Rosas, Juan Manuel de

(1793–1877)

   Military commander who helped the Federalists defeat the Unitario government of Buenos Aires and then helped develop the power and wealth of the city and province of Buenos Aires in Argentina. Rosas gained title to land as a result of his skill as a rancher. He helped organize a militia cavalry that campaigned against Native American raiders on the Argentine pampa. Increasingly opposed to the efforts of the government to unify all of Argentina’s provinces into a single country, he turned his military and political skills against Buenos Aires. He became governor of the province in 1829. The legislature granted him absolute power, and he remained in charge until 1852. To protect and promote the interests of landowners and exporters, Rosas used his military power to regulate the flow of trade on the Río de la Plata. His attempts to force merchants to trade only with Buenos Aires led to wars with Brazil, Great Britain, and France, as well as conflicts with other provincial governments.

   See also <>.

   FURTHER READING:

    Lynch, John. Argentine Dictator: Juan Manuel de Rosas 1829–1852. Oxford: Clarendon, 1981.

   DANIEL K. LEWIS