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{{short description|President of Argentina in 1981}}
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{{unreferenced|date=September 2009}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
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{{Infobox President | name=Roberto Eduardo Viola
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{{more citations needed|date=September 2009}}
| image=Roberto Viola con banda presidencial.jpg
{{Infobox officeholder
| nationality=[Argentina|Argentine]]
⚫
| name = Roberto Eduardo Viola
| order= [[List of heads of state of Argentina|43rd]] [[President of Argentina]]
| image = Robertoviola (cropped).jpg
⚫
| term_start=29 March
| term_end=10 December 1981
| caption = Viola in 1981
| order = 48th
⚫
| predecessor=[[Jorge Rafael Videla]]
⚫
| office = President of Argentina
| successor=[[Carlos Alberto Lacoste]]
⚫
| vicepresident = ''Vacant''
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| birth_date={{Birth date|1924|10|13|mf=y}}
⚫
| term_start = 29 March 1981
| birth_place=
| term_end = 11 December 1981
⚫
| death_date={{death date and age|1994|9|30|1924|10|13|mf=y}}
⚫
| predecessor = [[Jorge Rafael Videla]]
| death_place=
| successor = [[Horacio Tomás Liendo]] (acting)
| spouse=
⚫
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1924|10|13}}
| party=
| birth_place = [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]]
⚫
| vicepresident=
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| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1994|9|30|1924|10|13}}
⚫
| profession=[[Military]]
| death_place = [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina
| party = None
⚫
| profession = [[Military]]
| spouse = Nélida Giorgio Valente<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/02/obituaries/roberto-viola-69-who-headed-argentine-military-dictatorship.html|title=Roberto Viola, 69, Who Headed Argentine Military Dictatorship|date=1994-10-02|work=The New York Times}}</ref> <!-- Lucia Noei Gentile -->
| children = 2<ref name="NYTimes" />
| allegiance = {{flag|Argentina}}
| branch = {{army|Argentina}}
| serviceyears =
| battles =
| rank = [[File:GD-EA.png|35px]] (Pre-1991 epaulette) [[Lieutenant General]]
⚫
| signature = Viola Firma.svg
}}
}}
'''Roberto Eduardo Viola Redondo''' (October 13, 1924 – September 30, 1994) was an [[Argentine military]] officer who briefly served as [[President of Argentina|president]] of [[Argentina]] from March 29 to December 11, 1981 during a period of [[Military dictatorship|military rule]].
'''Roberto Eduardo Viola''' (13 October 1924 – 30 September 1994) was an [[Argentina|Argentine]] military officer who served as the 48th [[President of Argentina]] and the 2nd [[National Reorganization Process|President of the National Reorganization Process]] from 29 March to 11 December 1981 as a [[military dictatorship|military dictator]].<ref name="NYTimes" />


==Early life==
⚫
==President of Argentina==
He was born as '''Roberto Eduardo Viola''' on 13 October 1924. His parents were [[Italians|Italian]] immigrants Angelo Viola and Rosa Maria Prevedini, both from [[Casatisma]], a town in the [[Province of Pavia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cairomontenotte.com/cognome/viola.html|title=Viola}}</ref>


==Presidency (1981)==
⚫
Viola appointed [[Lorenzo Sigaut]] as finance minister, and it became clear that Sigaut (and his protégé [[Domingo Cavallo]]) were looking for ways to reverse some of the economic policies of Videla's minister [[José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz]]. Notably, Sigaut abandoned the sliding [[exchange rate]] mechanism and devalued the [[Argentine Peso|peso]], after boasting that "they who gamble on the [[dollar]], will lose". Argentines braced for a recession after the excesses of the ''plata dulce'' ("sweet money") years, which destabilized Viola's position.
After [[Jorge Rafael Videla]] left office, Viola formally assumed the post of [[President of Argentina]].


===Economic policy===
⚫
Viola was also the victim of infighting within the armed 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.
⚫
Viola appointed [[Lorenzo Sigaut]] as finance minister, and it became clear that Sigaut were looking for ways to reverse some of the economic policies of Videla's minister [[José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz]]. Notably, Sigaut abandoned the sliding [[exchange rate]] mechanism and devalued the [[Argentine Peso|peso]], after boasting that "they who gamble on the [[dollar]], will lose". Argentines braced for a recession after the excesses of the ''sweet money'' years, which destabilized Viola's position.<ref name="El País">[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/economia/ARGENTINA/BANCO_INTERAMERICANO_DE_DESARROLLO/DESAPARECIDOS_Y_DICTADURA_MILITAR_/1976-1982/nueva/politica/economica/argentina/basa/modificacion/esquema/cambios/moneda/elpepieco/19810408elpepieco_11/Tes/ ''La nueva política económica argentina se basa en la modificación del esquema de cambios de la moneda. Según Lorenzo Sigaut, el nuevo ministro de Economía ''], El País, reproducción del artículo publicado el 8 de abril de 1981. {{in lang|es}}</ref>

⚫
Viola was also the victim of infighting within the [[armed 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 "[[economic populism|populist]]" economic policies.

===Foreign policy===
[[File:Ronald Reagan, Roberto Viola and Jorge A Aja Espil.jpg|thumb | 220x124px | right | Viola met with [[Ronald Reagan]] and Argentine Ambassador [[:es:Jorge A. Aja Espil|Jorge A. Aja Espil]] at the [[White House]] on March 17, 1981.]]

[[Argentina-United States relations]] improved dramatically with the [[Ronald Reagan]] administration, which asserted that the previous [[Carter Administration]] had weakened US diplomatic relationships with [[Cold War]] allies in Argentina and reversed the previous administration's official condemnation of the junta's [[human rights]] practices.<ref>Rossinow, pp. 73, 77–79</ref>

The re-establishment of diplomatic ties allowed for [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] collaboration with the Argentine intelligence service in arming and training the Nicaraguan [[Contras]] against the [[Sandinista National Liberation Front|Sandinista]] government. The [[Batallón de Inteligencia 601|601 Intelligence Battalion]], for example, trained Contras at [[Lepaterique]] base, in Honduras. Argentina also provided security advisors, intelligence training and some material support to forces in [[Guatemala]], [[El Salvador]] and [[Honduras]] to suppress local rebel groups as part of a U.S.-sponsored program called [[Operation Charly]].<ref>[http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/especiales/2006/03/24/l-01164353.htm "Los secretos de la guerra sucia continental de la dictadura"], [[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]], March 24, 2006 {{in lang|es}}</ref>


===Ousted in a coup===
===Ousted in a coup===


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 General [[Leopoldo Galtieri]], who soon became President. The official explanation given for the ousting was Viola's alleged health problems. Galtieri swiftly appointed [[Roberto Alemann]] as finance minister and presided over the [[Events leading to the Falklands War|build-up]] and pursuit of the [[Falklands War]].
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 General [[Leopoldo Galtieri]], who soon became president. The official explanation given for the ousting was Viola's alleged health problems. Galtieri swiftly appointed [[Roberto Alemann]] as finance minister and presided over the [[Events leading to the Falklands War|build-up]] and pursuit of the [[Falklands War]].


==Later years==
==Later years==


After the collapse of the military regime and the election of [[Raúl Alfonsín]] in 1983, Viola was arrested, judged for [[human rights]] violations committed by the military junta during the [[Dirty War]], and sentenced to 17 years in prison. His health deteriorated in prison; Viola was pardoned by [[Carlos Menem]] in 1990 together with all junta members. He died in 1994.
After the collapse of the military regime and the election of [[Raúl Alfonsín]] in 1983, Viola was arrested, judged for [[human rights]] violations committed by the military junta during the [[Dirty War]], and sentenced to 17 years in prison. His health deteriorated in prison; Viola was pardoned by [[Carlos Menem]] in 1990 together with all junta members. He died on 30 September 1994, at age 69.


==See also==
==See also==

* [[National Reorganization Process]]
* [[National Reorganization Process]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}


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|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Jorge Rafael Videla|Jorge Videla]]<br><small>As General Commander of the Army</small>}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Jorge Rafael Videla|Jorge Videla]]<br>{{small|As General Commander of the Army}}}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of senior officers of the Argentine Army|Commander-in-Chief of the Army]]|years=1977-1981}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of senior officers of the Argentine Army|Commander-in-Chief of the Army]]|years=1978-1981}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Leopoldo Galtieri]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Leopoldo Galtieri]]}}
{{s-break}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | title= [[President of Argentina]] | years= 1981 | before=[[Jorge Rafael Videla|Jorge Videla]] | after=[[Carlos Lacoste]]}}
{{succession box | title= [[President of Argentina]] | years= 1981 | before=[[Jorge Rafael Videla|Jorge Videla]] | after=[[Carlos Lacoste]]}}
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{{Presidents of Argentina}}
{{Presidents of Argentina}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

