The "Long" Nineties: Years of Change in the Río de la Plata

This paper examines the wide-ranging changes that occurred in the city of Buenos Aires during a period that began with the French Revolution (1789) and ended with the first English Invasion (1806).   I concentrate on administrative, political, and economic changes as well as the growth of the slave trade, trade with “neutrals,” defense, the growing presence of foreigners in the city, and the local reaction to these new circumstances.  I argue that these wide-ranging changes amounted to huge changes for a traditional society and indirectly helped set the scene for Independence.