Evita's Strange Conscience

The December 2026 issue of Reason explores Argentine President Javier Milei's accomplishments and what is yet to be done.

As the first act of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita is about to end, Juan Perón mulls his political future. Does he actually want to run for president of Argentina? "All you have to do is sit and wait, keeping out of everybody's way," urges his partner, Eva. "We'll—" She catches herself. "You'll be handed power on a plate."

The exchange roughly coincides with when Eva Duarte, the Argentine actress from provincial beginnings, becomes Eva Perón. The scene that has come to define Evita arrives next. At the start of Act 2, she stands on the balcony of the Casa Rosada, the office of the president, and sings "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." Because they—he—ran, and won.

But the moment that should define the show is the former.

There is scant historical evidence that Juan Perón hesitated to run for the presidency. On the contrary, his announcement was electric and decisive. It came the same day as his release from custody, where he had been detained by members of the military who feared his rising influence. Why would he falter? He was, after all, not new to politics or power: Immediately before his brief imprisonment, he served simultaneously as the country's vice president, minister of war, and secretary of labor. … [Subscribe to continue reading]