the first lady of Argentina. Her social status has changed dramatically. By position, she now belonged to the elite of the Argentinean society. Proximity to Peron increased its influence. He discussed important appointments with her. So, with her approval, their personal doctor, Ricardo S. Guardo, became chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress, and in 1948, former guard Jose Espejo was appointed Secretary General of the General Confederation of Labor ( CGT ). Profitable positions were received by her relatives and friends. Brother Juan became Peron's personal secretary, the husbands of older sisters - Arrieta, Alvarez Rodriguez and Bertolini - received respectively the posts of senator, chairman of the Supreme Court and director of the Central Customs. Nicolini retained the communications department, Munoz Aspiri joined the staff of her assistants, writing and editing speeches ^[7] .

Peronism as a movement of a populist type could exist only if there was a close emotional connection between the leader and the masses. However, the duties of the president did not allow Peron to speak to the workers as often as before. Eva took on the responsible and difficult role of a link, a special “intermediary” between Peron and his “shirtless”, endowed with the confidence of the leader himself. In the summer of 1946, she began visiting enterprises and speaking to workers. Helping the poor has become one of its most important activities. In the struggle for influence in this area, a conflict arose between Eva, who represented the interests of the government, and the Charity Society, which reflected the opinion of the opposition. The reluctance of the aristocratic ladies to elect the president’s wife as honorary chairman of the society led to an early denouement. In September 1946, by decree of the executive branch, the company was closed, and its property was confiscated in favor of the state. In exchange, the Social Assistance Fund was created under the leadership of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron.

Officially, Eva did not hold any government posts. However, already in 1946, she hosted a reception at the Ministry of Labor (the former secretariat), settling in Peron’s old office. From now on, workers' contacts with the leader of the movement were to be carried out through her as his personal representative. At the ministry, Eva conducted trade union-political and social work, several times a week accepting everyone who needed urgent help or wanted to convey the request to the president. At first she was pretty cautious and formal. Her sister Erminda says that Eva carefully remembered the questions posed by the workers, consulted with Peron, and only then gave the petitioners an answer. Later, she began to make many decisions on her own. In September 1946, Eva appeared in Congress, where she demanded that the Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, R. Guardo, expedite the adoption of the law on women's suffrage. The place that Eva took in political and public life did not correspond to the then ideas of the Argentines about the role of a woman, even if she is the wife of the president. In addition, the attitude towards it was largely determined by the ideological confrontation between the Peronist majority and the opposition. The opposition saw in the socio-political activities deployed by the president’s wife a maneuver aimed at strengthening Peron’s personal power regime. These fears were largely justified, since Peron combined moderate social reforms with the restriction of constitutional rights and freedoms, and Eva actively helped him.

At the beginning of 1947, the prospect of Eva's trip to Europe arose. The initiative came from the government of Spain. The Franco regime, which fell into diplomatic isolation after World War II, urgently needed to establish international economic ties. Argentina, whose financial situation improved during the war, was ready to assist Spain in the form of a large loan. Peron, no less than Franco, was interested in expanding diplomatic contacts with other states, since the dictatorial regime created by him caused alienation and hostility in many countries, especially in the USA and Europe, which had suffered from fascism . Peron was afraid to leave Argentina, fearing that in his absence the opposition would intensify. Therefore, in the end, it was decided that Eva would go to Europe instead, but her trip would be unofficial. Peron hoped that his wife’s “European tour” would be an advertisement for his domestic politics and ensure international recognition of the regime.

Official propaganda presented Eva's visit as a landmark event. However, in government circles in Europe, Eva was not perceived as a diplomat or ambassador. With the exception of Spain, where she was greeted with royal honors, in other countries - Italy, France and especially Switzerland, Portugal, the Vatican and Monaco, according to the diplomatic protocol, she was given the usual reception as the wife of the head of state, nothing more. The Rainbow Tour lasted from June 6 to August 22, 1947 . During the visit, as well as on the way to Europe and back, Eva met with well-known political, public and religious figures. Among them were Salazar and Franco, Pope Pius XII, US Secretary of State J. Marshall, Presidents: V. Oriol (France), E. Di Nicola (Italy), O. Carmona (Portugal), F. Etters (Switzerland), G. Dutra (Brazil), L. Batle Burres (Uruguay), as well as the heads of government, among them De Gasperi (Italy) and J. Bidot (France), foreign ministers of all the mentioned countries, etc.

