Argentine irredentism

[5] The idea reappeared in academic and military circles in the late 19th century and quickly grew in popularity, due to the efforts of a small group of nationalist scholars.

Vicente Quesada was a lawyer, diplomat and congressman who held a number of positions in various Argentine administrations through his life, such as Minister of the Interior, Director of Argentina's National Library, and plenipotentiary ambassador in Spain.

[12] Scholar Cavalieri believes Quesada might have been influenced by Pan-Germanism through his son Ernesto, who studied in Leipzig and Berlin, where he befriended German right-wing intellectuals.

Between 1900 and 1903, the Ministry of Education invited him to help revise and propose modifications to study plans and school textbooks with the aim of instilling greater nationalist sentiments in the country's youth.

He authored a number of books about history to be used in schools, such as "Historical Atlas of the Argentine Republic" and donated part of his wealth to the Navy, trying to assist in the purchase of new warships.

[19] The Historical Atlas featured a collection of maps showing a much larger Argentina, with access to the Pacific Ocean in the south, and controlling the entirety of Tierra del Fuego as well as the Magellan Strait and the Falkland Islands[20] Joaquin Gonzalez was an Argentine lawyer and historian, who served in Julio Argentino Roca's second cabinet as Minister of the Interior.

[23] Starting in 1910, Ramos Mejía introduced large reforms into Argentina's school system as part of his "Patriotic Education Program", promoting nationalist teachings and ideas, with the goal of integrating newly arrived immigrants and their children into the country.

These reforms had the side effect of spreading Quesada's ideas about "Great Argentina" and convinced a new generation that the country had suffered large territorial losses at the beginning of the 19th century.