Peronismo is a phenomena that broke every structure in politics in Argentina. For the first time the masses, the excluded masses, found their leader, a leader that did everything to please them. He created lots of unions, gave lots of rights to the worker, that remain till today, like Aguinaldo or paid vacations. It was Argentine version of Keynesianism, the State involved in economy, regulating, confiscating, creating jobs (full employment level, country industrialised).
It was authoritarian because it had to be, if you want to make such changes nobodys gonna make it easy for you, especially the people with power. It was a revolution. People that got into university for the first time in entire generations of its families. Lots of big hospitals built in that time (that remain still today), social inclusion, heath and education like never happened before. The working class organised behind his leader, that probably like Mussolini, a charismatic relationship towards the masses.
The ignorant people from the poor interior, not only moved to the city and found a good job in industry, but also conquered rights. For example, Mar del Plata, a city with nice beaches exclusive for the rich, turned into this massive destination in summer. EVERYONE had (paid) vacations. These people, awfully dressed and with no taste nor education, started to go to the Recoleta caffes, to all the places where the rich used to go. It felt, to the rich, as an INVASION. Google "Aluvión Zoologico", something translated as "Zoo Flood".
So they were devotes of Peron and Evita. They owed them everything.
The problem was not only that the rich did not have a party, but that peronismo was, and still is, a majority. So every time we d had elections, peronismo would win. Thats why they prohibited the party for 18 years, sent Peron to Madrid, etc.
Peronismo never ever wanted to be the only party. Peronismo always wanted democracy. Because they d easily win. Thats why we had so many coups, thats why sindicates were intervened for years, and universities... the militars thought they had everything under control, but the social rage started to show. Google Cordobazo. There were social explosions in the late 60s. Picture the international context: Viet Nam, French May, Cuban revolution, Independence of Asia and Africa, Che Guevara, Cold War... and here the militars forbidding the mini skirt, intervening universities.... that situation couldnt continue. So after Cordobazo, the militars had no choice and ask Peron to come back home to elections. It was that or the Socialist Revolution. He won with more than 60% of the votes (to 23% the second)
So, to sum up, Peronismo always was for democracy. They were intervened and forbidden for 20 years and after Peron died they were persecuted, tortured and dissapeared. On the other hand, Peronismo was indeed very authoritarian and demagoguery was common. The cult for the personality, something Peron liked from Mussolini, was exaggerated. For instance, Peron and Evita in primary school were national heroes, at the same level than San Martin. the father of the country. Lots of places, provinces, cities, etc were called, renamed, Peron and Evita. I doubt the oposition were persecuted, no matter how much they were hated, and what they did, it was light years from what will came after. They even bombed Plaza de Mayo!!! Killed houndreds there!! They prohibited a figure, it was forbidden to pronounce his name in public!! Of course talking of the dictatorrships BEFORE the last one, where oposition were plainly exterminated. Theres no way we can compare. Clearly Peronism was the victim.
The mass society, the inclusion, the redistribution of wealth like this country never had, the full employment level, the industrialisation that remain till today... Peronismo today represents argentine job, represents industry, but not big capitals, just Pymes, represents the poor, represents the national thing. Kirchnerismo is very Peronist.
