Book Reviews : Uruguay: A Contemporary Survey. By MARVIN ALISKY. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1969. Pp. viii, 174. $6.50.) Argentina. By H. S. FERNS. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1969. Pp. 263. $7.50.)

• Author: Jerry L. Weaver
• DOI: 10.1177/106591297002300113
• Published date: 01 March 1970
• Date: 01 March 1970
• Subject Matter: Articles

BOOK REVIEWS
Uruguay: A Contemporary Survey. By MARVIN ALISKY. (New York: Frederick
A. Praeger, 1969. Pp. viii, 174. $6.50.)
Argentina. By H. S. FERNS. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1969. Pp. 263.
$7.50.)
Ferns presents a solidly researched account of Argentine political history which
illuminates the bases of the nation’s current political malaise. The book discusses
Per6n’s economic policies, particularly as they created legacies for the succeeding
regimes. While this perspective is valuable and succeeds in establishing the notion
of economic legacies, Ferns fails to complement this analysis in his handling of
Per6n’s impact on middle and lower sector political attitudes, sense of eflicacy, or
political vehicles. That is to say, Ferns’ deficiency as a sociopsychoanalyst attenu-
ates his success in treating the sociopolitical impact of peronismo.
Ferns’ analysis of the current Ongania dictatorship stresses its repressive aspects
(which the author suggests were waning at the time of writing: an unfortunately
optimistic forecast repudiated by the events of May and June 1969) as well as its
therapeutic qualities. No one would deny Argentina’s need for corrective treat-
ment, although I find Ferns’ characterization of General Ongania (&dquo;Argentina
needs peace, but it also needs creative tension&dquo;) decidedly understated. It is in his
discussion of the Argentine military that the author makes his greatest contribution,
for he details current intra-military factionalism while projecting the effects of this
division in national politics. In so doing, Ferns makes a real contribution to our
understanding of Argentina military and national politics.
Where...