Argentina – National Salvation State (1946)

Capital: Buenos Aires
Regime: Authoritarian corporatist state
Leader: General Héctor Benavides, President of the National Salvation State
International Faction: The Silver Pact (Argentina as leader)

Birth of the National Salvation State

Following the fall of the United Kingdom in 1941 and the global realignment caused by the German victory in Europe, Argentina entered a deep internal crisis. The old oligarchic democracy was weakened, syndicalism was rising, and fear of communism grew within the military elite.

In 1943, a group of nationalist officers — influenced by Italian doctrine and the authoritarian tendencies of the era — executed the June Coup, dissolving Congress and establishing a provisional government.

By 1945, this government evolved into the National Salvation State, a regime with a martial aesthetic, a corporatist economy, and a discourse centered on the "spiritual restoration of the fatherland." It was led by General Héctor Benavides, a charismatic and pragmatic officer who blended authoritarianism with populist nationalism.

The primary objective of the new state was to transform Argentina into the dominant power of the Southern Cone before the United States or Brazil could expand their influence over the region.

Italian Inspiration and Continental Alignment

From the beginning, the Argentine regime maintained a strong affinity with Italy, admiring:

• its corporatist organization,
• its aesthetic-propaganda model,
• and its method of consolidating power without falling fully under German control.

Argentina viewed Italy as the “legitimate Latin model” for modernizing the nation without submitting to German or American spheres of influence.

After Italy’s defeat in 1943 and its partial reconstruction under German oversight, Buenos Aires became one of Rome’s main military and economic partners outside Europe, purchasing:

• second-line aircraft,
• light armored vehicles,
• industrial machinery,
• and even military advisors to reform Argentine academies.

This relationship strengthened the regime’s “Latin-corporatist” identity.

The Silver Pact

By late 1945, Argentina pushed for the creation of the Silver Pact, a regional alliance with two core objectives:

• Counter the growing influence of the United States in the Americas.
• Prevent Brazil from becoming the sole South American center of power.

As the leading nation of the pact, Argentina coordinated:

• maritime strategies in the Río de la Plata,
• joint military exercises,
• and a common political front toward Washington.

Although the pact was small compared to the American Continental Block, Buenos Aires saw it as the first step in building an autonomous and resilient “Rioplatense Sphere” capable of resisting U.S. diplomatic pressure.

Internal Structure of the Regime

The National Salvation State was a unique mixture of:

• institutionalized militarism,
• state-controlled unions,
• a patriotic cult involving the modern gaucho and national sacrifice,
• accelerated state-directed industrialization,
• and partially censored press — though not to German totalitarian levels.

Its main symbols included:

• the National Condor,
• the stylized sun,
• and the figure of the “Soldier-Producer,” representing the union of discipline and economic development.

Argentina in Global Geopolitics (1946)

Unlike many nations of the time, Argentina avoided direct alignment with the Reich. Benavides viewed German expansion in the South Atlantic with caution and refused to allow German naval bases in Patagonia.

Argentina maintained a delicate balancing act:

• friendly with Italy,
• distant with Germany,
• openly distrustful of the United States,
• and strategically competitive with Brazil.

Its priority was to dominate the Southern Cone through:

• an expanding navy,
• a state-industrial economy,
• and the use of the Silver Pact as both a military and diplomatic platform.