A Sporting and Peronist Youth in the Making: The High School Students Union (UES) in Argentina (1952–1955)
Résumé
This article examines the history of the High School Secondary Students (Unión de
Estudiantes Secundarios or UES), a sporting and cultural youth association created by
the Peronist government in 1953. From its inception, this institution has been compared
by sectors of the opposition to Fascist and Nazi youth organizations and accused
of politically enlisting and morally corrupting Argentine youth. Based on institutional
archives, UES publications and Perón’s speeches, this study offers a contribution to the
historiographical debates on the history of youth, sports and Peronism. It shows how the
creation of the UES relates to the social, educational and sports policies of this regime.
The article analyses the objectives pursued by the government, but also the limits and
contradictions of this attempt to mobilize young people through sports activities.
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