Although the “rainbow tour” did not achieve its intended goals, in Argentina it was used to give Eva the image of a major statesman. Thanks to the campaign of rampant praise launched in her absence, Eva returned to her homeland as a leader of a national scale, almost equal to Peron. From the end of 1947 until his death, Eva occupied the second place after Peron in the state. The increasing status of Eva in the Peronist movement and the state was evidenced by the fact that on October 17, 1948, she, along with Peron, addressed the workers with a speech from the balcony of the presidential palace. Starting around this time, Eva began to sign documents with a shortened name - not Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, but simply Eva Peron. Thus, she emphasized even greater than before, proximity to Peron, and perhaps even equality with him. Even her appearance is gradually changing. High hairstyles with curls and feminine dresses with ruffles and bows are replaced by smoothly combed hair, laid in a bun, and strict English costumes. Eva turned into Evita - the darling of the "shirtless". So it began to be called the Peronist masses.

In September 1947, Congress passed a law granting women suffrage. According to the law, voting was mandatory, for which the opposition criticized him. Mandatory voting meant the intention of the Peronist leadership to use the law to expand their electorate in future elections. The organizational design of the female peronist movement was completed by the summer of 1949 . On June 26, Eva hosted its first constituent assembly. A few days later, Eva Peron was officially proclaimed president of the female wing of the Peronist Party ( PP ). This confirms that from the very beginning, the women's movement led by it did not pursue feminist, but purely political goals. The effectiveness of Eva as a political leader and organizer was clearly demonstrated in 1951 , when Peron was re-elected as president, receiving 10% more votes than in 1946 . Along with other factors, the growth of his electorate was facilitated by the fact that of the 3.8 million first-time women who voted in favor of Peron, more than 2.4 million expressed

The activities of Evita did not alienate the masses from Peron. On the contrary, she strengthened this connection by being his wife and acting on his behalf. Essentially, the two charismatic leaders formed a single team and acted on the principle of "Peron rules, Eva represents." With the cult of Peron, the crepe and cult of Evita. Already during life, the Peronists called it a symbol of social justice - Hustisialism. She had numerous titles: “standard-bearer of the oppressed masses” , “hope and guardian of the revolution” , “Peron’s shield” , “plenipotentiary representative” , but preferred the “bridge of love between Peron and the people” . These titles were not mere rhetorical inventions created by peronist propaganda or herself. They were adequate to the role that Evita played in the Peronist movement.

Created in 1946, the fund received legal registration in the summer of 1948 . According to the charter, it was a public organization that existed on voluntary donations. However, the fund’s funds consisted, in addition, of deductions from the national lottery, casino revenues, as well as every first increase in the salaries of workers and employees received upon renegotiation of labor agreements. The fund also attracted money from trade unions (deductions in the amount of wages of workers and employees for October 17 and May 1 ), private individuals and enterprises. It is difficult to judge the degree of voluntariness of these fees. There are cases when conflicts arose between workers and the leadership of trade unions and the CGT on this basis. There is also indirect evidence that pressure has also been exerted on entrepreneurs.

The fund’s annual budget, which amounted to only about 30 thousand dollars in 1948 , soon rose to 500 million in 1952 . Obviously, although the foundation was considered a public organization, it enjoyed state aid and resources. So, for example, specialized secretariats were created in a number of ministries (health, transport, etc.), which helped the foundation, for example, hospitalized patients or provided the necessary vehicles. During the construction of its facilities, the fund resorted to direct financial support from the state, and used the opportunities and benefits it provided.

The purpose of the fund was to provide urgent assistance to the poorest segments of the population not covered by state or professional social security. Unlike ordinary private charity, this activity was carried out nationwide and acquired the features of public policy. The main activities of the Eva Peron Foundation were as follows: the construction of free hospitals, clinics, shelters for the elderly and the homeless, temporary housing for workers, boarding schools for orphans, etc .; financing of national programs: school tourism and excursions, summer holidays for schoolchildren, sports and recreational activities for children and youth (for example, free attendance of football matches for children under 12 years of age, creation of free football sections and holding nationwide youth football competitions “Evita” with presentation valuable prizes), sanitary-hygienic events in schools, distribution of New Year's gifts to children, free distribution of textbooks, clothes, shoes, sweets to orphans; distribution of New Year's gifts to orphans; distribution of everyday goods to the poor (food, clothing, shoes, dishes, sewing machines, prams, bicycles, dowry for newborns, etc.); personal reception of citizens who needed urgent resolution of material problems (job search, housing, etc.), processing letters from the population with similar requests (more than 10 thousand letters daily); Fund assistance to people in need in other countries.

