If you were sent back in time to the founding of Argentina, and made some kind of shadowy immortal dictator that controlled what it’s government did.What would be your decisions, policies, strategies and plans to maximise Argentinas rise as a nation and try to make it as prosperous, powerful and stable as possible?
I feel like Argentina is the textbook definition of wasted potential. So much potential squandered due to caudillos, lack of stability and endless civil conflict between the federalists and centralists, and finally Juan Peron and the subsequent Peronists tuning the country into an economic basket case for short term electoral gains. Then the junta invading the Falklands to try and distract from economic collapse and major protests SOMEHOW predicting it to be an easy win with zero military response. Then failure of this, and the resulting junta being overthrown teaching the argentines nothing, still using it as a rallying cry to try and distract from domestic issues whenever they crop up. I don’t know if it’s just taught as a big issue in the Argentinean school system but it’s odd to be how obsessed over it they are.
>>18453676Republics are inherently unstable I think, just have a king. Suck up to Britain and the U.S. Don't throw bitchfits about the falklands. Just focus on growing the economy and population.
>>18453676its impossible to prevent the reggaetonification of a latinx country short of extensive use of nuclear weapons on the border regions
>crush half the caudillos with a state army, trained by Prussianofficers and armed with modern arms. All funded by Britain, with the assurance that once the provinces are under state control Britain csn have (temporary, maybe 10-15 years) of ownership of the railways they invest to build from Buenos Aires to these provinces >integrate remaining caudillos as provincial militia and provincial governors (pending elections, but given all their caudillos followers would vote for them, they’d likely win) part of beinf Governor means no direct control of the provincial militia, you can give general orders but they are led by seperate officers and can not follow contradictory orders between the executive and provincial governments, or follow illegal orders>craft constitution with high provincial autonomy over taxes and laws, centralised powers reserved for the national state to decide are around tariffs, trade deals, military control, infrastructure control (e.g. if they want to build a rail through a province they can requisition the land for it)>to solve issue of poor provinces not being able to get wealth to build with taxes due to being poor, they can get share of wealth made from Buenos Aires exported goods produced in their province >encourage mass migration especially to the sparsely populated interior once it’s rail linked, both with the existing citizens and with actual foreign migrants with land deals. Likewise encourage middle class European families to come with their wealth since the can buy a large plot of land comparative to Europe with a modest investment. Likewise have an “enlist for land” deal to get more soldiers>focus heavily on British partnerships economically, use them as mediators in conflicts since they would side with us since they have so much tied up with use investment wise.>earlier conquest of the desert. Take resource ICJ south Bolivia, which is also a corridor for pacific access, build rail to connect it to chile for a sea port
>>18453684Chile did fine though
>>18453686>earlier on, offer to Uruguay a customs Union, and then a defensive pact. They’d accept because they fear Brazilian agression even if they don’t entirely trust us>gradually integrate Uruguay until they join Argentina as a province (possibly with special autonomy) now have TWO major port cities and control the La Plata river entirely >take Paraguayan Chaco in a war and bring Paraguayan into my economic sphere (its us, or Brazil, and we are the only ones with control of the river they rely on for trade)>at this point be wary of Brazil attacking due to our growing power and expansion. Line of fortifications along northern border plus artillery. Strategy plans for tactical retreats while bombarding the enemy. Reduce their numbers advantage to make invading us too costly to make it worth it >preferably Britain prevents war with their mediation prior, if not thye Dan mediate e peace deal (while still biased toward us)>still getting mass migration behind what Argentina ever did. Have higher populated provinces and rail crisscrossing the while country>industrialisation has begun, instead of a solely agricultural focus>
>>18453692This is where there’s a kind of make it or break it risky move, to attempt or not to attempt. Large risk is large reward. Failure would be economislly painful and likely lead to civil unrest.>now early 20th century>moderwtely industrialised in the heavy urbanised Buenos Aires-Santa Fe-Uruguay corridor>pampas too but they’re still agriculture breadbasket, so main industrialisation there is meat packing and making canned goods>huge Popularion compared to reala rgentina>WW1 begins>economic boom from exporting eo much to the allies, less economic downturn when the war ends thanks to diversification of economy>during WW1, launch a war against chile, using border disputes a the pretext to occupy various islands and areas in south chile>actual plan is to control the straits of Magellan and gain a pacific port on the west coast>war is brutal, defensive Andes position is tough>but Argentina has better manpower, training, and arms. Plus very robust supply lines thanks to rail and domestic industry >navy also helps with naval attacks and coastal landings>ultimately it’s costly in deaths, but Argentina conquers and occupies Los Laos and all south of it (pic related is Los Lagos)>get Britain to mediate our peace, they desperately just want us stable to export to them still and pushes hard for chile to agree now and re discuss later, but once we have settled it, we are never leaving.>build pacific port in Los Lagos, connect it by rail to the interior rail network and Buenos Aires via a large public project to build an Andes tunnel linking east coast to west coast>mine natural resources from Patagonia and andes
>>18453697That’s the high risk, high reward option because it’s easily a war they’d lose if they aren’t as improved as i ssy, and even if they are, Chilean military is nothing to scoff wt,and attacking over the Andes is brutal On the plus side, the earlier annexation of south Bolivian means you can also send a military invasion of chile from the north through that much more accessible area, while doing your southern attacks. Dividing Chiles already much smaller army. Plus in a negotiation, chile on paler isn’t actually losing much in ceding the south compared to their densely populated central area, and nitrate rich northern coastsEasier mode is to just not do that and relax and enjoy being an already greater Argentina that’s much wealthier, more developed and populous.But having contiguous control of the southern cone is a massive multiplier for wealth and power.Control of the Magellans gives you huge soft power A bicoastal nation is rare and gives it something of a force multiplier for direct trade with Asia, plus the mineral and energy exploitation of resources in the southern cone Argentina would be pretty chill after thus with no more expansions via war. More just forming MERCOSUR type economic blocs for South America only with them as the headn
>>18453676Assuming by dictator you mean lifelong governor of Buenos Aires:Step 1 would be blow Rosas' head off. Can't have him running around. The next step would be to enact jacobinistic terror so harsh it makes Dr. Francia look like a girondin. Just kidding, but I guess I would ally with Artigas to reign the interior provinces. Centralize the country, prevent Brazil from annexing Uruguay to prevent Buenos Aires from developing a monopoly on foreign trade. Idk.
>>18453677anglo paws typed this post
Step 1: Ban SpanishStep 2: Make Calvanism the state religion Step 3: ?????Step 4: Profit
>>18453676Bring in French immigration and try to limit Italian one
