It Could Happen Here - Anarchism In Argentina, Pt. 1 feat. Andrew
Episode Date: October 17, 2024Andrew and Mia discuss the origins of anarchism in Argentina and its first uprisings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
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On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida.
And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba?
Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him.
Or stay with his relatives in Miami?
Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
CallZone Media Hello and welcome to It Could Happen Here.
I'm here with Mia.
How are you doing?
It's abominably early,
which is not even podcast early.
It's like 8 a.m. here,
so it's going to be...
We've done the caffeine.
We're holding on for dear life. It's like 8 a.m. here, so it's going to be where we're... We've done the caffeine. We're holding on for dear life.
I feel you. I feel you.
I have to ask, have you noticed that the continents are dripping a little bit?
Continents are dripping?
Yeah, yeah. And I don't mean like blinged out.
I mean, like if you take a look at a map and you assume that North is up and South is down,
you'll find it kind of looks like our major landmasses are melting a little bit.
You know, okay.
Now that you say it, I can kind of see it.
Yeah.
This is a concept known as continental trip.
And I'm not tripping on anything.
I'm not the first person to notice.
Incredible. You can look it up. There'm not the first person to notice. Incredible.
You can look it up.
There's a whole Wikipedia page about it and everything.
And well, South America alongside India,
they're kind of seen as the quintessential examples of this continental trip.
And this is a very odd way that I've decided to segue into the next nation
in our exploration of Latin American anarchist history.
It's right to the east of Chile and south of every other country in its hemisphere.
That is, of course, the Argentine Republic, more commonly known as Argentina,
which is derived, by the way, from the Latin word for silver.
My name is Andrew Sage.
You can find me on youtube
as andrewism and thanks to the scholarship of chuck morse jeffrey de la focade and angel
capuleti we're going to take a journey into the history of anarchism in argentina also gotta do
the shout out for capuleti's anarchism in lat America. Great book. Also great cover. Got a big bird on it.
Good stuff. Oh yeah, shout out, of course.
Of course. So I suppose the best
place to start is in the beginning.
So there was this thing called the Big Bang,
right?
The universe expanded
extremely fast.
In like picoseconds of time.
There was a large movement.
A large expansion of matter.
Yeah, but seriously, Argentina has been peopled since the Paleolithic period.
In particular, we find evidence of ancient peoples butchering the meat of an armadillo relative as early as 21,000 years ago.
Jeez. So, you know, we've been around. We've been around.
From then on, as far as we can tell, for now at least, because, you know, the timelines are
constantly getting updated with new information, as it should be, the area to be known as Argentina
was pretty sparsely populated by a variety of diverse cultures with diverse social organizations,
including foragers and farmers. To make a long and largely unknown history of indigenous
coexistence and conflict short, people continue to live and the earth continues to spin for the
next few millennia until a few ships on the horizon spell doom for all to see. These are, of course, the Europeans,
who first arrived in the region with the 1502 voyage of Amerigo Vespucci,
with the Spanish navigators Juan Díaz de Solís and Sebastián Cabo in particular
visiting the territory in 1516 and 1526, respectively.
Then in 1536, Pedro de Mendoza founded this small settlement of Buenos Aires.
Maybe you've heard of it.
But it was abandoned in 1541 thanks to continuous indigenous resistance and had to be refounded in 1580.
As for the rest of what would be Argentina, the Spanish Empire that was running most of the continent, was busy looting the silver
and gold mines in Bolivia and Peru, so Argentina was kind of seen as a backwater. It wasn't as
much of an interest by comparison. Argentina stayed under the Viceroyalty of Peru until the
creation of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata in 1776, with Buenos Aires as its capital.
Plata in 1776 with Buenos Aires as its capital.
After two failed British invasions in 1806 and 1807,
and as you can see, the British and Argentina have had a bit of a scuffle for some time now,
the Buenos Aires capital would be the stage of revolution,
as the 1810 May Revolution replaced the Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros with the first Junta,
a new government made by and for the locals.
