Fernando Belaúnde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fernando Belaúnde Terry
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| President of Peru | |
| In office 28 July 1980 – 28 July 1985 |
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| Prime Minister | Manuel Ulloa Elías Fernando Schwalb López Aldana Sandro Mariátegui Chiappe Luis Pércovich Roca |
| Vice President | Fernando Schwalb López Aldana Javier Alva Orlandini |
| Preceded by | Francisco Morales Bermúdez (as President of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Government) |
| Succeeded by | Alan García |
| In office 28 July 1963 – 3 October 1968 |
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| Prime Minister | Julio Óscar Trelles Montes Fernando Schwalb López Aldana Daniel Becerra de la Flor Edgardo Seoane Corrales Raúl Ferrero Rebagliati Oswaldo Hercelles García Miguel Mujica Gallo |
| Vice President | Edgardo Seoane Mario Polar Ugarteche |
| Preceded by | Nicolás Lindley López (as President of the Military Junta) |
| Succeeded by | Juan Velasco Alvarado (as President of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Government) |
| Senator for Life Former President of the Republic |
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| In office 26 July 1985 – 5 April 1992 |
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| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 28 July 1945 – 29 October 1948 |
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| Constituency | Lima |
| Leader of Popular Action | |
| In office 7 July 1956 – 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Party Founded |
| Succeeded by | Valentín Paniagua (as Party President) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 October 1912 Lima, Peru |
| Died | 4 June 2002 (aged 89) Lima, Peru |
| Nationality |  Peruvian |
| Political party | Popular Action |
| Spouses | Violeta Correa Miller Carola Aubry Bravo |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Miami University of Texas at Austin |
| Profession | Architect |
| Signature |  |
Fernando Belaúnde Terry (born October 7, 1912 – died June 4, 2002) was an important Peruvian politician. He served as the President of Peru two times. His first term was from 1963 to 1968, and his second was from 1980 to 1985. In 1968, he was removed from office by a military takeover. After twelve years of military rule, he was re-elected in 1980.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Fernando Belaúnde was born in Lima, Peru. He was the second of four children in a well-known family. His father, Rafael Belaúnde Diez Canseco, was a professor and even served as Prime Minister. His family had a history of public service in Peru.
Fernando went to school in Lima. In 1924, his family moved to France because his father and uncle faced problems due to their political activities. Fernando continued his high school and engineering studies there.
Studying Architecture
From 1930 to 1935, Belaúnde studied architecture in the United States. He first attended the University of Miami and then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his degree as an architect there. After a short time working in Mexico, he returned to Peru in 1936.
Back in Peru, he started his career designing private homes. In 1937, he launched a magazine called El Arquitecto Peruano (Peruvian Architect). This magazine focused on interior design, city planning, and housing issues in Peru. His work helped create the Architects Association of Peru.
Belaúnde also became a consultant for government public housing projects. In 1943, he began teaching architecture and urban planning at the National School of Engineers in Lima. He later became the dean of the Civil Engineering and Architecture department. He even helped design and build the architecture faculty at the National University of Engineering in 1955.
Political Journey
Fernando Belaúnde's political career began in 1944. He helped start the National Democratic Front party. This party helped elect José Bustamante as President in 1945. Belaúnde served in the Peruvian Congress until 1948. At that time, a military takeover by General Manuel Odría stopped democratic elections.
Belaúnde returned to politics in 1956. The military government of Odría announced new elections. Belaúnde led a group called the "National Front of Democratic Youth." This group was made up of university students who wanted reforms. They chose him to lead because he had strongly supported the "La Prensa" newspaper, which the government had shut down.
The "Manguerazo" Protest
Belaúnde became well-known on June 1, 1956. The national election board refused to accept his application to run for president. In response, he led a large protest. This event became known as the "manguerazo," which means "hosedown." Police used powerful water cannons to try and stop the protesters.
As the situation looked like it might turn violent, Belaúnde showed his leadership. He calmed the protesters and, holding only a Peruvian flag, walked alone towards the police chief. He told the chief that his candidacy must be accepted. The government gave in, and Belaúnde's brave act was featured in a news magazine. The article was titled "Así Nacen Los Lideres" ("This is how Leaders are Born").
Founding Acción Popular
Belaúnde did not win the 1956 election. However, he decided to lead the opposition. In July 1956, he founded the Acción Popular party. This party aimed to combine traditional Inca community ideas with modern social democracy. It stood between the right-wing parties and the more radical left-wing groups.
