The May Revolution in Argentina

The May Revolution in Argentina In May of 1810, word reached Buenos Aires that the King of Spain, Ferdinand VII, had been deposed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Rather than serve the new King, Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon’s brother), the city formed its own ruling council, essentially declaring itself independent until such time as Ferdinand could reclaim the throne. Although initially an act of loyalty to the Spanish crown, the â€Å"May Revolution,† as it came to be known, was eventually a precursor to independence. The famous Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires is named in honor of these actions. Viceroyalty of the River Platte The lands of the eastern southern cone of South America, including Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay, had been steadily growing in importance for the Spanish crown, mostly because of revenues from the lucrative ranching and leather industry in the Argentine pampas. In 1776, this importance was recognized by the establishment of a Viceregal seat in Buenos Aires, the Viceroyalty of the River Platte. This elevated Buenos Aires to the same status as Lima and Mexico City, although it was still much smaller. The wealth of the colony had made it a target for British expansion. Left to Its Own Devices The Spanish were correct: the British had their eye on Buenos Aires and the rich ranching land it served. In 1806-1807 the British made a determined effort to capture the city. Spain, its resources drained from the devastating loss at the Battle of Trafalgar, was unable to send any help and the citizens of Buenos Aires were forced to fight off the British on their own. This led many to question their loyalties to Spain: in their eyes, Spain took their taxes but did not hold up their end of the bargain when it came to defense. The Peninsular War In 1808, after helping France overrun Portugal, Spain was itself invaded by Napoleonic forces. Charles IV, King of Spain, was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Ferdinand VII. Ferdinand, in turn, was taken prisoner: he would spend seven years in luxurious confinement in the Chà ¢teau de Valenà §ay in central France. Napoleon, wanting someone he could trust, put his brother Joseph on the throne in Spain. The Spanish despised Joseph, nicknaming him â€Å"Pepe Botella† or â€Å"Bottle Joe† because of his alleged drunkenness. Word Gets Out Spain desperately tried to keep news of this disaster from reaching its colonies. Since the American Revolution, Spain had kept a close eye on its own New World holdings, fearing that the spirit of independence would spread to its lands. They believed that the colonies needed little excuse to cast off Spanish rule. Rumors of a French invasion had been circulating for some time, and several prominent citizens were calling for an independent council to run Buenos Aires while things got sorted out in Spain. On May 13, 1810, a British frigate arrived in Montevideo and confirmed the rumors: Spain had been overrun. May 18-24 Buenos Aires was in an uproar. Spanish Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros de la Torre pleaded for calm, but on May 18, a group of citizens came to him demanding a town council. Cisneros tried to stall, but the city leaders would not be denied. On May 20, Cisneros met with the leaders of the Spanish military forces garrisoned in Buenos Aires: they said they would not support him and encouraged him to go ahead with the town meeting. The meeting was first held on May 22 and by May 24, a provisional ruling junta which included Cisneros, Creole leader Juan Josà © Castelli, and commander Cornelio Saavedra was created. May 25 The citizens of Buenos Aires did not want former Viceroy Cisneros to continue in any capacity in the new government, so the original junta had to be disbanded. Another junta was created, with Saavedra as president, Dr. Mariano Moreno, and Dr. Juan Josà © Paso as secretaries, and committee members Dr. Manuel Alberti, Miguel de Azcuà ©naga, Dr. Manuel Belgrano, Dr. Juan Josà © Castelli, Domingo Matheu, and Juan Larrea, most of whom were creoles and patriots. The junta declared itself rulers of Buenos Aires until such time as Spain was restored. The junta would last until December 1810, when it was replaced by another one. Legacy May 25 is the date celebrated in Argentina as the Dà ­a de la Revolucià ³n de Mayo, or May Revolution Day. Buenos Aires famous Plaza de Mayo, today known for protests by family members of those who disappeared during Argentinas military regime (1976-1983), is named for this turbulent week in 1810. Although it was intended as a show of loyalty to the Spanish crown, the May Revolution actually started the process of independence for Argentina. In 1814 Ferdinand VII was restored, but by then Argentina had seen enough of Spanish rule. Paraguay had already declared itself independent in 1811. On July 9, 1816, Argentina formally declared independence from Spain, and under the military leadership of Josà © de San Martà ­n was able to defeat Spains attempts to retake it. Source: Shumway, Nicolas. Berkeley: The University of California Press, 1991.

9 tips for handling difficult customers

9 tips for handling difficult customers Every business, in every sector, in every industry, is filled with difficult clients or customers who make doing your job 10 times harder than it has to be. After a long day of work, it can be enough to make you rage out†¦ or crumple into a ball and weep. When you feel like you’re going to lose it, try these 9 helpful strategies instead. 1. Show how well you can listen.You know they’re totally in the wrong, but they don’t understand that yet. They’ve got the situation or the facts all incorrect and you just can’t bear to hear them rehash details that don’t make sense. All they hear from your impatience is that they’re not being heard. Try just letting them get it all out. Listen patiently to what they have to say. Let them vent. It will help you set them straight if you understand their position better first and if they feel like you’ve been paying attention.2. Show empathy.Forget for a second that this person is rude, mean , and wrong. Whatever their problem, they really want you to understand and help them. Repeat back what you hear as the major issue. Express your genuine regret that they’re having a rough time, and show an honest willingness to help. Even if you have to fake it, use eye contact, body language, and verbal cues to show you care and are engaged. Don’t talk over your customer- this just feels like a power play. Let them finish first.3. Talk slower and sweeter.Just because your customer raises his or her voice doesn’t mean you have to respond in kind. Lower your voice and slow your speech down. The calming effect can be immense. You can still be firm- the last thing you want to do is show your fear. But try to inspire the client to relax just with the way you’re speaking.4. Look for nuance.Is their ire coming at you from a place of anger, anxiety, annoyance, or frustration? Getting a more specific sense of where their wrath originates can help you figure out how to tackle neutralizing it. Look at the situation from their point of view and try to figure out what may have triggered their (over)reaction. See if there’s anything you can accept blame for or fix easily, and start with that.5. Imagine you have an audience.If you’re having a hard time keeping your cool, just imagine you’re not alone. Rather, pretend you’re in a room full of clients or customers. Imagine this audience of people is judging your company on your merits as a problem solver. Keep the tone confident and cool. Playing this trick on yourself is a great way to stay professional and courteous, even when you want to scream.6. Find your foothold.Is there anything, in your customer’s tirade that makes a little bit of sense? Look for something you can work with- break down the rant into manageable, actionable chunks and talk your customer through those. Finding even one thing you can solve immediately, however small, can really diffuse a sit uation and make a customer feel heard and respected.7. Pretend to be wrong.If you flip the tables and start agreeing with everything your customer says to the point of taking all the blame upon your shoulders (where it doesn’t belong), you might just find the customer will soften and start saying things like, â€Å"Well, I understand it’s not your fault.† It’s a bit of a hit-or-miss strategy, but can be super effective in certain situations.8. Give them a parting gift.Your biggest goal as a liaison for your company is to repair the relationship. See if you can give your customer a voucher or a bonus discount of some kind- anything to make them feel they’ve â€Å"won.†9. Don’t take it personally.At the end of the day, some customers can’t be reason with and some people are irrationally angry. It’s not about you. It’s probably not even about the company. Let it wash right off your back. Don’t take it home.