And then there was a Royalist Counter-Revolution,
some anti-colonial alliance with the then Spanish Philippines,
divisions between centralists and federalists over the newly formed Argentine state,
proposals to crown a Sapa Inca as monarch of an independent Argentina, and the official declaration of independence for a republic on the 9th of July, 1816.
Just to go back a bit, to be clear, there is an alternate history scenario in which Argentina
was briefly or continuously under an Incan monarchy. That would have ripped.
Literally, I believe it was a cousin of Tupac Amaru III
was being considered for the position.
Incredible.
Incredible. Incredible indeed.
See, people tend to see South America as just like,
eh, you know, it's just the extra continent.
I don't think people think about how much has gone on down there.
Or rather, it's not really present in the English-speaking world's imagination.
You know, we tend to focus on more of the Northern Hemisphere side of things,
or whichever specific region we find ourselves in,
whether it be the Caribbean or Australia, New Zealand, UK, US, Canada.
We tend to think about English- colonial history but latin america
had a lot going on in its time i mean come on they had an alliance with the spanish philippines
yeah rips yeah so i mean civil war go as they say between the centralists and the federalists
and that will continue for a while
after the Declaration of the Republic in 1816.
And it was only resolved in 1831 with a federalist victory.
Basically, it was a division over how they should organize the state,
whether it should be in a federal manner
or more centralist unitary manner.
So the federalists won,
which would lead to the War of the Confederation
between 1836-1839,
the establishment of the Constitution in 1853, and a temporary secession of Buenos Aires,
which was forced back into Argentina by 1861. And as in much of Latin America, anarchism would
establish itself fairly early on thanks to the waves of migration from Europe, and particularly from France, Italy, and Spain.
There are so many Italians.
So many Italians.
Just an absurd amount of Italians.
These folks fled political repression and poverty in their home countries.
Refugees from the Paris Commune and anarchist literature from the aforementioned lands would find themselves
in the streets of Buenos Aires City and the countrysides of Buenos Aires Province. They circulated anarchist
ideas through group meetings such as the group El Miserable in the port city of Rosario and
publications like La Revolte which was founded by Kropotkin all the way back in Switzerland.
Kropotkin's words of a rebel would also make frequent appearances throughout Argentina
and his conquest of bread received a translation by Catalan carpenter Juan Villa. As with the
splits internationally, the First Internationale's local section in Buenos Aires, which was founded
in 1872, would split between the supporters of Marx and the supporters of Bakunin. The former
were predominantly French, the latter
predominantly Spaniard and Italian. Three decades of substantial migration started in the 1880s
would spark significant growth in the anarchist movement, as the migrants found crushing economic
deprivation and repressive governance where they'd hoped they'd find prosperity and liberty.
governance where they'd hoped they'd find prosperity and liberty over three million people arrived leading to the country having a foreign-born population of 33 percent by 1914
nowadays as in much of the world unfortunately that once foreign-born population some percentage
of them are now unfortunately anti-immigration.
Yeah.
And violently so. It's a cruel irony that we find ourselves with. Just mere decades ago,
there were ancestors with migrants.
I found out I was related to the guy that I was dating.
I don't feel emotions correctly.
I am talking to a felon right now,
and I cannot decide if I like him or not.
Those were some callers from my call-in podcast,
Therapy Gecko.
It's a show where I take real phone calls
from anonymous strangers all over the world
as a fake gecko therapist
and try to dig into their brains
and learn a little bit about their lives.
I know that's a weird concept, but I promise it's pretty interesting if you give it a shot.
Matter of fact, here's a few more examples of the kinds of calls we get on this show.
I live with my boyfriend and I found his piss jar in our apartment.
I collect my roommate's toenails and fingernails.
I have very overbearing parents.
Even at the age of 29, they won't let to get out of your own head and see what's going on in someone else's head,
search for Therapy Gecko on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
It's the one with the green guy on it. Hey, I'm Jack Peace Thomas, the host of a brand new
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Black Lit,
the podcast for diving deep
into the rich world
of Black literature.