He traveled across Peru, explaining the ideas of Acción Popular. He also led the opposition. In 1959, the government refused to allow Acción Popular's yearly meeting. Belaúnde went ahead with the meeting anyway. As a result, he was arrested and sent to El Frontón, an island prison near Lima. He was jailed for 12 days. During this time, he even tried to escape by swimming. The government faced a lot of public pressure and had to release him.
Elections of 1962 and 1963
Belaúnde ran for president again in 1962 with his own party, Acción Popular. The election results were very close. He came in second, just behind Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre. Since no candidate won enough votes (one-third of the total), Congress had to choose the president. There was a long-standing disagreement between the military and Haya de la Torre's party. This led Haya de la Torre to make a deal with former dictator Odría.
However, many people claimed there was fraud in the election. Because of this, the Peruvian military removed the current president and set up a military government. This government, led by Ricardo Pérez Godoy, held new elections in 1963. Belaúnde won these elections by a clearer, but still close, margin.
First Presidency (1963–1968)
During his first time as president, Belaúnde started many development projects. One major project was the Carretera Marginal de la Selva. This was a very important highway that connected the Pacific coast with isolated northern regions of Amazonas and San Martín.
He also pushed forward large irrigation and hydroelectric projects. These included the Santiago Antunez de Mayolo and Chira Piura projects. Belaúnde also helped create the Peruvian National Bank (Banco de la Nación). To help people in poverty, he started a program for "social interest" homes in cities. This helped thousands of families. His government also officially recognized hundreds of indigenous communities. They expanded hospitals and improved social security.
However, his government also faced criticism for some economic decisions. By 1967, the Peruvian currency, the sol, lost a lot of its value.
In August 1968, Belaúnde's government announced a deal about the La Brea and Pariñas oil fields. This was a long-running dispute with a company called Standard Oil of New Jersey. Many people were angry about Belaúnde's decision to pay Standard Oil for the oil fields. This anger caused his cabinet (his main advisors) to resign on October 1.
There was also a big controversy because a page (page eleven) was missing from the agreement document given to the press. The signatures were squeezed onto page ten. This missing page became a big deal. It was later shown on television and contained the payment Belaúnde had promised. A few days later, on October 3, 1968, Belaúnde was removed from office by a military takeover. This was led by General Juan Velasco Alvarado, who then became the leader of Peru for seven years.
Time in Exile
After being removed from office, Belaúnde spent the next ten years in the United States. He taught at universities like Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and George Washington University. Meanwhile, the military government in Peru made big changes. They took over the oil industry and gave land from large owners to the farmers.
By April 1980, Peru's economy was in a difficult situation. The military government allowed an election to bring back democratic rule. Belaúnde won this election for a five-year term. He received a strong 45 percent of the votes in a contest with 15 candidates.
Second Presidency (1980–1985)
One of Belaúnde's first actions as president was to return several newspapers to their original owners. This brought back freedom of speech to Peruvian politics. He also tried to reverse some of the big changes made by the military government, especially the land reforms.
During the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, Belaúnde announced that "Peru was ready to support Argentina with all the resources it needed." This included offering fighter planes, ships, and medical teams from Peru. Belaúnde's government suggested a peace plan, but it was not accepted. In response to Chile supporting Britain, Belaúnde called for unity among Latin American countries.
In Peru, he continued many projects planned during his first term. This included finishing the Carretera Marginal de la Selva highway, which is considered one of his most important achievements.
After a good start, Belaúnde's popularity dropped. This was due to rising prices (inflation), economic difficulties, and increasing violence from rebel groups. The income per person went down, Peru's foreign debt grew, and violence from groups like Shining Path increased steadily. This conflict began the day before Belaúnde was elected in 1980.
Belaúnde initially did not focus much on Shining Path, as similar groups had been active before without much support. During this time, some government officials and rebels were accused of serious actions. A state of emergency was declared in the Ayacucho and Apurímac regions to deal with the conflict.
Economic problems from the military government continued. They were made worse by the "El Niño" weather event in 1982–83. This caused widespread floods in some areas and severe droughts in others. It also greatly reduced the number of ocean fish, which is a major resource for Peru.
Later Years
In the 1985 national elections, Belaúnde's party, Acción Popular, lost to Alan García. However, according to the 1979 Constitution, Belaúnde served in the Peruvian Senate as a "senator for life" (Senador Vitalicio). This was a special privilege for former presidents, but it was removed by the 1993 Constitution.
Images for kids
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Fernando Belaúnde Terry's signature
See also
In Spanish: Fernando Belaúnde Terry para niños
