Conquest of the Desert

The Conquest of the Desert (Spanish: Conquista del desierto) was a controversial campaign by the Argentine government, executed mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca, to wrest Patagonia from the control of the region's aboriginal tribes at the end of the 19th century.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Argentine - Julio Argentino Roca - Patagonia - Aboriginal tribes

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A recent argument — usually summarised as Civilisation or Genocide? — questions whether the Conquest of the Desert was really intended to exterminate the aboriginals or merely to contain those violent groups of aboriginals that refused to be assimilated by civilisation.

Related Topics:
Civilisation - Genocide

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