I'm Jack Peace Thomas,
and I'm inviting you
to join me
in a vibrant community
of literary enthusiasts
dedicated to protecting
and celebrating our stories.
Black Lit is for the page turners,
for those who listen to audiobooks
while commuting or running errands,
for those who find themselves seeking solace,
wisdom, and refuge between the chapters.
From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry,
we'll explore the stories that shape our culture.
Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works
while uncovering the stories of
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Blacklit is here to amplify the
voices of Black writers and to
bring their words to life.
Listen to Blacklit on the iHeart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts.
Hola mi gente, it's Honey German
and I'm bringing you Gracias, Come Again,
the podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture,
musica, peliculas, and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game.
If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities,
artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you.
We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars,
from actors and artists to musicians and creators,
sharing their stories, struggles, and successes.
You know it's going to be filled with chisme laughs
and all the vibes that you love.
Each week, we'll explore everything
from music and pop culture
to deeper topics like identity, community,
and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries.
Don't miss out on the fun,
el té caliente, and life stories.
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todo lo actual y viral.
Listen to Gracias Come Again
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or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hi, I'm Ed Zitron,
host of the Better Offline podcast,
and we're kicking off
our second season
digging into how Tex Elite
has turned Silicon Valley
into a playground for billionaires.
From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search,
better offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech from an industry veteran with nothing to lose.
This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel winning economists to leading journalists in the field.
And I'll be digging into why the products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong, though. I
love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things that
actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough,
so join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could
be done to make things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
wherever else you get your podcasts. Check out betteroffline.com.
On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his
mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba.
He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh.
And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere.
Elian Gonzalez.
Elian, Elian.
Elian, Elian.
Elian, Elian.
Elian Gonzalez.
At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with.
His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba.
Mr. Gonzales wanted to go home, and he wanted to take his son with him.
Or his relatives in Miami.
Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom.
At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation.
Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well.
Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Among the migration wave came the likes of Hector Matei, an Italian anarchist who helped publish Il Socialista,
which is a weekly paper.
And of course, believe it or not,
the one and only Erico Malatesta,
who keeps making guest appearances
in these Latin American anarchists on the show.
He's just like all over the place.
He's traveling everywhere.
If I recall correctly, he made an appearance in Cuba.
He made an appearance in Cuba. He made an appearance
in the Egypt episode as well.
Yep.
He just keeps showing up.
He's really, truly
a globetrotter
in a mold
that we haven't really seen.
Hey, I mean,
move aside Pitbull,
you know,
he's the real Mr. Worldwide.
So, Errico Montesta,
he actually fled Italy
in 1885
after escaping
imprisonment.
And he helped to establish the Circulo de Studio Socialis, where he and others gave public speeches promoting anarchism.
And he worked to organize the Sociedad Cosmopolita de Obreros Panaderos, an anarchist baker's union.
I didn't know he could bake.
Maybe he could bake, maybe he couldn't.
Maybe he was just there, you know, helping them set up. But in my head, I'd like to imagine that he was pretty good at
baking bread and making cookies, you know? I'm pretty sure he was like an ice cream salesman
too at one point. I thought I might be getting that confused with like some other anarchist who
was going around everywhere who was also selling ice cream. You know, I wouldn't be surprised.
I have vague memories of there being a story about him having an ice cream cart
and trying to make money
and he couldn't do it
because he kept giving ice cream to children.
I think I remember that story.
I think Zoe Baker had a video on it.
You know those ads that used to show on TV
about a decade ago?
The most interesting man in the world?
Yeah.
He was based in Urquhart. Yeah, so Manal Tessalito returned to Europe in the world. Yeah. He was based on Errico Manatesta.
Yeah, so Manatesta later returned to Europe in 1889,
yet he left a lasting legacy
in helping to organize workers
and sow the seeds for a powerful anarchist movement
in Argentina.
