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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 December 2015
Socialism, as expressed by political parties professing that ideology, has had only minimal impact on Argentina's twentieth-century political history. On the other hand socialist ideas, broadly defined, have had considerable influence, although often in an indirect manner. In the political realm, for example, popular presidents Hipólito Yrigoyen (1916-1922; 1928-1930) and Juan Perón (1946-1955; 1973-1974) sought to pre-empt and co-opt socialism's appeal to the working class by proposing and implementing socialist-inspired reforms wrapped in nationalist rhetoric. Conversely, after the fall of Perón in 1955 various military governments have based their intervention into national politics largely on the need to stem the flow of Marxist ideas, to prevent the growth of socialist organizations—especially those which would repeat the Cuban revolutionary experience on Argentine soil—and to protect the principles of free enterprise capitalism.
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5 Former socialist José Ingenieros reflected the reaction of those who at first were favorably impressed by the Revolution and did much to inform Argentines of developments in the Soviet Union. In addition to his own observations, published in Los tiempos nuevos: Reflexiones optimistas sobre la guerra y la revolución (Madrid: Editorial América, 1921), he also included a number of articles on the Bolshevik experiment in the Revista de filosofía, a journal which he edited from 1915 to 1925.
6 Palacios, elected in 1904 at the age of twenty-five to the Argentine Congress as Latin America’s first socialist deputy, had a long and distinguished political and academic career. In the 1920’s and 1930’s he was professor and dean in the law schools of the Universities of Buenos Aires and La Plata. Quien es quien en la Argentina: Biografías contemporaneas; año 1939 (Buenos Aires: Guillermo Kraft, Ltda., 1939), pp. 325–326. Ponce, a disciple of Ingenieros and also an editor of the Revista de filosofía, was removed from his teaching position in 1936 for his Marxist views. This removal became a subject for debate in the national Congress. See República Argentina, Diario de sesiones de la Cámara de Diputados, año 1936 (Buenos Aires, 1937), IV, 817–821.
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8 The major emphasis in this essay is upon the spread of socialist ideas through journalism. However, it should be noted that particularly in the post-World War II era many of socialism’s main tenets were transmitted through fictional literature, the theater, films, and even music. Recent military governments have been very sensitive to the influence of these media and have tailored their censorship policies accordingly.
9 For information on the spread of radical ideas in Latin America at this time, see Spalding, Hobart A. Jr., Organized Labor in Latin America: Historical Case Studies of Urban Workers in Dependent Societies (New York: Harper & Row, 1977), pp. 8–11.Google Scholar
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22 It is not clear just how Avé Lallemant became conversant with Marxist theory or how profound such knowledge was. Although his own writings display a considerable sophistication in dealing with Marxist concepts, it is not known, for example, if he ever read Das Kapital. He was, in the 1880’s and 1890’s, a correspondent for the German Social Democratic newspaper Die Neue Zeit, and it may well have been that through reading that journal he absorbed the ideas which he, in turn, would disseminate in his adopted land. Ratzer, , Los marxistas, pp. 89–90.Google Scholar
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25 Ibid.
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30 “El socialismo científico y el anarquismo,” El Obrero (January 17, 1891), p. 1. In this article the editors forecast the strong emphasis the leaders of Argentina’s Socialist party would place on organization and discipline.
31 “La huelga universal,” El Obrero (February 13, 1892), p. 1.
32 “Federación Obrera: Presentación dirigida al Exm. Sr. Presidente de la República—Carlos Pellegrini,” El Obrero (January 24, 1891), p. 1.
33 “Nuestro Programa,” op. cit.
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40 These events are detailed in La Vanguardia for September 30, 1910, the day the state of siege was lifted. See also, Oddone, , Historia del socialismo, 2, pp. 75–81.Google Scholar
41 These are listed by name in La Vanguardia: Número del cincuentenario, p. 98.
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52 For example, “Los socialistas en la política argentina,” La Vanguardia (May 26, 1894), p. 1.
53 “La situación actual: Crisis; radicalismo y democracia,” La Vanguardia (July 21, 1894), p. 1.
54 “La política criolla y el motín militar,” La Vanguardia (February 11, 1905), p. 1.
55 “Sobre el origen del capital y del proletariado argentino,” La Vanguardia (April 14, 1894), p. 1.
56 “El ocaso de una mediocridad,” La Vanguardia (August 26, 1910), p. 1.
57 “Al pueblo de la república,” La Vanguardia (February 26, 1914), p. 1.
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68 Some centro newspapers, consulted in the Obrera, Biblioteca “Juan B. Justo” in Buenos Aires, included La Luz: Períodico Socialista, (1901–1905),Google Scholar located in circunscripción four; El Socialista: Organo del Centro Socialista Juventud Obrera; Circunscripción 8a (1903–1904); La Antorcha: Organo del Centro Socialista de la Circunscripción 2a (1903); El Alba: Organo Socialista de la Circunscripción 20a (1904); and, Adelante: Organo de la Circunscripción 10a (1904–1911).
69 Vida Nueva appeared twice monthly between January 1906 and February 1907.
70 The complete run for 1914 was examined in the Biblioteca Obrera “Juan B. Justo.”
71 In 1910 the title was changed to Humanidad Nueva: Revista Socialista Internacional.
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