Militarization of the State during the Last Argentine Military Dictatorship: A Study of the National Executive Power Cabinets between 1976 and 1983

This article analyzes the process of militarization of the state carried out by the last military dictatorship in Argentina, through an empirical study of the profiles of ministers and ministries that formed the National Executive Power cabinets between 1976 and 1983. On the one hand, it reconstructs the educational, professional and social profile of the ministerial elite, and the high degree of specialization among the "civilian ministries" as compared to those occupied by the Armed Forces. On the other hand, it analyzes the determining factors in the process of militarization: the unequal distribution of power among the three Armed Forces, the relative importance of each ministry in the achievement of the objectives, of both the dictatorship in general and of each force in particular, and the progressive need to broaden civilian support. Finally, it identifies a distinctive "ministerial hierarchy" orship within said dictatorship, headed by the Ministry of the Interior, of Labor, and of the Economy.