Perónismo Vs Zapatismon

During the 20th century, many social movements spread throughout Latin America pressuring for social, economic, and political change. Amongst many social revolutionaries in the region, the most crucial are Zapatismo in Mexico and Perónismo in Argentina. Zaptismo is the movement associated with rebel leader Emiliano Zapata about the ideas of agrarian land reform. Perónismo is the phenomenon that came out of Juan Perón’s presidency that is linked to the “working class” of Argentinean society. While both of these social movements were noted in helping the lower social class, the leaders used different approaches to carry out their ideas, some being more successful than others. The different backgrounds of Zapata and Peron affected the legitimacy

The main focus of the changes Zapata wanted to see dealt with the political and economic emancipation of the peasants. Alan Knight goes on to say, “Agrarian movements, like Zapata’s, began with demands for local political change, as a necessary perquisite to the restitution of lands and the violent expulsion of local officials was the most common and widespread expression of popular will.” (27) After Zapata had been elected to the village committee, he became a local agent wanting political change. He was quickly gaining popular support as people began to see the revolutionary ideas that Zapata had to help them make something of themselves. The revolution started with an uprising led by Francisco Madero against the dictator Profirio Diaz; Zapata was willing and ready to help Madero in his rebellion. Once Zapata joined up with Madero his plans and thoughts were set in motion, and only time would tell how the ideas would play

While serving as the Secretary of Labor he built valuable connections to many labor unions and began to empathize with the worker. He hoped to make it easier for and create a more pronounced “working class”. In his Declaration of Worker’s rights he says, “the right to work should be protected by society”, and this is what he hoped to accomplish with his programs. The immediate origin of Peron’s movement started on October 9, 1945 when he was forced to resign as Vice-President and Secretary of Labor, he was later arrested on October 13th. It was the people’s response to Peron’s arrest that got the ball rolling; “from the early morning of the 17th of October columns of demonstrators began arriving in the center of Buenos Aires. Their single demand was for Peron’s release from the confinement and for his return to government…It was these events that would launch Peron on his path to victory in the elections of February 1946” (James; 441). With the wide held support of the people Peron was in an easy place to begin him implementation of his plan surrounding the “working class”; “Peron’s birth as a national figure was, thus, tied to the intervention of the worker’s, and in a sense, he has no history prior to this date. The worker’s rescued him and also affirmed his vision of social justice”. (James; 449) As an elected President he had the authority to make changes, unlike