La conquista del progreso is yet another addition to Félix Luna’s thirty-volume series of popular histories covering Argentina’s national period. The authors treat the presidency of Nicolás Avellaneda from his election through the federalization of Buenos Aires at the end of his term. Like most works in the series, this contribution concentrates upon political chronology with brief topical chapters fleshing out the text. Slightly over half of the book treats the political infighting, shifting alliances, and fraud of the time. Four other chapters survey the economy, education and culture, Roca’s conquest of the desert, and foreign relations.
Unlike most volumes of the Memorial de la Patria collection, this one features relatively complete footnote citations. When combined with the bibliography, the short title citations with full page references can be used to trace sources. The authors draw principally upon the voluminous body of secondary sources available for the period, but also incorporate information from a few newspapers, public papers, and other printed sources. No archival documents were used, so the interpretation provides nothing new in its sources. Frequent, lengthy quotations from other scholars comprise a substantial portion of the text.
The heart of the work lies in its discussion of the liberal leadership emerging as the uncontested power in the nation. As a unifying theme, the authors portray Avellaneda as a precursor to Roca’s “peace and administration.” While far less stridently revisionistic than most contributors to the series, the authors emphasize the liberal elite’s pursuit of progress at any price (p. 247).
The diligent reader, seeking more than simple political narrative, is rewarded with nuggets buried in the topical chapters. The foreign policy section, focusing upon border disputes with Chile, includes a useful if brief survey of travel literature and other evidence mustered by the two parties in support of their cases (pp. 148-154). The chapter on education and culture summarizes the major literary works published during the period, most notably The Return of Martín Fierro by José Hernández in 1878. The economic crisis of 1873 and resultant policy debates and responses emerge clearly in the economic section.
Overall, Gasio and San Román introduce the reader to the Avellaneda presidency and to the liberal elite with admirable clarity and lack of passion. The ample bibliography and useful citations point the way to more specialized and refined literature on the themes surveyed. The work is best suited to the nonspecialist seeking a quick, uncomplicated introduction to the period.