In the early 1890s,
the anarchist paper El Perseguido
became one of the most popular
and prominent voices of anarchist communism in
Argentina, despite ongoing repression and government censorship. The anarchist press
continued to expand during this period, with publications like La Voz de la Mujer and Anarchist
Feminist People emerging in Rosario. The 1880s and early 1890s also involved significant internal
debates, particularly around the role of workers' unions in revolutionary tactics. Some groups embraced anarchist cynicalism, while others believed
smaller affinity groups as catalysts of social revolution were the way to go. While in the midst
of a massive, rapid industrial growth and dealing with the worsening economic situation for the
working class, such a society was ripe for transformation of the anarchist
variety. Initially, the anarchists had been focused on counter-cultural concerns, particularly
in the field of education. But as their ranks swelled in number, the stage was set for the
debut of a mass anarchist movement among Argentine workers. In 1897, the anarchist workers were found
La Protesta Humana, later shortened to La Protesta,
which would become an enduring anarchist paper throughout Latin America.
But the anarchists didn't just stick to papers, though.
In 1901, anarchists were instrumental in the founding of the Argentine Workers' Federation, or the FOA,
which was Argentina's first labor federation.
which is Argentina's first labor federation. The federation was founded in a congress that assembled some 50 delegates representing 30 to 35 workers organizations from both capital and
interior. The aim of the federation was an entity that included all workers without regard to their
races or beliefs based on a solid foundation of direct action and economic struggle. Though
initially including Marxists, those would later
depart to found the General Workers' Union, or the UGT, which was more amenable to party interests,
of course, which left the FOA in anarchist hands. The FOA stood at the forefront of the struggles,
advocating for higher wages and better working conditions. At the time, the typical workday was 10 hours or more, with wages barely
covering essential needs. Strikes broke out across industries, with notable successes.
Painters in Mar del Plata secured an 8-hour workday, and dockworkers in Buenos Aires won
a 9-hour workday along with a wage increase. But despite the repression, the workers' movement
continued to grow stronger.
The FOA's membership surged, with 42 unions and over 15,000 members in 1903, rising to 66 unions and nearly 33,000 members a year later.
In 1904, at its fourth congress, the group was renamed the Regional Workers' Federation of Argentina, or the FORA. Their reasoning was
ideological. By adding the adjective regional, it made plain that Argentina was not considered a
state or political unit, but a region of the world in which workers struggled for their liberation.
This fourth Congress also approved a solidarity pact that proclaimed the establishment of a
classless society with neither state nor private property as the ultimate aim of their struggle. The anarchist
influence was clear, but it gets even more explicit in the following year. The UGT had
been subordinate to the Marxist Socialist Party, but even their third Congress in 1905 had a
syndicalist emergence that preferred workers' associations to political parties.
Basically, even the non-Anarchist workers' organizations were being influenced by the
Anarchist wave. So much so that the UGT wanted to form a solidarity pact with Fora. But the
Anarchists and Fora didn't quite trust the parliamentary socialism of the UGT. Still,
they did work with them to call a general strike in 1907 in solidarity with
cart drivers in Rosario, joined by some 150,000 workers from around the republic. That strike
ended in victory for the workers. In 1905, two years before and at its fifth congress,
Fora made its commitment to revolutionary anarchist communism explicitly known.
Quote, we advise and recommend to all our followers the broadest possible study and
propaganda with the aim of instilling in workers the economic and philosophical principles
of anarchist communism.
This education, not concerned with achieving the eight-hour workday, will bring total emancipation
and consequently the social evolution we pursue.
End quote. Fora was among the largest federations of workers' organizations and it was officially
anarchist-communist. The 1906-1907 general and tenant strikes garnered greater fervor
and in response, Buenos Aires police head Colonel Falcón swore to finish off the anarchists.
Buenos Aires Police Head Colonel Falcón swore to finish off the anarchists.
1907 saw Fora and UGT attempt a merger, but since the majority sought adherence to anarchist communism, the merger could not be achieved.
