Student participation in the Coup d'état of 1930. Tensions and paradoxes in the politicization of the Buenos Aires' student body during the first democratic experience

Abstract

The participation of Buenos Aires students in the coup d'état that overthrew the second government of Hipólito Yrigoyen in 1930 had the unexpected consequence of the subsequent persecution of several university entities and activists that had supported the military coup. This article takes that paradox as a starting point to enquire about broader processes regarding the relationship between students and politics during the first democratic experience (1912-1930) and the University Reform movement. Specifically, it analyzes several factors and forms of politicization that differ from the intellectual-political interventions of the reformist movement and student centers. In dialogue with political history, the article utilizes qualitative analysis of a corpus of sources composed of periodical press, political-party publications and student documents. The conclusions raise questions that facilitatee a reexamination of the role of political parties within academic institutions, beyond the mechanisms and principles of university autonomy. Additionally, they suggest considering civic-political conceptions and practices as elements of analysis that contribute to enriching the agenda of university history topics.