r March 1973. The country became increasingly torn by violence, including strikes, student riots, and terrorist activities. The economy to was headed for a new crisis. The Peronistas had grown increasingly vocal, and they now nominated Pern for the presidency. He remained in Spain until after the date set for candidates to be resident in Argentina, however, and Hector J. Cmpora was nominated in his place. Peronistas swept the elections in March 1973, and Cmpora was inaugurated as president on May 25. Terrorism escalated, now joined by rightist vigilantes, with numerous kidnappings, soaring ransom demands, and killings. Divisions between moderate and leftist Peronistas also brought widespread violence. On June 20, when Pern returned to Buenos Aires, a riot resulted in approximately 380 casualties. A month later Cmpora resigned, and in September Pern was elected president, with more than 61 percent of the votes. His third wife, Isabel de Peron, was elected vice president. The strain, however, proved too much for the aging Pern. He died on July 1, 1974, and his wife succeeded him, becoming the first woman chief executive of a modern Latin American state. During her presidency, political and economic conditions deteriorated rapidly. In 1975 terrorist activities by right- and left-wing groups resulted in the deaths of more than 700 people. The cost of living increased by 335 percent, and strikes and demonstrations for higher wages were frequent. After repeated cabinet crises and an abortive air force rebellion in December 1975, a military junta led by the army commander, Lieutenant General Jorge Rafael Videla, seized power on March 24, 1976. The junta dissolved the legislature, imposed martial law, and ruled by decree. For the first few months after the military takeover, terrorism remained rampant, but it waned somewhat after the Videla government launched its own terror campaign against political opponents. In 1977 the Argentine Commission...
