The period between1976 and 1983, in which Argentina is considered the "Dirty War". It was one of the cruelest wars that Argentina had ever experienced. The period was named the "Dirty War" because of the lives that were destroyed and violated by the military government. This war was between the left wing supporters of reform and the Argentine Army, who were backed by the right wing and the United States. The ultimate goal of the "Dirty War" was to force people to support the conservative identity and patriarchal ideology.1 Those who were opposed to the military were considered communist and disrupter of the peace. During the period of the "Dirty War" those who spoke against the military government disappeared without a trace. The people responsible were the Junta leaders and generals, who were in the military. They were responsible for the disappearances of thousands of people in Argentina. These disappearances led the mothers of the missing to come together to protest against the military in 1977, these woman came to be known as the Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. These mothers first started with just fourteen mothers, who had one thing in common; their children vanished. This group later grew to hundreds, even thousands of mothers and grandmothers, who had missing children, or grandchildren. 2 This essay will give a historical background to the Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo: Who are these woman, how did they bring an awareness to Argentina, and how did they impact the world? .
The "Dirty War" was a horrendous crime against Argentina and its people. The Junta had a lot of military forces both from Argentina and United States, which were used to wipe out a whole generation of young people who were well educated, and politically aware. A woman found her nephew in a pit, "We found [in these mass graves] people without eyes, without tongues, without hands, people without heads.