Uruguay

The political and ideological struggles in Uruguay during the late 1960s and early 1970s produced many ephemeral publications which were used by various organizations and by the government for a variety of purposes: to state policy, express opinions, advocate causes, question or denounce the views of others, urge fellow citizens to act, advertise meetings, strikes, and demonstrations, and support political candidates.

Several unions and political organizations emerged from the political and economic crisis in Uruguay in the 1960s, including the Partido Nacional, Partido Demócrata Cristiano, Partido Comunista, Frente Izquierda de Libertad, Convención Nacional de Trabajadores – CNT, and the clandestine urban guerrilla movement, Movimiento de Liberación Nacional - Tupamaros. Aimed at protecting the common citizen, the Tupamaro movement began by robbing banks, gun clubs and other businesses in the early 1960s and distributing the stolen food and money among the poor in Montevideo.

When President Oscar Gestido died in December 1967, Vice President Jorge Pacheco Areco succeeded him. Within one week of taking office, Pacheco issued a decree banning all leftist groups and their press. He also implemented a new monetarist policy in 1968. The CNT and other groups protested the new economic policies, leading the government to repress strikes, work stoppages, and student demonstrations. The death of Liber Arce, a university student, during one of the demonstrations served as a catalyst for various protest groups, particularly the Federación de Estudiantes Universitarios de Uruguay – FEUU. Pacheco responded by creating a military state, imprisoning and torturing political dissidents, and brutally repressing demonstrations.

During this period, the Tupamaros grew in strength, and their actions, including robberies, denunciations, kidnappings, and killings, shook the country and became known worldwide. Conflicts escalated between the government and the Tupamaros and other leftist organizations until 100 Tupamaro prisoners escaped in 1971 and Pacheco empowered the army to take charge of all counter-guerrilla activity.

During the national elections in 1971, the leftist organizations, including the Partido Comunista, Partido Socialista, and Partido Demócrata Cristiano, united to form the Frente Amplio to oppose the political sectors that supported Pacheco’s reelection. The Partido Nacional split and liberal members of the party supported the reformist program of a new movement, Por la Patria, led by Senator Wilson Ferreira Aldunate. In a highly contested election, Pacheco’s handpicked successor, Juan Maria Bordaberry Arocena, was elected in November and sworn in as president in March 1972.

Bordaberry’s administration continued the policies of its predecessor, inciting protest from education, political, business, and grass roots organizations. After a bloody shoot-out with the Tupamaros in April 1972, Bordaberry declared a state of internal war and suspended all civil liberties. By the end of the year, the army had decisively defeated the Tupamaros. The military, with the support of Bordaberry, dissolved the General Assembly in June 1973. Bordaberry established a de facto dictatorship that banned the CNT and other alleged Marxist-Leninist organizations, and quelled dissident activities by university students.

The military regime restricted freedom of the press and association, as well as party political activity. Thousands were accused of politically motivated crimes and imprisoned. Many were tortured. Amnesty International calculated that in 1976 Uruguay had more political prisoners per capita than any other nation on earth. During these years, approximately 10 percent of Uruguay's population emigrated for political or economic reasons. In June 1976, Bordaberry was forced to resign after submitting a proposal to the military calling for the elimination of political parties and the creation of a permanent dictatorship with himself as president.

In 1977 the military government made public its political plans to purge political parties, submit a new constitution, and give the military virtual veto power over all government. In 1980, the armed forces decided to legitimize themselves and were defeated when Uruguay's citizens went to the polls. After the electoral defeat of the military's constitution, retired Lieutenant General Gregorio Alvarez Armelino (1981-85), one of the leaders of the coup, became president. After several more years of political and economic crisis, the military acquiesced to the relegalization of the left in 1984 and democratic elections were held in 1985. That same year the Tupamaro were reorganized as a political party.

Works Referenced:

Country Studies. “A Country Study: Uruguay.” Library of Congress. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/uytoc.html (accessed October 16, 2008).

From the guide to the Collection of Uruguayan Political Propaganda 2005-13. 268855095., 1963-1984, (Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin)