An uneven wave: Peronism and democracy in Argentina, 1946–1955

Samuel Huntington's conceptualization of waves of democracy in Latin America raises questions on its suitability for analyzing mid-twentieth-century movements and regimes such as the one presided by Juan D. Perón in Argentina in 1946–1955. This article discusses Huntington's model in relation to the historiography on Peronism and Latin America more broadly. It argues that while Huntington's concept of the second wave of democracy applies in a more general sense, Peronism poses several theoretical and historiographical challenges to the validity of his model.