Editing History of Uruguay (section)

==Blanco collegiate executives era, 1958–66==
The National Party won the [[1958 Uruguayan general election|1958 election]] and became the ruling political group in the [[National Council of Government (Uruguay)|National Council of Government]]. The period of government was characterized by constant instability and weakness due to internal conflicts in the National Party between the [[Herrerism]], [[Ruralism (Uruguay)|Ruralism]] and the White Democratic Union factions—which was aggravated by the death of the party's leader, [[Luis Alberto de Herrera]].<ref name=":0" /> 
[[File:Eisenhower en Uruguay (5096971783).jpg|thumb|U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] in [[Montevideo]], 1960]]
During the first Blanco collegiate term, a liberal and anti-protectionist economic policy was implemented. In 1959 the country was hit by [[1959 Uruguayan flood|severe floods]], which affected agricultural production and therefore the country's economy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Otros |title=Las inundaciones de 1959: el otro gran desastre natural que debió enfrentar el Partido Nacional en el gobierno |url=https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/las-inundaciones-de-1959-el-otro-gran-desastre-natural-que-debio-enfrentar-el-partido-nacional-en-el-gobierno-202041214150 |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=El Observador}}</ref> In 1960, a letter of intent was signed with the [[International Monetary Fund]], which sought a loan of 300 million dollars to finance agriculture.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-23 |title=Uruguay y el FMI, una vez más {{!}} La Mañana |url=https://www.xn--lamaana-7za.uy/opinion/uruguay-y-el-fmi-una-vez-mas/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |language=es}}</ref>

The economic crisis led to student militancy and labor unrest. The collective ruling council was unable to agree on harsh measures that were required to stabilize the economy. As the demand for Uruguay's export products plummeted, the collective leadership tried to avoid budget cuts by spending Uruguay's currency reserves and then began taking foreign loans. The [[Uruguayan peso]] was devalued, and inflation increased greatly.

In the [[1962 Uruguayan general election|1962 election]], the National Party once again had the most votes, thus obtaining again a majority in the [[National Council of Government (Uruguay)|National Council of Government]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-10 |title=Nuevo triunfo blanco, ahora con mayoría de la "Ubedoxia" |url=https://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/politica/nuevo-triunfo-blanco-ahora-con-mayoria-de-la-ubedoxia |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=EL PAIS |language=en}}</ref>