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| NAME = Viola, Roberto Eduardo
{{-}}
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = President of Argentina
| DATE OF BIRTH = October 13, 1924
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = September 30, 1994
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Viola, Roberto Eduardo}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Viola, Roberto Eduardo}}
[[Category:Acting presidents of Argentina]]
[[Category:20th-century presidents of Argentina]]
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Politicians from Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Recipients of Argentine presidential pardons]]
[[Category:Argentine people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Argentine people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Argentine generals]]
[[Category:Argentine generals]]
[[Category:Colegio Militar de la Nación alumni]]
[[Category:Colegio Militar de la Nación alumni]]
[[Category:Presidents of Argentina]]
[[Category:Burials at La Chacarita Cemetery]]
[[Category:Recipients of Argentine presidential pardons]]
[[Category:20th-century Argentine politicians]]
[[Category:Heads of government who were later imprisoned]]

[[Category:Argentine politicians convicted of crimes]]

[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin]]
{{Argentina-hist-stub}}
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Sun of Peru]]
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[[Category:Leaders ousted by a coup]]
{{Argentina-politician-stub}}
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Argentina]]

Latest revision as of 20:18, 12 September 2024

Roberto Eduardo Viola
Viola in 1981
48th President of Argentina
In office
29 March 1981 – 11 December 1981
Vice PresidentVacant
Preceded byJorge Rafael Videla
Succeeded byHoracio Tomás Liendo (acting)
Personal details
Born(1924-10-13)13 October 1924
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died30 September 1994(1994-09-30) (aged 69)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Political partyNone
SpouseNélida Giorgio Valente[1]
Children2[1]
ProfessionMilitary
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 an Argentine military officer who served as the 48th President of Argentina and the 2nd President of the National Reorganization Process from 29 March to 11 December 1981 as a military dictator.[1]

Early life

[edit]

He was born as Roberto Eduardo Viola on 13 October 1924. His parents were Italian immigrants Angelo Viola and Rosa Maria Prevedini, both from Casatisma, a town in the Province of Pavia.[2]

Presidency (1981)

[edit]

After Jorge Rafael Videla left office, Viola formally assumed the post of President of Argentina.

Economic policy

[edit]

Viola appointed Lorenzo Sigaut as finance minister, and it became clear that Sigaut were looking for ways to reverse some of the economic policies of Videla's minister José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz. Notably, Sigaut abandoned the sliding exchange rate mechanism and devalued the peso, after boasting that "they who gamble on the dollar, will lose". Argentines braced for a recession after the excesses of the sweet money years, which destabilized Viola's position.[3]

Viola was also the victim of infighting within the armed 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.

Foreign policy

[edit]
Viola met with Ronald Reagan and Argentine Ambassador Jorge A. Aja Espil at the White House on March 17, 1981.

Argentina-United States relations improved dramatically with the Ronald Reagan administration, which asserted that the previous Carter Administration had weakened US diplomatic relationships with Cold War allies in Argentina and reversed the previous administration's official condemnation of the junta's human rights practices.[4]

The re-establishment of diplomatic ties allowed for CIA collaboration with the Argentine intelligence service in arming and training the Nicaraguan Contras against the Sandinista government. The 601 Intelligence Battalion, for example, trained Contras at Lepaterique base, in Honduras. Argentina also provided security advisors, intelligence training and some material support to forces in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to suppress local rebel groups as part of a U.S.-sponsored program called Operation Charly.[5]

Ousted in a coup

[edit]

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 General Leopoldo Galtieri, who soon became president. The official explanation given for the ousting was Viola's alleged health problems. Galtieri swiftly appointed Roberto Alemann as finance minister and presided over the build-up and pursuit of the Falklands War.

Later years

[edit]

After the collapse of the military regime and the election of Raúl Alfonsín in 1983, Viola was arrested, judged for human rights violations committed by the military junta during the Dirty War, and sentenced to 17 years in prison. His health deteriorated in prison; Viola was pardoned by Carlos Menem in 1990 together with all junta members. He died on 30 September 1994, at age 69.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Roberto Viola, 69, Who Headed Argentine Military Dictatorship". The New York Times. 2 October 1994.
  2. ^ "Viola".
  3. ^ La nueva política económica argentina se basa en la modificación del esquema de cambios de la moneda. Según Lorenzo Sigaut, el nuevo ministro de Economía , El País, reproducción del artículo publicado el 8 de abril de 1981. (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Rossinow, pp. 73, 77–79
  5. ^ "Los secretos de la guerra sucia continental de la dictadura", Clarín, March 24, 2006 (in Spanish)
Military offices
Preceded by
Jorge Videla
As General Commander of the Army
 Commander-in-Chief of the Army
1978-1981 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by President of Argentina
1981 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roberto_Eduardo_Viola&oldid=1245402164"