JUAN MANUEL DE ROSAS: BIOGRAPHY, FIRST AND SECOND GOVERNMENT - BIOGRAPHIES

Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877) was an Argentine military and politician who became the main leader of the Argentine Confederation in the first half of the 19th century. He held the head of government on two occasions, with a second term in which he concentrated all the powers of the State.

Member of an important family in Buenos Aires, the future president had his first contact with the military at the age of 13, when he participated in the reconquest of his hometown. After that, he spent several years running various businesses that brought him a considerable fortune.

Juan Manuel de Rosas - Source: Anonymous Unknown author

As a landowner, he organized a small military detachment, which came into action during the Unitarians' uprising. This participation in the civil war ended up being named Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires in 1829.

Juan Manuel de Rosas remained in office until 1832, going on to resume his military activities. Furthermore, his influence in the new government was absolute. In 1835 he resumed power, this time with absolute powers. After several years of dictatorship, he was overthrown in 1852, having to go into exile.

Biography

Juan Manuel de Rosas came to the world in Buenos Aires on March 30, 1793, during the time of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata. The child was baptized as Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio.

Born into a prominent family in the region, the severity of his mother, who did not hesitate to whip her children as punishment, and country life marked his childhood.

Studies

Rosas did not attend school until he was eight years old and had to learn the first letters in his own home. His first private study center was one of the most prestigious in the area. The young Juan Manuel, however, only stayed one year at that school.

After this, he returned to the family home, where he began to familiarize himself with its administration, a task in which he excelled very early. In the same way, he quickly assimilated the culture of the gaucho.

First contact with the army

The English invasion of Buenos Aires, when Rosas was only 13 years old, represented his first foray into military life.

The viceroyalty authorities fled leaving the population defenseless against the English. Santiago de Liniers reacted by organizing an army of volunteers to stand up to the invaders.

Rosas enlisted in that militia and, later, in the Migueletes Regiment, made up of children, during the Defense of Buenos Aires in 1807. His role was recognized by Liniers himself, who congratulated him on his courage.

Once the hostilities ended, Rosas returned to the family farm, without getting involved in the May Revolution of 1810 or the War of Independence.

Marriage

Juan Manuel de Rosas married in 1813 with Encarnación Ezcurra. To do this, he had to lie to his mother, who was opposed to the union, making her believe that the young woman was pregnant.

Rosas decided to abandon the administration of his parents' lands and start his own businesses. In the same way, he shortened his original surname until he was left alone in Rosas, showing the break with his family.

Business

Rosas then took over the fields of two of his cousins. In addition, together with Juan Nepomuceno and Luis Dorrego, Manuel Dorrego's brother, he began his life as a businessman by founding a saladero. The relationships that he acquired thanks to his businesses would be decisive in his future political life.

In 1819, thanks to the great profits made with his businesses, he acquired the Los Cerrillos ranch, in San Miguel del Monte. To fight with the natives, he organized a cavalry regiment called Los Colorados del Monte, which became his personal army. The Rodríguez government appointed him campaign commander.

Entry into politics

During that period, Rosas lived oblivious to political events. However, the situation totally changed in the early 1920s.

At the end of the period known as the Directory, the region plunged into what has been dubbed the Anarchy of the Year XX. When the caudillo Estanislao López tried to invade Buenos Aires, Rosas intervened with his Colorados del Monte to defend the city.

In this way, he intervened in the fight of Pavón, which ended with the triumph of Dorrego. However, the defeat that Dorrego suffered in Santa Fe was not present, since he refused to follow him to that city.

After this, Rosas and other owners of important estancias promoted the appointment of his colleague Martín Rodríguez as governor of the Province of Buenos Aires. When Manuel Pagola led an uprising against the leader, Rosas sent his army to defend Rodriguez.

Campaigns on the southern border

The following years were an important military activity for Rosas. First, in the south of the country, where the malones had intensified. The future ruler accompanied Martín Rodríguez in his three campaigns to the desert to fight the indigenous people.

Later, during the war in Brazil, President Rivadavia put him in charge of the troops in charge of pacifying the border, a mission that was assigned to him again during the provincial government of Dorrego.

By 1827, a year before the civil war broke out, Rosas had acquired great prestige as a military leader. Politically he became a representative of the rural landowners, with a conservative ideology. On the other hand, he supported the protectionist federalist cause, contrary to the liberalizing initiatives of the unitary party.

