ETAPA FEDERAL

Post-Rivadavia Political Instability
📌 Following the resignation of Rivadavia after signing a treaty unfavorable to Brazil, Argentina descended into anarchy, particularly in Buenos Aires province.
📌 Manuel Dorrego was elected governor, representing a federalist viewpoint opposed to Rivadavia's unitary stance.
📌 Dorrego confirmed the peace terms with Brazil established by Rivadavia, leading to accusations of treason from the Unitarian faction.
📌 General Lavalle staged a coup, removing and executing Dorrego, which incited anger among the Federal party.

Juan Manuel de Rosas' Rise to Power
📌 Following Dorrego's death, the legislature appointed his friend, Juan Manuel de Rosas, as the governor of Buenos Aires province.
📌 Rosas never held the title of national president but wielded more power than some presidents, serving two terms as governor.
📌 During his first term, Rosas held extraordinary powers, allowing him to legislate and judge political crimes, though not economic laws or common crimes.
📌 In his second term, Rosas obtained the sum of public power (executive, legislative, and judicial totality) through a plebiscite.

Rosas' Governance and Conflicts
📌 In his first term, Rosas focused on establishing internal order in Buenos Aires, utilizing press censorship to silence political opposition.
📌 Rosas organized the Federal Pact to create a league capable of opposing the Unitarian League, led by General José María Paz.
📌 The Unitarian League was eventually defeated in the struggle against the Federal forces aligned with the Pact.
📌 Rosas resigned his mandate after four years when renewal was offered without extraordinary powers, subsequently organizing the "Campaña del Desierto" (Campaign of the Desert).

Events During Rosas' Absence and Return
📌 While Rosas was on the desert campaign, Governor Balcarce dissolved Rosas' control mechanisms, including press censorship.
📌 This led to the split of the Federal party into "Federales Apostólicos" (Rosas' followers) and the "Lomos Negros" (urban federalists supporting Balcarce, anti-Rosas).
📌 Rosas' wife, Encarnación de Ezcurra, used the newspaper *El Restaurador de las Leyes* to denounce Balcarce, leading to a "Revolution of the Restauradores" that removed Balcarce.
📌 The period also saw the British invasion of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) in 1833 and the assassination of Facundo Quiroga in Barranca Yaco, eliminating a key caudillo rival to Rosas.

Control Mechanisms and Territorial Issues
📌 Encarnación Ezcurra was instrumental in establishing the "Mazorca," a political police force dressed in red, used to punish opponents.
📌 The "divisa punzó" (a ribbon/badge) became mandatory, reading slogans like "Federación o Muerte, Viva la Santa Federación, Mueran los Salvajes Unitarios."
📌 The territory controlled by white settlers was clearly demarcated from the large, fertile land controlled by indigenous peoples, whose power Rosas sought to limit to facilitate agricultural production for the external market.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The political turmoil following Rivadavia’s resignation created a vacuum filled by Manuel Dorrego, whose subsequent execution triggered Rosas' entry into provincial leadership.
➡️ Rosas consolidated power first via extraordinary powers (legislative/judicial over political matters) and later secured total control (executive, legislative, judicial) through a popular vote (plebiscite).
➡️ Rosas' political control relied heavily on suppression of dissent (press censorship, Mazorca) and promoting a unifying ideology through symbols like the "divisa punzó."
➡️ The assassination of Facundo Quiroga following his mediation mission significantly benefited Rosas by removing the only caudillo capable of challenging his centralized power structure.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Feb 19, 2026, 15:17 UTC