Rodolfo Irazusta (1897-1967) was an Argentine writer and politician who was one of the leading lights of the nationalist movement of the 1920s and 1930s. He collaborated closely with his younger brother Julio Irazusta (1899-1982) throughout his career.
Irazusta first came to prominence through his association with the journal La Nueva Republica (LNR). It was founded in 1927 by the followers of the ideas of Leopoldo Lugones and was edited by the likes of Juan Carulla as well as the Irazusta brothers.[1] The aim of LNR was to take the ruling classes away from the prevailing liberalism of the time to more counterrevolutionary, Maurrasian ideals.[2] LNR endorsed corporatism and represented a move away from the traditionalism that had tended to be the hallmark of right wing critics of the system in Argentina to a new, hard-line nationalism.[3] Irazusta was particularly noted as a harsh critic of democracy and he wrote that as a concept it was not in the Constitution and that it led to disorder.[2] He further argued that democracy encouraged the growth of parasitic administrators and well as too much influence from foreign-owned businesses.[4]
As representatives of the semi-fascist right Irazusta and Carulla approached General José Félix Uriburu in 1927 to ask him to lead a coup against the reign of Hipólito Yrigoyen but he declined.[2] Despite the setback, Irazusta joined with Roberto de Laferrere to create the Liga Republicana (Republican League), a fascistic anti-government youth militia.[5] Ultimately Uriburu did lead a coup in 1930 after his retirement from the army and the Irazustas enjoyed high profiles during his government. Indeed they were part of an intellectual movement along with the likes of the Juan Carulla, Ernesto Palacio and Bruno Jacovella who wrote in favour of a corporatist, Maurrasian system and so became the ideologues of the Uriburu regime.[6]
The Irazustas continued to write prolifically, contributing widely to LNR was well as the journal Voz del Pueblo which was pro-Nazi in outlook.[7] The brothers best known work was their 1934 book Argentina y el imperialismo británico: Los eslabones de una cadena 1806-1833 which accused the United Kingdom, which had supported Argentina in its attempts to gain independence from Spain, of doing so for ulterior motives i.e. opening up new trade markets and ensuring that the newly independent state would have to rely on them for loans. The book was central to their nationalist, corporatist vision, although it has subsequently become a standard for both left and right.[8] It also played a pivotal role in the development of Argentine claims to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands by suggesting that taking the Falkland Islands was one of the ways in which the UK had exploited Argentina.[9]
Less directly involved in politics than his brother, Julio Irazusta wrote and lectured extensively on Juan Manuel de Rosas who was the subject of revisionism from the far right from 1930, when a hagiographical biography by Carlos Ibarguren appeared, resulting in Rosas being characterised as a model of leadership.[10] Julio also wrote biographies of Tomás de Anchorena and other historical figures.[11]