Colonel Juan Peron was Vice President and Minister of War when he and Eva met. They immediately fell in love. He was 48 years old and she was 24. Juan Peron helped Eva get better jobs. Soon she became the head of all the radio stations in Argentina. Juan Peron became president in 1946. Eva worked hard for his election. She gave many speeches, and many people said she was one of the best speakers in Argentina. Five days after Peron election, he and Eva got married.
As first lady Argentina, Eva Peron worked hard to help Peron’s government. She became head of the Ministry of Labor and Health. Some people, especially those in the upper classes, did not like her. They thought that this ordinary actress had too much power. They accused her of spending too much government money on herself. Eva liked to look glamorous and wore very expensive clothes. One report said she wore 306 different dresses in 207 days!
Eva Peron decided that she wanted to help poor people. She wanted to change her image. She wore simple clothes. She gave food, money, and clothing to the poor. Working people love her and called her “Evita.” She built houses and hospital for the poor and the elderly. She also worked hard for women’s right. In 1947, her work helped Argentina women get the right to vote. But she spent a lot of the government’s money. People said she spent so much money that the government was bankrupt.
People were obsessed with Evita. Once when she gave a speech, nine people died in the rush to see her. When she visited Spain, 3 million people greeted her. In 1950, Evita started to look tired and she fainted in public. Doctors discovered that she had cancer. Her doctor told her not to work so much, but she didn’t listen. She worked hard to get her husband re-elected, and 1951 he won the presidential election for a second time. But Eva Peron’s health was getting worse. She weighed only 70 pounds. When she appeared in public, she was so weak that her husband had to help her stand up.
Eva Peron died in 1952 at the age 33. After her death, 40,000 people signed a letter to ask the Roman Catholic Church to make her a saint. For 16 days, people came from all over Argentina to mourn her death and see her body. So many people came that 120,000 people were injured in one day. All the flower shops in Buenos Aires were sold out.
Eva Peron’s body was dressed and made up so she looked like she did when she was alive. Juan Peron wanted to make a monument for her. He thought that this would help him to be popular again. But he soon lost power and General Pedro Eugenio Aramburu became president. Aramburu wanted people to forget about Juan and Eva Peron. He didn’t allow the monument to be built and wanted to get rid of Eva’s body. There were many stories about that happened to Evita’s body. After President Aramburu died in 1970, his lawyer gave the government information that solved the mystery. In 1976, officials opened the grave of a woman in Italy. They found the body of Eva Peron. The body had been there for 16 years. In 1976, the government buried Eva’s body in her family’s grave in Buenos Aires. No one will ever forget Evita, and today she is as famous as ever. Over the years, many people wrote books, songs, and plays about her life, including the famous musical play Evita. The legend of Evita will live forever.
Posted by Aken Lkm
