One of Dr. Horowitz's Books Published in Argentina

Dr. Joel Horowitz of the History Department has just had published in Argentina El radicalismo y la movilización popular (1916-1930), a book which explores the manner in which the then largest political party, the Radical Party mobilized popular support in the city of Buenos Aires. The publisher is Edhasa a major commercial press in Argentina. The book is a translation of an English language book which was published in 2008 by Pennsylvania State University Press.

In this book, Horowitz examines democracy‘s first appearance in a country that appeared to satisfy all the criteria that political developmental specialists of the 1950s and 1960s identified as crucial. This experiment lasted in Argentina from 1916 to 1930, when it ended in a military coup that left a troubled legacy for decades to come. What explains the initial success but ultimate failure of democracy during this period? According to Horowitz, a crucial element is the reaction to the way that the governing party mobilized popular backing. Horowitz does this by showing how that party forged ties with unions, and the popular classes and the backlash that this produced in certain sectors.