The December Revolution

When the Unitarians overthrew Dorrego in 1828, Juan Manuel de Rosas reacted by leading an uprising in the capital, managing to prevail both in Buenos Aires and on the coast. For a time, the interior remained in unitary hands until the defeat of José María Paz, a unitary military leader, allowed its reconquest.

Governor of the province of Buenos Aires

Juan Manuel de Rosas was appointed in 1829 governor of the Province of Buenos Aires. This first mandate lasted 3 years, until 1832.

When he took office, the region was going through times of great political and social instability. Rosas requested, in 1833, that dictatorial powers be granted to him in order to pacify the entire Argentine Confederation.

Between two terms

However, Congress refused to grant him these extraordinary powers, so he decided to leave office. His successor was Juan Ramón Balcarce.

Rosas then organized a military campaign in the desert, in an area controlled by aboriginal tribes in the south of Buenos Aires. His detachment reached the Río Negro, conquering a large area of land for livestock.

This military action won him the sympathy of the army, ranchers and a large part of public opinion. In addition, he obtained the gratitude of the provinces of Córdoba, Santa Fe, San Luis and Mendoza, frequent targets of looting by indigenous people.

Civil war in the North and murder of Quiroga

The provinces of Tucumán and Salta came into conflict after the formation of the province of Jujuy. Faced with the situation created, the Salta governor asked the government of Buenos Aires for help. Although, formally, Rosas was not a member of this government, his influence was notable, for which he was consulted before taking any decision.

Rosas sent Facundo Quiroga to mediate between both governments to lay down their arms, but before Quiroga could reach his destination, the war had ended with the triumph of Tucumán and the governor of Salta had been assassinated.

On his return from his mission, on February 16, 1835, Quiroga was attacked and killed by a party of militiamen. It was clear to everyone that it was a political crime committed by the Reinafé brothers.

When the news of Quiroga's death reached Buenos Aires it caused a political earthquake. Governor Maza resigned and, fearing that anarchy would break out, the Chamber of Representatives appointed Rosas to replace him. Thus, he offered him a five-year mandate and granted him absolute power.

Return to power

Rosas accumulated all the power of the State during this second term. Even so, during the first years he had to face an army organized by Juan Lavalle, a Unitarian leader, and which had French support.

Rosas, shortly after, reached an agreement with France and regained the interior provinces controlled by the Unitarians. In this way, by 1842, it had control of the entire national territory. In his own words, he became a "tyrant anointed by God to save the country."

Among other measures, Rosas eliminated the House of Representatives and founded the Apostolic Restorer Party. Throughout that mandate, he fought tirelessly against the Unitarians, also repressing anyone who dared to oppose his policies.

On the positive side, Rosas politically stabilized the country and managed to maintain national unity. Likewise, its policies promoted an improvement in the economy, although this did not reach many sectors.

In the mid-1940s, the French and British established a blockade on Buenos Aires in response to the siege of Montevideo imposed by Rosas. Both European countries tried to send troops across the Paraná.

Loss of power

Although Rosas managed to prevent the French and British from conquering Buenos Aires, five years later the story would be different.

In 1850, the governor of Entre Ríos, with the help of the Unitarians and the governments of Montevideo and Brazil, rebelled against Rosas. His troops invaded Santa Fe, managing to reach Buenos Aires.

The Battle of Caseros, in 1852, marked the end of the government of Juan Manuel Rosas. With much diminished popular support, he had no choice but to go into exile, to Great Britain. There, in the city of Southampton, he died on March 14, 1877.

First government

Juan Manuel Rosas was appointed Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires on December 8, 1829. According to historians, the appointment enjoyed great popular support.

In this first term, although it did not reach the extremes of the second, Rosas was granted extraordinary powers.

During that time, there was no proper national government, since Argentina had not been established as a nation. Therefore, the position of Rosas had no national character. However, the rest of the provinces decided to delegate foreign policy to him.

From the first moment, Rosas declared the unitary party an enemy. One of his most famous slogans, "he who is not with me is against me", was frequently used to attack members of that party. This made him win support among the conservatives (moderate or radical), the bourgeoisie, the indigenous and part of the rural population.

The civil war in the interior

The unitary general, José María Paz, successfully organized an expedition to occupy Córdoba, defeating Facundo Quiroga. This one withdrew to Buenos Aires and Paz took the opportunity to invade other provinces governed by the federals.

