March 24, 1976 March 24, 1976 March 24, 1976 March 24, 1976 The "National Reorganization Process“ The "National Reorganization Process“ The "National Reorganization Process“ Illegal repression Illegal repression Illegal repression Illegal repression Clandestine detention centers Clandestine detention centers Clandestine detention centers Clandestine detention centers Economic politics and external debt Economic politics and external debt Economic politics and external debt Economic politics and external debt “Madres de plaza de mayo” “Madres de plaza de mayo” “Madres de plaza de mayo” “Madres de plaza de mayo” Malvinas war and the end of dictatorship Malvinas war and the end of dictatorship Malvinas war and the end of dictatorship Malvinas war and the end of dictatorship Numbers Numbers Numbers

In the middle of the feeling of chaos on March 24, 1976 a new military uprising overthrew President Maria Estela Martinez de Peron installing a dictatorship calling itself "National Reorganization Process”. The first president was Jorge R. Videla.

At one AM of March 24, 1976, General Jose Rogelio Villarreal told the President Isabel de Peron: -Lady, the armed forces have decided to take political control of the country and you're under arrest. Simultaneously with the blow of the president, that night, there were hundreds of kidnappings and arrests, mainly of activists and union leaders in strategic industrial areas, such as Buenos Aires, Cordoba and the area from the Gran Rosario to San Nicolas.

The military that overthrew Isabelita in 1976 enacted the statute of national reorganization process that established that the power was in the hands of the armed forces (Army, Navy and Air Force)

During those years political activity was suspended, the Congress was closed and the state of siege was issued, that it means the Guarrantees forms that the constitution gives to the habitants were suspended.

The dictatorship also established a rigid press censorship and developed a"blacklist" of artists banned for their political views. But what really characterized the process was an unprecedented and cruel illegal repression.

The process established a state terrorism, as imparted policies to frighten, paralyze and discipline the society. There were thousands of detentions without judicial intervention. these arrests were carried out by military and police. teachers, students, workers, priests, nuns, union officials and even entrepreneurs became victims of the illegal repression. There were thousands of detentions without judicial intervention. these arrests were carried out by military and police. teachers, students, workers, priests, nuns, union officials and even entrepreneurs became victims of the illegal repression.

This is a video taken from the movie “La Noche de Los Lápices". This shows how dictatorship kidnapped, tortured and killed many teenage students that only protested for student ticket.

People who were arrest were locked in secret detention centers. There they were tortured to extract information and then, in most of the times killed. Finally they were buried in unmarked graves or thrown from planes into the sea. Hundreds of captive children were torn from the hands of their mothers and given to other families.

Open economic: reduced taxes on imports. This caused many foreign goods into the country causing the bankruptcy of many national industries.

Promoted the inflow of capital through deregulation of the interest rate. This situation produced an important external debt increase. In 1975 external debt was about 8 thousand millions dollars and in 1983 external debt increased up to 45 thousand million dollars.

Since the beginning of the dictatorship, human rights organizations protested against the illegal repression. One of them was “Madres de Plaza de Mayo", which were called mothers of missing children, they began to walk around the Plaza de Mayo in the middle of fear and indifference from most of the population.

To regain popularity, the military decided to recover the Falkland Islands, usurped by the British in The response of the British government, with Margaret Tacther as prime minister, was blunt: in less than two months, the British forces, supported by the United States, defeated the Argentine troops, young and poorly prepared.

The End of the dictatorship After that, protests, strikes and demonstrations multiplied and political parties demanded a fast return to democracy. The precess, a sinonim of external debt, illegal repression and a loose war couldn’t avoid a quick exit from the power. Finally the 30 of October,1983 the UCR candidate, Raul Alfonsin was elected president of the Argentina nation.

The exact number of missing has not been established: human rights organizations estimated the number at about 30,000, and, until 2007, the Human Rights Department had registered about 15,000 victims. The day after Argentina won the world cup dictatorship burnt 1,500,000 different books. 20,000 factories were closed during the process. Also 340 clandestine centers opened. Cumulative inflation increased 117,000 % between 1976 and 1983.

National Day of Memory for Truth and Justice