events-South & Central America

1 November 2004, In Uruguay the Left wing alliance Frente Amplio won the general elections, defeating the Colorados and the Blancos, who between them had formerly run Uruguay for the previous 170 years.

1 March 1985. Uruguay returned to civilian rule under President Sanguinetti after 12 years of military dictatorship under which inflation had risen to 66% and foreign debt rose to US$ 3 billion.

1 January 1975, In Uruguay, all Marxist Parties were permanently outlawed. In practice the military control was by then so heavy-handed that such Parties could not have existed anyway.

12 February 1973, In Uruguay, President Juan Maria Bordaberry (born 1928) agreed to a military dictatorship of the country. The army used harsh repression methods against the Tupumaros, including mass arrest and torture; some Tupumaros fled to Argentina.

4/1972, Uruguay declared a �state of internal war; as the military tried to curb the Tupumaros Leftist guerrillas, the police having failed to achieve this.

9 January 1971, Uruguayan President Jorge Pacheco Areco demanded emergency powers for 90 days due to kidnappings. He received them the next day.

8 January 1971, The British Ambassador to Uruguay, Geoffrey Jackson, was kidnapped by left-wing Tupumaros guerrillas.

9 September 1970, The British Ambassador to Uruguay, Geoffrey Jackson, kidnapped on 8 January 1970, was released.

1962, The Tupumaros guerrilla group was founded.

23 May 1936, The Black Native Party was founded in Uruguay.

31 March 1933, Uruguay's civilian elected President, Gabriel Terra, established himself as the nation's dictator, ruling until his overthrow in 1938.

29 November 1925, Parliamentary elections were held in Uruguay. The National Party won the most seats but various factions of the Colorado Party formed a majority.

1919, Uruguay adopted a new progressive Constitution, which provided the right for workers to strike and instituted free compulsory education.

1890s, Violent strikes by immigrant workers against the landed gentry, who had been enriched by European investment in ranching,

3 February 1851, Argentina�s planned annexation of Uruguay was abandoned following the defeat of Argentine dicatator Juan Manuel de Rosas this day at the Battle of Caseros. Uruguayan insurgent Justo de Urquiza, aged 51, was backed by Brazil, and Rosas fled to England.

18 July 1830, Uruguay�s constitution came into force.

27 August 1828, Brazil formally recognised the independence of Uruguay.

20 February 1827, With Argentine help, Uruguay defeated the Brazilians at Ituzaingo.

25 August 1825, Uruguay gained independence from Spain, under Jose Artigas. Brazil,fearing that the socialist principles of Artigas would influence their country, attacked Uruguay.

3 February 1807, British forces captured Montevideo, Uruguay.

1726, The Spanish founded Montevideo.

1624, The Spanish founded their first permanent settlement at Soriano in south-west Uruguay.

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