In this way, the four coastal provinces were in federal hands, while the nine in the interior, allied in the so-called Unitary League, were in the hands of their rivals. In January 1831, Rosas and Estanislao López promoted an agreement between Buenos Aires, Entre Rios and Santa Fe, called the Federal Pact.

It was López who began a counterattack against the Unitarians when trying to recover Córdoba, followed by the Buenos Aires army under the command of Juan Ramón Balcarce.

Quiroga, for his part, asked Rosas for a battalion to return to the fight, but the Governor only offered him prisoners from jails. Quiroga managed to train them and headed to Córdoba. Along the way, with some reinforcements, he conquered La Rioja and Cuyo. Then he continued to advance, unstoppable, north.

The capture of Paz, on May 10, 1831, forced the Unitarians to change their military chief. The chosen one was Gregorio Aráoz from Lamadrid. This was defeated by Quiroga on November 4, which caused the dissolution of the Liga del Interior.

Santa Fe Convention

During the following months, the rest of the provinces joined the Federal Pact. This was considered by many as the opportunity to administratively organize the country through a Constitution. However, Rosas objected to that plan.

For the caudillo, first the provinces themselves had to be organized, and then the country. Given the discrepancies that arose on this issue, Rosas decided to dissolve the convention that brought together the provincial representatives.

The government of the province

As for the government of Juan Manuel Rosas in the Province of Buenos Aires, most historians consider that it was quite authoritarian, but without becoming a dictatorship as it would happen during the second term.

On the negative side, many attribute responsibilities to him for the British occupation of the Falklands, despite the fact that, at the time of said invasion, the governor was Balcarce.

Some of the measures taken during this mandate were the reform of the Commercial Code and the Military Discipline Code, the regulation of the authority of the justices of the peace in the towns of the interior and the signing of some peace treaties with the chiefs.

Second government

The civil war in the north, previously reported, caused the resignation of Manuel Vicente Maza as Governor of Buenos Aires. Specifically, it was the murder of Quiroga that created such a climate of instability that the Legislature of Buenos Aires decided to call Rosas to offer him the position.

He accepted on one condition: to assume all the powers of the State, without being held accountable for his actions.

The dictatorship

Rosas called a referendum, only in the city, for the population to give the go-ahead for him to accumulate such an amount of power. The result was overwhelming in his favor: only 7 votes against the 9,720 votes cast.

With this support, Rosas became something of a legal and popular dictator. The Chamber of Representatives continued to meet, although its prerogatives were very limited.

From time to time they received reports from the governor on their actions and, annually, their members were chosen from a list of candidates proposed by Rosas himself. After each election, Rosas submitted his resignation and the Chamber automatically elected him again.

The opponents suffered great repression and many had to go into exile, especially to Montevideo. On the other hand, the Rosas government dismissed a good part of the judges, since the judiciary was not independent.

At that time, Rosas had the support of broad sectors of the population, from the landowners to the middle classes, through merchants and the military.

The motto "Federation or death" became obligatory in all public documents, although over time it was replaced by "Unitary savages die!"

Economic policy

Economically, Rosas listened to the proposal of the governor of Corrientes about implementing protectionist measures for local products. Buenos Aires had bet on free trade and that was causing production to deteriorate in other provinces.

In response, on December 18, 1835, the Customs Law was promulgated. This prohibited importing some products, as well as the imposition of tariffs on others. On the other hand, the machines and minerals that were not produced in the country maintained very low import taxes.

It was a measure that sought to favor the provinces and boost production in the interior of the country. Nevertheless, Buenos Aires preserved its status as the main city. Although imports decreased, the drop was offset by the increase in the domestic market.

In general, the government maintained a conservative economic policy, reducing public expenditures. The external debt remained, practically, at the same levels, since only a small sum of the total was paid off.

Finally, Rosas eliminated the Central Bank that Rivadavia had founded and which was controlled by the English. Instead, he decreed the creation of a state bank, called the Casa de la Moneda.

Foreign policy

In foreign policy, Rosas had to face several conflicts with neighboring nations, in addition to hostility from France and Great Britain.

One of those conflicts was the war against the Peru-Bolivia Confederation, whose president, Santa Cruz, tried to invade Jujuy and Salta with the help of some emigrated Unitarians.

