Written as an introductory text for university students and the general public, this text is a profound reflection on the "Argentine dilemma" and the challenges that the country faces as it tries to rebuild democracy. Romero reconstructs and analyzes Argentina"s tortuous, often tragic modern history, from the "alluvial society" born of mass immigration, to the dramatic years of Juan and Eva Peron, to the recent period of military dictatorship and democracy. For this first English-language edition, Romero has written a new chapter covering the 1990s.