A week before Christmas, the slow-motion collapse of Argentina suddenly turned swift and violent. Two days of rioting brought down the government and left 31 people dead. All but one were killed by gunfire from shopkeepers and police. Some died while shouting political slogans, others while looting food that they had no money to buy. A few died in their homes, hit by stray bullets, and many were killed outside grocery stores. One woman was shot in front of a Wal-Mart.