with broad civil and economic freedoms but with an exercise of political life restricted to the ruling elites. The possible republic would give way to the true republic, of a fully democratic character. The ideal of a possible republic, with its politically conservative line, was one of the sources of political conflict that led to the emergence of various oppositions, even from the members of the Generation of '80 themselves. During the twentieth century, Roca was recognized as one of the statesmen who forged the foundations of the modern Argentine republic. As such, Roca has been honored by designating cities, departments, lakes, streets, avenues, squares, monuments, parks, schools and railway lines throughout the country. Examples include the city of General Roca in the province of Río Negro, the town of Presidencia Roca in the province of Chaco; the town of Presidente Roca in the province of Santa Fe; the Colonia Roca of the province of Entre Ríos; the General Roca Department of the province of Córdoba. In Buenos Aires, a major thoroughfare and a railway branch are named after him and an equestrian statue of him was erected in 1941. In recent years, there has been an increasing re-evaluation of Roca's place in Argentine history, particularly his involvement in the Conquest of the Desert. Some groups claim that he committed genocide against the Native Argentines. Those who consider Roca as genocidal have proposed removing the name Roca from the places and areas with which he has been honored. Books General Julio A. Roca and his campaigns in the Pampa, 1878-1879, by Robert Carter Burns (1960). Carlos Pellegrini and the Crisis of the Argentine Elites, 1880-1916, by Douglas W. Richmond (1989). Soy Roca, by Félix Luna (1989). See also History of Argentina Conquest of the Desert References External links Biography of Julio A. Roca in Spanish Another biography of Julio A. Roca in Spanish Roca y el mito del Genocidio, Juan José Cresto for La Nación, in Spanish The first presidency of Roca in Spanish 1880-1886 Presidents of Argentina 1843 births 1914 deaths Argentine military personnel of the Paraguayan War Members of the Argentine Senate for Buenos Aires Members of the Argentine Senate for Tucumán Foreign ministers of Argentina Defense ministers of Argentina Argentine diplomats Ambassadors of Argentina to Brazil Argentine generals Conquest of the Desert Genocide perpetrators People from San Miguel de Tucumán Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery National Autonomist