Peron's wife Evita, a former radio actress, proved to be more popular than her husband and she would have run as vice president had she not died of cancer in 1952. Although Peron was exiled, and lived many years in Spain, he returned to Argentina with his third wife Isabel who won Argentina's presidency in 1973. However, in 1976 Argentina's military took over the government. General Jorge Rafael Videla cracked down on all leftist political activity, including more moderate and Peronist opposition. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 civilians were killed as the military sent out off duty police officers and military personnel at night to kidnap its opponents.
Brazil is the largest of the Latin American countries and the only one to speak Portuguese.
Brazil has been a major exporter of sugar, rubber, and in the twentieth century coffee. After World War II Brazil began rapid industrialization. The military government repressed Brazilian workers and from 1969 until 1973 battled a left wing guerrilla movement. Brazil has achieved economic development within certain sectors of its economy, however Brazil still has huge pockets of poverty in cities and the countryside. Chile had the reputation of being the most democratic country in South America until 1973 when the Chilean military attacked the presidential palace killing the Chile's president Salvador Eland.