Argentina's New Constitution: Social Democracy or Social Authoritarianism?
| Published date | 01 December 1951 |
| Date | 01 December 1951 |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591295100400403 |
| Author | Robert E. Scott |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
567
ARGENTINA’S
NEW
CONSTITUTION:
SOCIAL
DEMOCRACY
OR
SOCIAL
AUTHORITARIANISM?
ROBERT E.
SCOTT
University
of
Illinois
N
MARCH
11,
1949,
a
national
constituent
convention
in
Argen-
tina,
which
had
been
convoked
by
the
peronista-dominated
national
Congress,
voted
seemingly
unanimous
approval
of
a
new
constitu-
tion
for
the
nation,
replacing
that
of
1853,
the
oldest
in
Latin
America
at
the
time.
At
once,
supporters
of
the
incumbent
administration
hailed
the
new
law
as
a
great
triumph
for
the
social
and
economic
policies
identified
with
President
Per6n,
and
as
the
culmination
of
a
liberal
movement
more
than
a
quarter
century
old.
One
Argentine
commentator
even
attempted
to
link
the
new
constitution
with
the
political
reforms
initiated
by
the
party
that
today
leads
the
opposition
to
the
policies
of
President
Per6n,
saying
that
The
Revolution
of
1943
completed
the
reform
begun
by
the
Radical
Party,
pro-
viding
for
the
masses
not
only
political
but
also
social
and
economic
advances.
Thus
political
democracy
is
transformed
into
what
I
dare
call
social
democracy,
for
if
on
the
one
hand
it
maintains
election
of
the
governing
class
on
the
other
the
State
has
accepted
responsibility
characterized
by
a
trend
toward
granting
social
benefits
to
the
most
needy
class.
This
is
a
goal
most
clearly
evident
in
the
constitutional
reform
approved
on
March
11,
1949....&dquo;
These
rather
broad
claims
raise
a
number
of
questions
in
the
mind
of
the
general
observer.
Does
this
constitution
continue
to
embody
the
traditionally
high
level
of
political
maturity,
relative
to
some
other
Latin
American
states,
that
had
been
growing
in
Argentina
since
1912?
Does
it
also
provide
the
initiative
for
the
development
of
social
democracy,
as
proudly
stated
by
the
followers
of
President
Per6n?
Is
&dquo;social
democracy&dquo;
to
be
gained
at
the
expense
of
political
freedoms?
The
present
study
undertakes
to
provide
some
perspective
on
these
questions
by
examining
certain
parts
of
the
new
fundamental
law
as
to
content
and
application
since
its
promulgation.
The
economic
and
social
norms
which
have
been
added
to
the
Argentine
constitution
have
a
striking
similarity
in
general
tone
to
like
portions
of
most
other
recent
Latin
American
constitutions.2
2
The
same
dominant
note
of
economic
nationalism
is
apparent.
Strong
emphasis
is
laid
on
social
and
economic
responsibility
to
the
community
at
the
1
Ricardo
Zorraquin
Becú,
"La
Evolución
Politicia
Argentina,"
Revista
de
Estudios
Politicos
(Madrid,
1949),
Vol.
IX,
No.
45,
pp.
171-172.
2
See
Russell
H.
Fitzgibbon
and
others,
The
Constitutions
of
the
Americas
(Chicago:
University
of
Chicago
Press,
1949).
An
English
translation
of
the
new
Argentine
constitution
may
be
found
in
The
Inter-American
Yearbook-1949
(Washington,
1950),
pp.
365
ff.
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