Fora was militant and effective in achieving many of its goals, including wage increases, reductions in the length of the workday, and various rights of association.
Port workers, crown transport workers, seamen's unions, beakers, metal workers, construction workers, and ship workers were all prominent in the Federation and were well positioned
to paralyze the Argentine economy and win their demands.
In the first decade of the 20th century, these unions led six general strikes and many more partial strikes.
And women were more involved than in any other radical movement of the time, taking part in consumer boycotts and rent strikes as well.
But the anarchists knew that ruptures in the capitalist economy wouldn't be enough. I found out I was related to the guy that I was dating.
I don't feel emotions correctly.
I am talking to a felon right now, and I cannot decide if I like him or not.
Those were some callers from my call-in podcast, Therapy Gecko.
It's a show where I take real phone calls from anonymous strangers all over the world
as a fake gecko therapist and try to dig into
their brains and learn a little bit about their lives. I know that's a weird concept, but I promise
it's pretty interesting if you give it a shot. Matter of fact, here's a few more examples of
the kinds of calls we get on this show. I live with my boyfriend and I found his
piss jar in our apartment. I collect my roommate's toenails and
fingernails. I have very overbearing parents. Even at the age of 29, they won't let me move out of
their house. So if you want an excuse to get out of your own head and see what's going on in someone
else's head, search for Therapy Gecko on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts. It's the one with the green guy on it.
Hey, I'm Jack Peace Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series,
Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature.
I'm Jack Peace Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me
in a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts
dedicated to protecting and celebrating our stories.
Black Lit is for the page turners,
for those who listen to audiobooks while commuting or running errands,
for those who find themselves seeking solace, wisdom, and refuge between the chapters.
From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry,
we'll explore the stories that shape our culture together.
We'll dissect classics and contemporary works while uncovering the stories of
the brilliant writers behind them.
Blacklit is here to amplify the voices of black writers and to bring their
words to life.
Listen to Blacklit on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hola mi gente, it's Honey German and I'm bringing you Gracias, Come Again,
the podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture,
musica, peliculas, and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game.
If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities,
artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you.
We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators, sharing their stories, struggles,
and successes. You know it's going to be filled with chisme laughs and all the vibes that you
love. Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like
identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries. Don't miss out on the fun, el té caliente, and life stories.
Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German,
where we get into todo lo actual y viral.
Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast,
and we're kicking off our second season
digging into how tech's elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires.
From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search,
Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech
from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone
from Nobel-winning economists to leading journalists in the field, and I'll be digging into why the
products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong
though, I love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building
things that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud
enough, So join
me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make
things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
wherever else you get your podcasts. Check out betteroffline.com.
On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean.
He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba.
He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh.
And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere.
Elian Gonzalez.
Elian Gonzalez.
Elian.
Elian.
Elian Gonzalez.
At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with.
His father in Cuba.
Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him.
Or his relatives in Miami.
Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom.
At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation.
Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the
My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
It could never be enough to merely confront the system and refuse to cooperate with the system as it is.
The social revolution also demands consciousness,
solidarity, and the prefiguration of an enlightened,
progressive society and social organizations.
Thus, anarchists engaged in counterculture.
Multiple papers in multiple languages,
theater and poetry, mayday marches, social centres, popular education centres, popular libraries and discussion circles.
All of these efforts were seeded throughout the cities and linked to various unions to create a veritable and dynamic network of revolutionary causes.
And since the government understood the anarchist threat, they tried their best to raise the cost of revolutionary activism. The actions included
petty police harassment, the humiliating and inconvenient searches and gratuitous demands
for identification, which were a familiar experience for the anarchist militants.
There was also the outlawing of radical publications, the suppression of the right to public assembly, mass arrests, martial law declared for a total of 18 months between 1902 and 1910, and of course outright violence to the police, the army, and other formal forces, in addition to thugs acting on their behalf.
The government also attempted to undermine the anarchist movement through legislative means.
The government also attempted to undermine the anarchist movement through legislative means.
