James Brennan and Marcelo Rougier set out to examine the collective behavior of what they have called the national bourgeoisie in the conflictive world of Argentina between 1946 and 1976. They placed that behavior in an examination of the political economy. In doing this, the authors have helped social scientists see more clearly the shifting nature of the Peronist coalition. According to many commentators, elements of the industrialist class have been key components of that coalition, though there has been no real consensus on this issue and, with the notable exception of the period of the rise to power of Juan Perón, there have been few concrete studies.
Brennan and Rougier argue that it is not possible to confine their examination to the industrialist class, since those who intermittently support Perón also included commercial interests and elements of the agro-industrialist class. In this, the authors are undoubtedly influenced by the...