Editing Montoneros (section)

===Relations with Perón===
Montoneros had a complicated relationship with Juan Perón himself. In February 1971, Perón sent a letter to Montoneros, agreeing with their declaration that "the only possible road for the people to seize power and install national socialism is total, national, and prolonged revolutionary war" and praised the organization for adapting Peronist doctrine to the difficult conditions created by the military dictatorship. Interpreted as Perón endorsement of Montoneros, the organization was soon joined by several other Peronist organizations – shortly after Perón's response, the Descamisado Political-Military Organization under the leadership of Horacio Mendizabal and Norberto Habegger merged with Montoneros, in October 1973 Montoneros welcomed the [[:es:Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (Argentina)|FAR]] into its ranks, and in 1974 [[Peronist Armed Forces]] also joined Montoneros.<ref name="Hodges 1991 112"/> As Perón returned to Argentina in July 1973 and was welcomed by large groups and overjoyed demonstrations, Montoneros were reported to be ‘winning the street’, with chants such as ‘long live the Montoneros who killed Aramburu’ being popular Peronist slogans. However, Perón's return marked increasing conflict between various Peronist wings, determined to gain the upper hand.<ref>{{cite book |title=Juan Perón: The Life of the People's Colonel |page=221 |first=Jill |last=Hedges |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-0-7556-0268-1 |year=2021}}</ref> According to Perón biographer Jill Hedges, Perón was alarmed by the fact that his return did not reduce political violence in Argentina, but rather invited further clashes between the left and right wings of his movement. Perón also believed that some guerrilla and right-wing groups did not genuinely support him, but rather planned his assassination.<ref>{{cite book |title=Juan Perón: The Life of the People's Colonel |page=223 |first=Jill |last=Hedges |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-0-7556-0268-1 |year=2021}}</ref>

In September 1973, Perón attempted to maintain unity in his movement, and met with leaders of the Montoneros and FAR. However, Perón was heartbroken by the assassination of trade union leader [[José Ignacio Rucci]], for which the Montoneros claimed responsibility.<ref>{{cite book |title=Juan Perón: The Life of the People's Colonel |page=228 |first=Jill |last=Hedges |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-0-7556-0268-1 |year=2021}}</ref> Rucci's assassination marked the first time Perón cried in public. Perón went into state of depression, and declared at his death: "They killed my son. They cut off my legs".<ref name=Soles>[http://www.solesdigital.com.ar/libros/rucci.htm José Ignacio Rucci, El precio de la lealtad], review of  Luís Fernando Beraza's biography of Rucci (Vergara, 2007) by ''Soles Digital'', 10 December 2007 {{in lang|es}}  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621003227/http://www.solesdigital.com.ar/libros/rucci.htm |date=21 June 2008 }}</ref> The death of Rucci made Perón cold towards Montoneros, culminating in Perón demanding their expulsion from the Justicalist Movement on May Day 1974, which insulted the Peronist Left. Despite this, Montoneros never abandoned Perón and glorified him after his death. His last major speech from 12 June 1974, in which Perón denounced an "imperialist plot", was interpreted as proof that Perón was "to a great extent taking up the orientations and many of the criticisms which we were formulating" by the Montoneros. [[Ronaldo Munck]] argues that Perón did not desire to abandon Montoneros and his June speech was intended to restore their trust after the May Day confrontation.<ref>{{cite book |title=Argentina: from anarchism to Peronism : workers, unions, and politics, 1855-1985 |first=Ronaldo |last=Munck |author-link=Ronaldo Munck |year=1987 |publisher=Zed Books Ltd. |isbn= 0-86232-571-4 |page=195}}</ref> Montoneros praised Perón for realizing his "May Day mistake" shortly before his death, and continued to identify him as their mentor. However, after Perón's death the Montoneros went underground on 6 September 1974 and organized resistance against the regime of [[Isabel Perón]], as Isabel's government was dominated by right-wing figures who sought to centralize their control of the movement and initiated crackdowns on other Peronist factions.<ref name="Gillespie 1982 151–152">{{cite book |title=Soldiers of Peron: Argentina's Montoneros |first=Richard |last=Gillespie |year=1982 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-821131-7 |pages=151–152}}</ref>

Following the death of Perón, Montoneros declared war on the government of Isabel Perón, denouncing it as ‘neither popular nor Peronist’ and comparing it to the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina prior to March 1973.<ref name="Gillespie 1982 151–152"/> Montoneros presented themselves as the successors of the Perón's original program, considering it an essential part of their far-left outlook and arguing that its reconstruction is necessary for national liberation of Argentina.<ref>{{cite book |title=Argentina 1943-1976: The National Revolution and Resistance |isbn=0-8263-0422-2 |publisher=University of New Mexico Press |year=1976 |first=Donald C. |last=Hodges |author-link=Donald C. Hodges |page=72}}</ref> They continued to proclaim national liberation and construction of socialism as their main goals, which they defined as liberation from imperialist domination and suppression of private ownership of the means of production, and a planned economy "in accordance with the particularities of the national productive structure". Montoneros praised Peronism as "the main, richest and most generalised experience of the Argentine working class and national sectors to achieve the objective of national and social liberation", and called their ideology "Authentic Peronism" from September 1974. The organization also stressed that it is not abandoning the justicalist movement, but proposes its reconstruction, as it finds it necessary to depose "reactionary elements" that have infiltrated Peronism. The new government of Isabel Perón was decried as not only not Peronist, but also "anti-Peronist, anti-popular, repressive and pro-monopoly". Montoneros doubled down on their glorification of Eva Perón, adding the organization of "the Peronist militias that Evita imagined, so that all the people can actively participate in all the forms of confrontation" to its goals.<ref name="Segovia 111–152"/>