The Residence Law in 1902 granted the government the right to deport foreigners that are deemed undesirable without trial.
After the law had been in effect for a few years, Fora called a general strike against its oppressive conditions.
Fora's leadership condemned the law as a violation of human rights, laboring it as a tool by the state to suppress free thought and working class movements.
The government did not budge.
On May day 1909, police violently attacked a peaceful protest organized by transport workers and anarchists,
killing eight people and wounding many others.
Colonel Falcone, the recurrent villain who ordered the attack, later became the target of a retaliatory bombing by young anarchist Simón Radowitzky
in November 1909. This act of defiance shook the whole country. In the meantime,
the anarchist cause also resonated internationally. In response to the execution of Francisco Freire,
a Spanish educator and anarchist, FORa led a series of strikes in Argentina, joining global protests against his death.
1910 marked Argentina's preparations for the centenary celebrations of its first national government,
portraying itself as a beacon of prosperity.
But oh, here come the workers with their unrest and protests to sour the vibes and demand the release of political prisoners and the abolition of the law of residence.
Naturally, the government responded by declaring a state of internal war, arresting hundreds of anarchists, including foreign leaders, and imposing extreme censorship and restrictions on civil liberties, shutdowns of publications, and the declaration
of a state of emergency. The government also introduced the social defense law, which levied
a series of penalties against anarchist activities specifically. As the centennial celebrations
unfolded, Argentina had transformed into a heavily militarized state, with more than 2,000 anarchists
arrested or deported.
So much for a grand celebration of their free democracy.
Despite the repression, the workers' movements continued to grow.
Forest General strikes forced the government to make concessions and release jailed workers.
But divisions began to appear within the movement.
After dealing with
so much repression for their radical ideas, a split occurred in 1909 with the formation of
the syndicalist group Cora, which adopted much of Fora's structure and retained some anarchist ideas
but leaned towards a less radical approach, hoping to be less of a target. The anarchists took yet another hit when, in 1912,
the science peña law made voting secret and obligatory, thus making anarchist abstentionism
as a tactic illegal. Their range of possible actions was being intentionally closed.
While dealing with these external pressures, anarchists also had to deal with pressures
from within the workers' movement by even more folks who wanted to compromise the revolutionary goals.
Another split between the syndicalists and anarchists occurred at the Fora's 9th Congress in 1915.
Unions were increasingly led by reformists, social democrats, and uncommitted anarchists, which led to the thesis of a neutral syndicalism focused on winning workers' rights becoming the
dominant position within fora. The syndicalists dropped their commitment to anarchist communism
and claimed the name the fora of the 9th congress, while the minority of anarchists that maintained
their commitment to anarchist communism took the name the fora of the 5th congress.
The timing of this split was impeccable though. You see, as has been a recurring theme in this series
The Russian Revolution of 1917 had a significant impact on Argentinian anarchism
In a sense, it reignited the revolutionary fervor within the movement
And led to the reformist and cynicalist 409 losing influence
While revolutionary ideas once again gained momentum. For a brief moment,
there was hope. But the Bolsheviks would waste little time in crushing that hope.
By 1920, Argentinian anarchists, like their European counterparts, began to distance
themselves from Leninism. They began to recognize the authoritarian nature of the Bolsheviks,
from Leninism.
They began to recognize the authoritarian nature
of the Bolsheviks,
took note of Kropotkin
and Lenin's correspondences,
and soon came to reject the idea
of the dictatorship
of the proletariat.
On his part,
alongside his mass slaughter
of the anarchists in Kronstadt,
Lenin also ordered
the confiscation of anarchist texts,
which he saw as influencing
the conflict within
the Bolshevik ranks.
Tale as old as time.
Anyway, next time we'll see if and how the anarchists in Argentina
managed to navigate the tumultuous 20s, 30s and beyond
to leave a lasting mark on Argentine history.
But things aren't looking too good for them right now.
Until then,
all power to all the people.
This has been It Could Happen Here.
It Could Happen Here is a production of Cool Zone Media.
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