With Brazil, the Rosas government maintained very strained relations, although they did not lead to an open war until the crisis that led to the Battle of Caseros.

On the other hand, Rosas refused to recognize the independence of Paraguay, since it always harbored the intention of annexing its territory to the Argentine Confederation. For this reason, he organized a blockade of the inland rivers to force the Paraguayans to negotiate. The answer was that Paraguay sided with Rosas's enemies.

Finally, in Uruguay, a new president, Manuel Oribe, came to power. His predecessor, Fructuoso Rivera, succeeded in getting the exiled Unitarians in Montevideo, including Lavalle, to help him start a revolution.

Oribe, in 1838, was forced to leave office, since his rival also had the support of the French and Brazilians. In October of that year, he went into exile, retiring to Buenos Aires.

Lack of press freedom

Since his first term, Rosas had almost completely eliminated freedom of expression in the press. Thus, since 1829, it was impossible to publish newspapers that showed sympathy for the Unitarians. All the media had to defend the government's policies.

Later, between 1833 and 1835, most of the city's newspapers disappeared. The Rosistas dedicated themselves to founding new publications, all dedicated to defending and exalting the figure of their leader.

First revolts against Rosas

At the end of the 1930s, Rosas had to face several problems that arose in the provinces. During that time, France had established a blockade of the Confederate ports, which was seriously damaging trade.

Entre Ríos was suffering a serious crisis, partly for that reason. Thus, Governor Estanislao López sent an emissary to negotiate directly with the French, which deeply annoyed Rosas. The death of López forced his envoy to return without being able to fulfill his mission.

Instead, he did contact the governor of Corrientes to organize some kind of maneuver against Rosas. The latter, however, managed to resolve the situation by pressuring the San Fe Legislature to cease attempts to seize control over the province's foreign policy.

The Free of the South

Also in Buenos Aires there was an attempt to overthrow Rosas. At the head of this uprising was Colonel Ramón Maza, son of the President of the Legislature.

At the same time, in the south of the province, another opposition group appeared, baptized as the Free of the South, formed by the cattle ranchers. The reason was the decrease in exports and by some decisions taken by Rosas on the right to own land.

The uprising of the Free of the South spread throughout the south of the Province. In addition, they had the support of Lavalle, who was scheduled to land with troops in Samborombón.

The plan ultimately ended in failure. Lavalle, instead of continuing with what was planned, preferred to march to Entre Ríos to invade it. Without these reinforcements they were defeated in the Battle of Chascomús. On the other hand, Maza's group was betrayed and its leaders shot.

Lavalle campaigns

Meanwhile, Lavalle had managed to invade Entre Ríos, although he had to withdraw towards the southern coast of the province due to pressure from Echagüe. There, the Unitarian embarked on the French fleet and reached the north of the Province of Buenos Aires.

Near the capital, Lavalle hoped that the city would rise up in his favor, something that did not happen. Rosas, for his part, organized his troops to cut the Lavalle pass, while another detachment surrounded it from the north.

Given the military inferiority and the lack of citizen support, Lavalle had to withdraw. This led the French to make peace with Rosas and lift the blockade.

The horror

Although Buenos Aires did not rise up to support Lavalle, it still had quite a following in the city. When it was known that he had retired, his supporters were harshly repressed by Mazorca, Rosas's armed wing.

The governor did not prevent multiple murders from taking place among the Unitarians living in the city.

The economy in the 1840s

The 1940s were quite positive for the province's economy. The main cause was that the government maintained control of the inland rivers, in addition to concentrating all port and customs trade in the capital.

This economic growth, with a large contribution from livestock, led to a diversification of industrial activities, although always based on rural production.

Rosas distinguished himself by exercising strict control over public spending. This made it possible to keep the province's accounts balanced, even when naval blockades occurred.

Culture and education

Culture and education were not priorities at all for Rosas. In fact, it eliminated almost the entire budget dedicated to this last area to eliminate public spending. In addition, it also abolished, in 1838, free education and salaries for university professors.

However, the University of Buenos Aires managed to continue operating, even if it was through the mandatory payment of fees by students. From that institution, together with the National College, came the members of the city's elite. Most were positioned against Rosas.

Religious politics

Although the politician was a believer and a traditionalist, relations with the Church were quite tense. In 1836, he allowed the Jesuits to return to the country, although they soon took a position against him. Thus, four years later, they had to go into exile again, this time to Montevideo.