Some figures may indicate the scale of the fund’s activities. In 1948 - 1952, on his initiative, about 30 well-equipped hospitals and 20 kindergartens and boarding schools were built in various parts of the country. Widespread construction of primary schools and housing for workers. The number of places in hospital hospitals increased from 8 to 20 thousand. 500 thousand children were involved in the work of sports sections. During the Christmas holidays, children were given up to 4 million gifts. Although the fund had approximately 70 thousand full-time and part-time workers, Eva hosted a personal reception of citizens several times a week, which lasted for many hours. The work of the Eva Peron Foundation was marked by special thanks from the UN and the Vatican’s awards.

The fund also had major flaws. The main one is the lack of control over received and spent funds. Former fund employees recall that there were no books, records of income and expenses, and no reports. This should inevitably lead to the use of part of his finances for other purposes. As for the numerous rumors about the involvement of the “authoritarian ruler” herself in the expenditure of the fund for personal purposes, they have never been confirmed. However, there is no doubt that the activities of the fund were politically motivated and used to strengthen the cult of Juan and Eva Peron.

Eva was one of the most important pillars of the peronist regime. This became especially clear in 1951 - 1952 , when the government was faced with a deterioration in the economic situation and aggravation of social conflicts. Despite the signs of the disease, which first came to light in January 1950 , Eva continued to work hard. In anticipation of the presidential election of 1951, she made a number of campaign trips around the country. Her performances were broadcast on the radio. All the speeches of Evita of this period are extremely emotional, passionate, even exalted: Peron in them is represented as a fateful person for Argentina, "able to protect the gains of the workers from any attempts to take them away." Her authority in the Peronist movement was exceptionally high at that time.

This is evidenced by the appeal to Eva in May 1951 of the CGT and the women's branch of the Republic of Poland with a request to agree to be nominated as a candidate for vice president. However, the opposition of the army leadership, who did not want to see a woman in this post, and most importantly, Eva’s disease prevented the implementation of this plan. Under pressure from the military, Juan Peron was forced to reject her candidacy. True, after the inauguration of Peron in June 1952, his wife was given the symbolic title of “Spiritual Leader of the Nation . ” In November 1951, Eva underwent surgery. She died at the age of 33 from cancer of the uterus on July 26, 1952 . Her body was embalmed and put on public display until 1955 , when her husband was overthrown during the coup. The body was transported to Milan and buried under the name Maria Maji Magistris. Juan Peron returned from exile to Argentina, again becoming president, and died in 1974 (he was replaced by his third wife, Isabel Martinez de Peron , trying to imitate the public image of Eva). After his death, Evita's body was transported back to Argentina and was soon finally buried in the family crypt of her father's relatives Duarte (despite her illegal origin).

Even now, many years later, the image of this woman gives rise to controversy. Her short but vibrant life today remains the subject of controversy between the adherents of the ideas of "peronism" and their opponents. According to the former, Evita’s life and social activities are worthy of admiration and veneration, and in the opinion of the latter, they deserve condemnation and criticism. Evita herself, along with Che Guevara , remains the idol of the left youth in South America.

Another view of Eva is found in those who, regardless of their political convictions, share a critical attitude to politics. Without denying the high place of Eva in the Argentine history of the 20th century, they suggest thinking about a number of “difficult” issues. For example, can the dictator’s wife, dressed in Dior’s clothes and hung with jewelry, be considered the “revolutionary” and “standard bearer of the poor”, could the charity carried out by Evita lead to a real improvement in the lives of workers or was it a hidden form of expropriating private and spending public funds with the purpose of bribing the electorate ? How to relate to the fact that the president’s wife openly interfered in state affairs and allegedly for the sake of “the interests of the people” sought to appoint “her people” to important and profitable posts, including her relatives ^[8] . Evita was sometimes tacitly reproached with the fact that in her youth she worked as a prostitute and a photo model for porn magazines, and after coming to power, she allegedly ordered to destroy all the photographs revealing her ^[9] .

• Evita - Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice Musical
• Evita - Alan Parker film based on the musical of the same name
• Evita is a typical asteroid of the main belt, which was discovered in 1948 by the Argentine astronomer Miguel Itzigson
• Eva Doesn’t Sleep - movie of 2015 (Argentina — France — Spain)
• the city of Ciudad Evita in the Argentinean province of Buenos Aires .

• Official Evita Peron website created by the Evita Perón Historical Research Foundation
• Official website of the National Argentine Institute Juan Peron
• Peronism History Resource
• The Eva Peron Museum in Buenos Aires, opened in 2002
• Evita House Museum in Los Toldos
• Fundación Eva Perón
• agendaperonista.com.ar