Within Argentina, Juan Domingo Peron continues to be the subject of exaggerated and diametrically opposed views. A dictator, a great leader, the hero of the working classes and Argentina's "first worker"; a weak and spineless man dependent on his strongerwilled wife; a Latin American visionary; a traitor, responsible for dragging Argentina into a modern, socially just 20th century society or, conversely, destroying for all time a prosperous nation and fomenting class war and unreasonable aspirations among his client base. Outside Argentina, Peron remains overshadowed by his second wife, Evita. The life of this fascinating and unusual man, whose charisma, political influence and controversial nature continue to generate interest, remains somewhat of a mystery to the rest of the world. Peron remains a key figure in Argentine politics, still able to occupy so much of the political spectrum as to constrain the development of viable alternatives. Jill Hedges explores the life and personality of Peron and asks why he remains a political icon despite the 'negatives' associated with his extreme personalism.

In the early 20th century, Argentina possessed one of the world's most prosperous economies, yet since then Argentina has suffered a series of boom-and-bust cycles that have seen it fall well behind its regional neighbours. At the same time, despite the lack of significant ethnic or linguistic divisions, Argentina has failed to create an over-arching post-independence national identity and its political and social history has been marred by frictions, violence and a 50-year series of military coups d'etat. In this book, Jill Hedges analyses the modern history of Argentina from the adoption of the 1853 constitution until the present day, exploring political, economic and social aspects of Argentina's recent past in a study which will be invaluable for anyone interested in South American history and politics.