As with the newspapers, Rosas forced all the priests to defend him publicly. They should, in this way, praise him at Masses and thank him for his work.

Montevideo and the Great Blockade

With the Argentine Confederation under control, Rosas ordered his army to march towards Montevideo. That city had become the refuge of the Unitarians and other opponents. Oribe, who continued to consider himself the legitimate president of Uruguay, occupied the interior of the country without encountering resistance.

Later, he headed for the capital to try to take it. However, thanks to the support of the French and British fleets, as well as foreign volunteers, Montevideo resisted the offensive.

In March 1845, the Uruguayan army defeated Olabe, who had to take refuge in Brazil. Rosas, faced with the failure of the offensive, sent a fleet to Montevideo to establish a naval blockade in July of that year.

The British and French response was sudden, capturing the entire Buenos Aires fleet. In addition, they decreed a blockade of the Río de la Plata. Later, they tried to go up the Paraná to take control of the rivers, which would have allowed them to trade directly with the inland ports.

This movement of the European fleets ended in failure, so they decided to withdraw.

Currents

With the army abroad, the armed uprisings in some provinces started again. Most importantly, that of Corrientes, under the direction of the Madariaga brothers.

Paraguay, still suffering from the blockade of the inland rivers decreed by Rosas, signed a commercial agreement with the government of Corrientes. This was considered as an attack by Rosas, since, in theory, he was responsible for the foreign policy of that province.

This, together with the fact that Rosas continued to refuse to recognize the independence of Paraguay, caused this country to sign a military alliance with Corrientes to overthrow the Buenos Aires governor.

Despite this agreement, the governor of Entre Ríos, Justo José de Urquiza, managed to invade Corrientes and reached an agreement with the Madariaga. Rosas, however, disavowed that treaty and forced Urquiza to attack Corrientes again. By November 27, 1847, he had managed to take the entire Province.

In this way, Rosas kept the entire country under his control. His enemies were concentrated in Montevideo.

Change of side of Urquiza

One of Rosas's great triumphs was to sign a treaty with France and Great Britain that, in practice, left Montevideo practically without allies. Only the Empire of Brazil could help him.

Rosas, faced with this, thought that it was inevitable to go to war with the Brazilians and put Urquiza in command of the troops. For the first time, this decision met with resistance from some members of the federal party, who disagreed with the measure.

On the other hand, his opponents began to seek support in order to defeat Rosas. In those moments, it was clear that only with the Unitarians it was impossible, so they began to probe some of their trusted men. Among them, Urquiza.

This was not, ideologically, very different from Rosas, although he did have another style of governing. The events that finally convinced Urquiza that he had to fight Rosas was his order to end the smuggling to and from Montevideo. Although illegal, it was an activity that had been very profitable for Entre Ríos.

Urquiza began the search for allies. First, he signed a secret treaty with Corrientes and another with Brazil. The latter country agreed to finance his campaigns, in addition to offering transportation for his troops.

End of rosismo

Urquiza's uprising began on May 1, 1851. First, he attacked Oribe in Uruguay, forcing him to surrender and kept all the weapons (and troops) that he accumulated.

After this, Urquiza led his men to Santa Fe, where he defeated Echagüe. After eliminating two of Rosas's great supporters, he proceeded to launch a direct attack.

Rosas was defeated in the Battle of Caseros, on February 3, 1852. After that defeat, he left the battlefield and signed his resignation:

“I believe I have fulfilled my duty with my fellow citizens and colleagues. If we have not done more to support our independence, our identity, and our honor, it is because we have not been able to do more. "

Exile

Juan Manuel de Rosas requested asylum at the British consulate and, the next day, embarked for England. His last years were spent in Southampton, on a farm he had rented.

References

Pigna, Felipe. Juan Manuel de Rosas. Obtained from elhistoriador.com.ar
Editorial University of the Army. Rosas, Juan Manuel. Retrieved from iese.edu.ar
History and Biography. Juan Manuel de Rosas. Obtained from historia-biografia.com
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Juan Manuel de Rosas. Retrieved from britannica.com
Encyclopedia of World Biography. Juan Manuel De Rosas. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
The Biography. Biography of Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877). Retrieved from thebiography.us
Soft Schools. Juan Manuel de Rosas Facts. Retrieved from softschools.com
Global Security. The Dictatorship of Rosas, 1829-52. Retrieved from globalsecurity.org

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