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Guerrillas and Generals: The Dirty War in Argentina | 
 enlarge | Author: Paul H. Lewis
Publisher: Praeger Paperback
Category: Book
Buy New: $35.00
New (7) Used (7) from $19.22
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 471359
Media: Paperback
Pages: 280
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9
ISBN: 0275973603
Dewey Decimal Number: 982.06
EAN: 9780275973605
ASIN: 0275973603
Publication Date: October 30, 2001
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Product Description
Lewis provides a comprehensive, impartial examination of Argentina's "Dirty War." He analyzes the causes, describes the ideologies that motivated both sides, and explores the consequences of all-or-nothing politics. He begins by tracing the Dirty War's origins back to military interventions in the 1930s and 1940s, and the rise of General Juan Peron's populist regime, which resulted in the polarization of Argentine society. Peron's overthrow by the military in 1955 only heightened social conflict by producing a resistance movement out of which several guerrilla organizations would soon emerge. The ideologies, terrorist tactics, and internal dynamics of those underground groups are examined in detail, as well as their links to other movements in Argentina and abroad. The guerrillas reached the height of their influence when the military withdrew from power in 1973 and turned over the government to Peron's puppet president, Hector Campora. They quickly found themselves in opposition again after Peron returned from exile, and as Peronism dissolved into factions after Peron's death, the military prepared to take power again, inspired by a new "National Security Doctrine." The origins of this ideology in US Cold War doctrine and in French "revolutionary war" doctrine are fully explored, because the Argentine military's Dirty War strategy and tactics grew directly out of these ideas. The arrests, the treatment of prisoners, and the mindset of the interrogators are treated in detail. Special attention is given to the anti-guerrilla war in Tucuman's jungles, the strange history of David Graiver-the guerrillas' banker-and the Timerman case. In the last part of the book, Lewis describes the intrigues that undermined the military regime, its retreat from power, and the human rights trials that were held under the new democratic government. Those trials eventually were stopped by military revolts. Presidential pardons followed and have left Argentina divided once more. An important survey for scholars and students of Latin American politics, contemporary history, and civil-military relations.
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| Customer Reviews:
 The one book you should read about the Dirty War January 6, 2003
30 out of 32 found this review helpful
I have studied the Argentine Dirty War for over 20 years, and if I were to recommend one book to anyone to read on the subject it would be this one. There are two things that Lewis does which really set this book apart from the literature on the subject so far.First, Lewis describes and makes sense out of all of the background starting with Peron that led up to the Dirty War. This really helps place the Dirty War in its proper context so the reader can comprehend why such terrible things occurred later. He then gives a full account of all the atrocities committed by the Argentine military. In this way he does not exonerate or excuse the Dirty War, but does make sense of why things happened the way they did. Second, Lewis points out that there really was a war going on. The guerrillas were active, were powerful, were committing acts of terrorism and were seriously threatening to destabilize the Argentine state. A lot of anti-military sources try to portray the security threat posed by the guerrillas as a figment of the military's imagination. This was simply not true. There was a real war going on and Lewis shows that this was the case. Lewis does not excuse the ways the military chose to deal with the guerrilla threat, but does explain why rational and normal men would choose to commit such horrorific acts. In their mind they were in a desperate life and death struggle, and they acted accordingly. In retrospect they made some very bad choices, but Lewis helps explain how it all seemed rational and necessary at the time. This book is balanced, honest and cuts through a lot of the cherished popular myths. It is fair to both sides of the conflict. Finally it is well written and flows well. I got through it in two days. This book will become a classic text on the Argentine Dirty War.
 Concise and correct, but not perfect April 23, 2008
Dalton C. Rocha (Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I read this concise and correct book, while I was in Argentina, last year.This book is concise, correct, but even so, it remains whith a few failures.The main failure of this book is to have a bias, against Argentina's generals.This book really recognizes that Argentina was in a war, with strong and sadistic guerrillas, but failures, when it doesn't shows what other thing must Argentina's generals would did.The "desaparecidos" could be just executed under a legal system?The Argentina's dirty war began years before Argentina's culp in 1976 and this shows this.
Even with some failures, this book remains the best, I ever read about Argentina's dirty war.
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