Juan Diaz de Solis initially discovered Argentina in 1516. Argentina has progressed gradually under Spanish colonial rule. Buenos Aires was established in 1580. The country had a flourishing cattle industry way back in 1600. Invasion by British forces was effectively thwarted in 1806-1807. After Napoleon occupied Spain in1808, the Argentineans founded their own government in 1810. On July 9, 1816, Argentina formally pronounced its independence.

Juan D. Pern, an army colonel, won the presidential elections of 1946 and 1951, during the post war period. Pern's political power was boosted by his second wife, Eva Duarte de Pern (Evita). The working class of Argentina adored her. She was never a part of the government, but Evita made her presence felt as de facto minister of health and labor. Using her clout, she founded a national charitable organization and doled out liberal wage hikes to the unions. The unions rewarded her with political backing for Pern.

Growing dissent to Pern's authoritarianism resulted in a coup by the armed forces. Pern was sent to exile in 1955, three years following Evita's death. This was the commencement of military dictatorships in the country and was marked by occasional periods of constitutional government.

The exiled dictator won power in 1973, and his third wife, Isabel Martnez de Pern, was designated vice president. In the aftermath of Pern's death in 1974, she assumed the position of being the first woman Chief of State. She took charge of a country that was on the threshold of economic and political disaster. Widespread terrorist strikes in 1975, both by left and right radical groups, resulted in the death of a large number of people. During her regime, the cost of living shot up 355%, and strikes and agitations were rampant. This marked a critical period in Argentina's history.