Standard historiography states that between 1880 and 1916, Argentina underwent a profound social and economic transformation led by a hegemonic political party, the Partido Autonomista Nacional (PAN). This transformation has been portrayed as the achievement of a generation of public men, the Generation of Eighty, who envisioned a project that would integrate Argentina into the social and economic changes occurring in the transatlantic world. The 1880s — with record levels of immigration, foreign investment, the triumph of the PAN, and the strengthening of the state — have generally been characterized as a crucial decade in consolidating the main hallmarks of “Modern Argentina.”1
Along with unquestionable economic and social growth, as well as the PAN’s unfailing presidential victories, there are other significant reasons why this period has been perceived in this way. The first two presidents of this period, Julio A. Roca (1880 – 86) and Miguel Juárez Celman (1886...
