Argentina’s recently established democracy endured the trauma of four major military uprisings between 1987 and 1990, continuing even after the rebels’ original motivations faded. Exploring the causes of the rebellions and the rebel movement’s development, Deborah L. Norden’s Military Rebellion in Argentina underlines the inherently undefined nature of new democracies and reveals important dimensions of how coalitions are formed within the armed forces. By focusing on a military movement rather than merely separate incidents of insurrection, this study reveals central motivations that could be otherwise overlooked.

Norden begins with an analysis of the relation between democracy and military insurrection in previous postauthoritarian civilian periods, then turns to Argentina’s long battle against military intervention in politics. The study focuses on the internally divisive effects of the 1976–1983 military regime, which generated the intra-army cleavages that emerged during the subsequent period of civilian rule, and the civilian policies that prompted the rebels to action. At the heart of the study is an examination of the evolution of military rebellion, looking at the shift from policy-provoked reaction to more independent, politically motivated organization. Norden also explores general themes such as intransigent interventionism and the effects of different military regimes in South America on the likelihood of democratic consolidation.