Sociedad de Beneficencia de Buenos Aires
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Licence: Getty Images
| Giver: | Government |
|---|---|
| Receiver: | Individual or unstructured/informal group |
| Gift: | Other, Voice/Advocacy |
| Approach: | Philanthropy |
| Issues: | 1. No Poverty, 10. Reduced Inequalities, 2. Zero Hunger, 3. Good Health and Well-Being, 4. Quality Education, 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth |
| Included in: | Humanitarianism & Philanthropy |
The Sociedad de Beneficencia (Society of Beneficence) was the official philanthropic arm of the Argentine government for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded soon after Argentina’s declaration of independence from Spanish colonial rule, the society originally oversaw the management of orphanages and hospitals, before gradually expanding into education, mental health care, assistance for widows and other services. The Sociedad de Beneficencia operated as a public-private partnership, with wealthy women philanthropists overseeing the distribution of aid to people in need. One of the earliest examples of state-sponsored welfare, the Sociedad de Beneficencia marked the beginning of a transition from traditional forms of Christian charity to secular philanthropic giving.
Bernardino Rivadavia (1780-1845), the first President of Argentina, founded the Sociedad de Beneficencia de la Capital (also known as Sociedad de Beneficencia de Buenos Aires) in 1823. Through the establishment of a state philanthropic agency, Rivadavia aimed to wrest control over social services away from the Catholic Church, which maintained a strong allegiance to the Spanish crown. To manage the new charitable institution, Rivadavia recruited wealthy women socialites, who assumed control over the administration of services. As part of its mission, the society required strict adherence to moral standards as a condition for receiving assistance. In this way, the _Sociedad de Beneficencia _reflected the values of a Buenos Aires elite that maintained strong ties to the Church.
The Sociedad de Beneficencia temporarily suspended operations in 1838 after Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877), governor of Buenos Aires, terminated official support for the organization. The society resumed its activities in 1852, after Argentine nationalists consolidated power and drove Rosas into exile. Bolstered by the support of a unified state, the society underwent a rapid nationwide expansion over the course of the next century. Coordinating with diverse charitable groups, the society oversaw the establishment of numerous girls' schools, orphanages, hospitals, mental institutions and elderly homes throughout Argentina. By 1934, the organization’s various health facilities provided beds for more than 11,000 patients.
The society remained the nation’s principal source of philanthropic assistance until the mid-1940s, when the election of populist President Juan Perón (1895-1974) ushered in sweeping changes to the Argentine welfare system. Initially, the country’s incoming First Lady, Eva Perón (1919-1952) reached out to the Sociedad de Beneficencia, hoping to assume a leadership role within the organization. However, the affluent women who oversaw the society, rebuffed Perón’s overtures, deeming her humble origins to be incompatible with the organization’s culture. In retaliation, Juan Perón dissolved the Sociedad de Beneficencia and established the María Eva Duarte Social Help Foundation (later the Eva Perón Foundation) in 1948. Despite its inauspicious end, the society’s long history of success provided a valuable model for subsequent public-private philanthropic institutions.
Contributor: Stephen Meyer
| Source type | Full citation | Link (DOI or URL) |
|---|---|---|
| Publication |
Abad, Leticia Arroyo. “Persistent Inequality? Trade, Factor Endowments, and Inequality in Republican Latin America.” Journal of Economic History 73, no. 1 (March 2013): 38-78. |
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41811500 |
| Publication |
Golbert, Laura Susana, and Emilia Eugenia Roca. De la Sociedad de Beneficencia a los Derechos Sociales. Buenos Aires: Ministerio de Trabajo, Empleo y Seguridad Social, 2010. |
https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/delasociedaddebeneficenciaalosderechossociales.pdf |
| Publication |
Pérgola, Federico. “La Sociedad de Beneficencia: Inicio y Culminación.” Revista Argentina de Salud Pública 7, no. 29 (Octubre-Diciembre 2016): 41-42. |
https://rasp.msal.gov.ar/index.php/rasp/article/view/161/115 |
| Book |
Shumway, Jeffrey M. A Woman, a Man, a Nation: Mariquita Sánchez, Juan Manuel de Rosas, and the Beginnings of Argentina. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2019. |
9780826360908 |
| Publication |
Viladrich, Anahí, and Andrés A. Thompson. “Women and Philanthropy in Argentina: From the Society of Beneficence to Eva Perón.” Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 7, no. 4, (December 1996): 336-49. |
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27927532 |
| Publication |
Uribe-Uran, Victor M. “The Birth of a Public Sphere in Latin America during the Age of Revolution.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 42, no. 2 (April 2000): 425-57. |
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2696612 |