I had thought it had always been some poor, banana republic even before Peron-very much not the case. What a might-have-been-if Argentina had not fallen to the Peron from of state one imagines it could have provided a model and source of stability to all of Latin America. I was astonished really to learn that at the end of World War Two, Argentina had a standard of living, balance of trade and sound currency comparable to the United States or Great Britain-before the Perons got hold of it.
I remember in particular his take on the Perons, glamorized in the musical Evita. And actually a lot related here new to me that isn't necessarily left or right-but just history that, perhaps because Johnson is British, is more rounded and less Americancentric. But for that very reason I found invaluable a slant on history that was new to me. I wanted to hear from the other side, and yes you can detect a right-of-center sensibility here. Having grown up on Manhattan's Upper West Side from kindergarten to college I was exposed almost exclusively to a left-wing narrative of history.
For me it wasn't something off-putting but something I sought out. That will put some people off-although it's notable I saw more than one review from readers who said in spite of that they found this book incisive and readable.
Paul Johnson is a British journalist, a believing Catholic-and a conservative.
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