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Roberto Eduardo Viola | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Viola in 1981 | |
| 43rd President of Argentina | |
| In office 29 March 1981 – 11 December 1981 | |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Jorge Rafael Videla |
| Succeeded by | Horacio Tomás Liendo (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1924-10-13)13 October 1924 |
| Died | 30 September 1994(1994-09-30) (aged 69) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Colorados[1] |
| Spouse | Nélida Giorgio Valente[2] |
| Children | 2[2] |
| Profession | Military |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Argentina |
| Branch/service |  Argentine Army |
| Rank |  (Pre-1991 epaulette)Lieutenant General |
Roberto Eduardo Viola (13 October 1924 – 30 September 1994) was anArgentine military officer who served as the 43rdPresident of Argentina and the 2ndPresident of the National Reorganization Process from 29 March to 11 December 1981 as amilitary dictator.[2]
He was born asRoberto Eduardo Viola on 13 October 1924. His parents wereItalian immigrants Angelo Viola and Rosa Maria Prevedini, both fromCasatisma, a town in theProvince of Pavia.[3]
AfterJorge Rafael Videla left office, Viola formally assumed the post ofPresident of Argentina.
Viola appointedLorenzo Sigaut as finance minister, and it became clear that Sigaut were looking for ways to reverse some of the economic policies of Videla's ministerJosé Alfredo Martínez de Hoz. Notably, Sigaut abandoned the slidingexchange rate mechanism and devalued thepeso, after boasting that "they who gamble on thedollar, will lose". Argentines braced for a recession after the excesses of thesweet money years, which destabilized Viola's position.[4]
Viola priorities were economic recovery and greater political freedom for Argentina. He intended to combat the problems of inflation, an overvalued peso, and the balance of payments by continuing the previous administration's policy of encouraging aliberal economy dominated byprivate enterprises.[5]
Viola was also the victim of infighting within thearmed forces. After being replaced as Navy chief,Eduardo Massera started looking for a political space to call his own, even enlisting the enforced and unpaid services of political prisoners held in concentration camps by the regime. The mainstream of the Junta's support was strongly opposed to Massera's designs and to any attempt to bring about more "populist" economic policies.
Argentina-United States relations improved dramatically with theRonald Reagan administration, which asserted that the previousCarter Administration had weakened US diplomatic relationships withCold War allies in Argentina and reversed the previous administration's official condemnation of the junta'shuman rights practices.[6]
The re-establishment of diplomatic ties allowed forCIA collaboration with the Argentine intelligence service in arming and training the NicaraguanContras against theSandinista government. The601 Intelligence Battalion, for example, trained Contras atLepaterique base, in Honduras. Argentina also provided security advisors, intelligence training and some material support to forces inGuatemala,El Salvador andHonduras to suppress local rebel groups as part of a U.S.-sponsored program calledOperation Charly.[7]
Viola found his maneuvering space greatly reduced, and was ousted by a military coup in December 1981, led by the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Lieutenant GeneralLeopoldo Galtieri, who soon became president. The official explanation given for the ousting was Viola's alleged health problems. Galtieri swiftly appointedRoberto Alemann as finance minister and presided over thebuild-up and pursuit of theFalklands War.
After the collapse of the military regime and the election ofRaúl Alfonsín in 1983, Viola was arrested, judged forhuman rights violations committed by the military junta during theDirty War, and sentenced to 17 years in prison. His health deteriorated in prison; Viola was pardoned byCarlos Menem in 1990 together with all junta members. He died on 30 September 1994, at age 69.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief of the Army 1978-1981 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of Argentina 1981 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
