Elizalde, Rufino de (1822–1887)

The Argentine politician Rufino de Elizalde began his career as an attorney in 1846. In 1852 he conspired against the military leader Juan Manuel de Rosas, who at the time was governor of the province of Buenos Aires. After Rosas' defeat in the battle of Caseros, Buenos Aires held the status of an autonomous state within the Argentine Confederation. Elizalde established close ties with Bartolomé Mitre, who sought to form a national union dominated by Buenos Aires. Mitre was elected governor of the province in 1860, and Elizalde took over the post of minister of the treasury. The confederation and Buenos Aires armies clashed several times, and Buenos Aires finally prevailed in 1861 at the battle of Pavón. The country was reunified under the command of Mitre, who was named president in 1862. Elizalde occupied the post of minister of foreign affairs.

Mitre was forced to resolve substantial problems related to national organization, including the abolition of the provincial militias. Elizalde's foreign policy, anti-American and pro-European in nature, was forced to address border disputes with the Argentine state. He also tried to reaffirm the principle of national sovereignty with regard to foreign powers. The most important event in foreign affairs was the Paraguayan War (1865–1870) between the Triple Alliance (Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay) and Paraguay. The origins of this bloody war lay in the conflicts among Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina during the consolidation of their respective nation-states. The incident that set off the conflict was Paraguay's interference in the internal politics of Uruguay. The Triple Alliance was victorious, and Argentina and Brazil won territory from Paraguay. Elizalde was minister once again during the presidency of Nicolás Avellaneda (1874–1880).

See alsoArgentina: The Nineteenth Century; Avellaneda, Nicolás; Mitre, Bartolomé; Rosas, Juan Manuel de; War of the Triple Alliance.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Doratioto, Francisco Fernando. Maldita Guerra: Nova historia da Guerra do Paraguai. Sao Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002.

Halperín Donghi, Tulio. Una nación para el desierto argentino. Buenos Aires: Centro Editor de América Latina, 1982.

Oszlak, Oscar. La formación del estado argentino, 3rd edition. Buenos Aires: AR Planeta, 1999.

                                        Vicente Palermo