Crude, identity, and nation
the quest for oil in Peronist Argentina (1946-1955)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22456/2178-8839.146811Keywords:
Argentina; Peronismo; nacionalismo energéticoAbstract
This article aims to grasp why Perón’s administration concluded a millionaire agreement with Standard Oil of California for the exploration of dozens of oil fields in Southern Argentina. Acknowledging the contradictory nature of this sudden move in view of the president’s populist and nationalistic rhetoric, it does so by emphasizing the constraints imposed by the social, political, and economic structure of the country, including the way it is inserted in the international system. As our main findings, after resorting to both primary and secondary sources, it was identified that the incipient and fragile character of the union movement in the petroleum industry, along with vulnerabilities in strategic areas and pressures from anti-nationalist sectors within the military, corresponded to the main social and political determinants pushing for a shift away from oil nationalism. Furthermore, the framework of Argentina’s insertion into the global economy equally proved to be an important factor for the increasing role of private capital in its energy sector. In particular, such a scenario can be attributed to the external constraints provoked by the legacy of an agro-export economic model as well as YPF’s delicate situation regarding operating costs, productivity, and technological development.
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Accepted 2025-09-15
Published 2025-10-23
