Óscar Benavides was a leader in Peru.
He was a soldier first. He led many people in the army. He also served as president. He worked to build new roads. Do you like learning about leaders?
Óscar Benavides was a leader in Peru.
He was a soldier. He led his men in a battle.
He also served as president. He was the president two different times. He led the land with a strong hand.
He worked to build many things. He helped build new roads. These roads went through mountains and forests.
He also helped workers. He built places for them to eat and live. He wanted to help them stay safe.
Benavides lived a long life. He died in his home land. He is remembered as a leader of Peru.
Óscar Benavides was a leader in Peru.
He was a soldier and a politician. He was born in Lima in 1876.
As a young soldier, he led a battle in 1911. His troops fought in the Amazon jungle. The win was hard for his men. Many soldiers got very sick from diseases. Benavides went to Europe to get well. When he came back, people held a parade for him.
Benavides served as president two times. His first term was very short. In 1933, he became president again. He led with a strong hand. He used an authoritarian way to rule. This means he kept a lot of power for himself. He even stopped an election in 1936 because he did not like the results.
He did many things to build the country. He finished big roads through mountains and forests. He built places for workers to eat and live. He also helped start social security for workers. Benavides died in Lima in 1945.
Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea was a famous soldier and leader in Peru.
He was born in Lima on March 15, 1876. His father was a sergeant major in the National Guard. Benavides studied at the College of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Later, he went to the Military School of Lima. He even went to France to finish his training. The French Republic gave him the Cross of the Legion of Honor. This was a very special award for his hard work.
In 1911, Benavides led a military group into the Amazon jungle. His troops had to travel 2,000 kilometers through the mountains. They used rafts and boats to move down the rivers. They fought a battle at La Pedrera against Colombia and won. However, the victory was very difficult for the soldiers. Many men became very sick with yellow fever and beriberi. Benavides went to Europe to get well from these sicknesses. When he returned to Peru in 1912, people held a huge parade for him.
Benavides became the 38th President of Peru in 1914. He took this role after a change in the government called a coup d'état. He served for 18 months to help bring order to the country. After his first term, he worked as a diplomat in places like Italy and France. He even watched the Battle of Verdun during World War I. Later, he was arrested and sent on a ship toward Australia. He managed to lead a revolt on the ship to change its path.
In 1933, Benavides became the 42nd President of Peru. This second time in office was a period of authoritarianism. This means he held a lot of power and ruled with a strong hand. He made many big changes to help the country grow. He finished the Pan-American Highway along the coast. He also built a highway that went through the Andes mountains. He worked to build new places for workers to live and eat.
During his time as leader, Benavides also helped create social security for workers. He built the Navy Dock and Ship Dry Dock in Callao. He even helped start plans for new hotels to help tourism. However, he was also very strict with his political rules. In 1936, he stopped an election because he did not like the results. Benavides died in Lima on July 2, 1945. He is remembered as a Grand Marshal of Peru.
Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea was a significant military and political figure in Peruvian history. He served two separate terms as the President of Peru. His leadership spanned several decades of change and conflict. He was a field marshal, a diplomat, and a politician.
Benavides was born in Lima on March 15, 1876. His father, Miguel Benavides y Gallegos, was a Sergeant Major in the National Guard. His mother was Erfilia Larrea, a Peruvian socialite. He began his education at the College of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lima.
Benavides followed a dedicated path in military training. He entered the Military School of Lima and joined the Dos de Mayo Artillery Brigade in 1894. By 1906, he graduated as a Sergeant Major from the Military Academy in Lima. This academy was directed by the French Military Mission. He later traveled to France to complete his advanced military training. The French Republic honored his achievements with the Cross of the Legion of Honor. This award recognized his high level of professional skill.
In 1911, Benavides led a major military campaign in the Amazon. He commanded Infantry Battalion N° 9 during a conflict with Colombia. The troops had to travel over 2,000 kilometers to reach the border. They moved through the roadless Andean range at Cajamarca and Chachapoyas. To cross the rivers, the expedition used rafts and canoes. They traveled downstream to Yurimaguas and then by boat to Iquitos. On July 10, 1911, Benavides led an attack on the Colombian post at La Pedrera. The Peruvian forces achieved a complete victory in this battle.
However, the military success was followed by a period of great hardship. The troops lacked the proper equipment for the local climate. This led to a terrible epidemic of yellow fever and beriberi. Many soldiers were lost to these diseases and infections. Benavides himself suffered from beriberi and had to go to Europe for treatment. He returned to Peru on April 8, 1912. The public welcomed him as a national hero with a large parade in Lima. This event took place along the Jirón de la Unión to the Plaza de Armas.
Benavides entered politics through a coup d'état in 1914. This is a sudden change in government, often led by the military. At that time, President Guillermo Billinghurst faced heavy opposition from Congress. Benavides supported the movement to depose Billinghurst to maintain constitutional order. He served as the 38th President from 1914 to 1915. During these 18 months, he focused on restoring political stability. He appointed a balanced cabinet of collaborators to help him govern. After his term, he served as a diplomat in France and Italy.
His second presidency began in 1933 following the death of President Sánchez Cerro. Benavides served as the 42nd President from 1933 to 1939. This era was characterized by authoritarianism, where the leader holds concentrated power. He worked closely with wealthy business owners and held views sympathetic to fascism. To maintain control, he outlawed the APRA party and the Communist Party. In 1936, he annulled the general election results because his preferred candidate was losing. He then stayed in power by extending his mandate for three additional years.
Despite his strict rule, Benavides oversaw many large infrastructure projects. He governed under the motto "Order, Peace, and Work." He completed the Pan-American Highway along the Peruvian coast. He also finished the Central Highway, which crosses the Andes to the Amazon Forest. The government built the Navy Dock and Ship Dry Dock in Callao. He also established Workers’ Social Security and built dining halls for workers. These projects helped modernize the physical connections within the country.
Benavides' influence extended to the legal and social systems of Peru. He signed the 1933 Constitution, which remained in effect until 1979. He also implemented a new Civil Code. To help the economy, he encouraged tourism and planned new hotels in major cities. He also organized the groundwork for a National Census. Benavides died in Lima on July 2, 1945. Before his death, he had served as an ambassador in Madrid and Buenos Aires. He was eventually honored with the title of Grand Marshal of Peru.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (1)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.