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As in the United States, Argentine independence led to a contest between those who favored a confederation of autonomous states and those who preferred a centralized national government. From the beginning, Buenos Aires-based juntas attempted to assert control over the interior provinces, with failed military efforts leading to an independent Paraguay and Uruguay in 1813 and 1828. Political efforts in 1819 to arrive at a centralizing republican constitution likewise failed. Until 1829, civil war raged among the vying provinces, each of which was itself under the control of caudillos, la Plata's home-grown aristocracy of hacienda-owning cattlemen.
photo: Hulton Archive
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Gauchos, the political backbone of Argentina's 19th century frontier culture.
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