Entre liderazgo comunitario y participación política en la sociedad de recepción: ¿qué papel jugaron las élites inmigrantes italianas y españolas en la Argentina (1940-1960)?

This essay aims to analyse the forms and mechanisms of leadership within the Italian and Spanish collectivities in Argentina between 1940 and 1960, studying in particular the action of two groups of political exiles: the Spanish Republicans, who arrived in the South American country mainly from 1939-1940; and the Italian fascists who arrived after 1946. First and foremost, the different political contexts at the time of arrival are compared (conservative governments vs. military government and then first government of Juan Domingo Peron). Secondly, the analysis focuses dynamically on two aspects: 1) the performance of both groups within the associations of the respective communities and the attempts to impose their own agenda within them; 2) the eventual political commitment within the receiving society. Finally, the factors that determined the greater or lesser success of each within and outside their communities of belonging are studied.