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In a profession such as politics that is filled with conmen and liars, it is unusual to come across a political leader who is adored by the citizens of his or her country both in life and death. It takes a unique combination of qualities woven into a clear rope of character and manifested in an honest and unambiguous life. Maria Eva Duarte de Peron stands out as an example of the few leaders with this kind of life. While alive, the people loved and after her death, their affection for her immortalized her.
Biographical Context
Maria was born on the 7th of May in the year 1919 in a poor village named Los Toldos in rural Argentina. Her mother was not married meaning that she was born out of wedlock. Her father, Juan, was a married man who came to Juana, Maria’s mother when he felt like (Barnes, pp. 5-7).It reached a point where he left and never came back. The crushing poverty that ensued made it difficult for Maria to pursue education. Her outstanding ability to comprehend issues would have served her well in school but this is a chance that she never got. At the age of sixteen, she left her rural home to pursue acting as a career in the capital city, Buenos Aires (Martinez, p. 20). Her charm was inescapable and within a short time she was able to secure a job with a radio station. This later allowed her to get gigs in acting and perform other roles in the media industry.
The driving factor in all these pursuits was the search for not only financial freedom for her family but also love that was not in plenty at home. The struggles of her single mother and the absent father led to the absence of the parental love that young girls need. Her three siblings needed financial support as well as her mother and the poverty of the rest of rural Argentina never ceased to bother her. This is what remained in her conscience throughout her adult life till her death in 1952 at the tender age of 33 years. It was clearly displayed in her public life as a first lady and politician when she worked closely with the masses through state structures and her charity organization to improve the lives of poor Argentineans. What achievements did Maria Eva make during her lifetime?
Maria Eva’s Achievements
Maria made numerous achievements during her time as a private citizen and a public servant. The much she was able to accomplish is astonishing when the beginnings of her life are brought into focus. It is not always that a young girl from a poor single family is able to rise to the level where she can make decisions on behalf of a nation. But this is exactly what Maria achieved for herself and her people. In the following segment of this research paper, the various achievements that Maria made are examined in detail.
To start with, Maria is credited with the admission of women into the politics of Argentina through voting. Argentinean women were not allowed to vote, a condition that Maria felt was oppressive and discriminatory. With the female population being far higher than that of men at that time, she was of the opinion that the majority of the citizens were led by leaders who were elected by the male minority (Fraser & Navarro, pp. 34-35).With support from her husband; she led in the reforms whose endpoint was the allowing of women to vote in elections. This was a huge score for not only herself as an individual but for the Argentinean political process that had remained behind in alienating women from the political process. The risks that came with this effort of political reform included being vilified by politicians who never liked the idea of female voters as well as other opinion leaders who were opposed to the idea. But her strong conviction made her push forward till reforms were effected and women had a chance to cast their ballots.
Far from fighting for the female suffrage, Maria is credited with the release of Peron, her husband, after his arrest in 1945.At this time Peron was a minister in the government with great influence that scared government officials (Taylor, p. 43).They felt that he would easily use the support of poor Argentineans and overthrow the government. Maria, whose popularity with the poor Argentineans was sky high capitalized on this to reach out to the public and organize demonstrations for her husband’s release. Trade unions and the larger section of the society that comprised of the poor and the marginalized came to her support and the pressure was too much for the government. Peron was therefore released.
Besides Peron’s release, Maria is recognized for assisting Peron in his election and re-election. The support Maria got from the Argentinean people reached record highs during her time as first lady of Argentina. The major reason for this was the unrivaled support she gave to poor people in rural areas through support to local businesses and exclusive programs for the support of women and girls (Guillermoprieto, p. 23).The love she had for these sections of society comes out as a compensation for what she missed as a girl from a poor background. It is for this dedication to the improvement of the lives of the poor that this group came forward and gave immense support to her husband during the two terms she lived to see him serve as president. The affection the women and the poor had for her would not have allowed them to vote for any other presidential candidate other than the one she was connected to. This made it easy for Peron to not only campaign peacefully but also garner enormous support that made victory easy.
Maria is also recognized for the transformation that took place in the lives of poor Argentineans during her time as first lady (Ortiz, p. 67).The government of her husband supported numerous initiatives that supported poor people in Argentina through financial incentives to small business and education for the poor. It is during her time that Argentinean education got a huge boost and the economy of the poor was improved.
In addition to uplifting the lives of the poor, Maria supported democracy through her own efforts as well as through her influence on her husband who was president. Before her rise to a position of influence, the political landscape of Argentina was characterized by harassment of political opponents. This did not happen when her husband became president. The demonstrations she organized when Peron was arrested before he became president also made a remarkable contribution to democracy (Crassweller, pp. 45-47).For a lady in a country where women had not gained the right to vote, this was outstanding.
Leaving the above aside, Maria formed a charitable organization that lives on even after her death in 1952.The Eva Peron Foundation is known for its unwavering support to poor people in Argentina. The true spirit of Maria that bound her to the course of the poor, the disenchanted, the disinherited and the marginalized was behind the creation of the foundation; with the idea that even after she is long gone from the face of the earth, what she stood for would remain. The foundation remains and the work for which it was founded continues. What qualities did Maria have that made her achieve all the above?
Her Leadership Qualities, Weaknesses, and Strengths
Maria was a hardworking and visionary woman. Her poor background never discouraged her. She knew deep within her that she had the ability to become the best and as she moved to the capital to look for a chance to better her life and those of the people around her, she knew that she had to work hard. She was also loving, dedicated and selfless. These are qualities that were evident in the way she fought for the poor with all that she had. Her strengths included her relentless spirit that never broke even in the face of adversity and her charm that moved those who listened to her (Barnes, pp. 76-77). She was also charismatic and courageous. Was she weak in any way? Maria’s weakness was her inability to know when to stop. Her work for the people took precedence and this made her to remember that she was sick and needed rest. This may have worsened her cancerous body leading to her untimely death.
Lessons from Her Life
The lessons to learn from this well lived life are many. To begin with, it is clear that when leaders serve their people well, the people never fail them. Maria’s honesty was too clear that the people were willing to stand by her side at all times. It is also clear that the human conditions of poverty and disadvantage are not permanent. Despite her poor beginnings, she was able to rise to a position where she was able to fight for others.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Maria Eva Duarte de Peron was a life well lived. Service to humanity was her motto and this came out in her actions. It is for this reason that Argentina and the world still recall Maria with hearts full of sadness that she died so early and happiness that she ever lived.
Works Cited
- Barnes, John. Evita, First Lady: A Biography of Eva Perón. New York, New York: Grove Press.1978.Print.
- Crassweller, Robert. Peron and the Enigmas of Argentina. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.1987.Print.
- Fraser, Nicholas & Navarro, Marysa. Evita: The Real Life of Eva Perón.New York: W.W. Norton & Company.1996.Print.
- Guillermoprieto, Alma. Looking for History: Dispatches from Latin America. New York: Vintage.2002.Print.
- Martinez,Tomas. Santa Evita.Trans. Lane,Helen.New York:Vintage Books,1997.Print.
- Ortiz, Alicia. Eva Peron; A Biography. Trans. Fields Shawn. New York:Griffin Trade Paperbacks,1997.Print.
- Taylor,Julie.Eva Peron : The Myths of a Woman.Chicago:The University of Chicago Press,1996.Print.
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