Julio Argentino Roca is the subject of…
1886 CE
Julio Argentino Roca is the subject of a failed assassination attempt in May 1886.
Argentina's so-called "laicist laws" (Leyes Laicas) have been passed under Roca’s mandate, nationalizing a series of functions that previously were under the control of the Church, leading to a break in relations with the Vatican.
By nationalizing education institutions run by the Church, he has made primary education free of charge.
He has also created the so-called Registro Civil, an index of all births, deaths and marriages.
Under Roca's rule, the economy has become state controlled.
Roca presides over an era of rapid economic development fueled by large scale European immigration, railway construction, and agricultural exports.
However, financial speculation and government corruption mar his administration.