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Sibling Rivalry on the Left and Labor Struggles in Colombia During the 1940s

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2022

W. John Green*
Affiliation:
Virginia Tech
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Abstract

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On the Colombian Left during the 1940s, little differentiated the rank and file of the Communist party from the left wing of the Liberal party. Individuals commonly moved back and forth between the two groups. Animosity was rampant among leaders, however, as shown by the clashes between the principal compañeros and Jorge Eliécer Gaitán's left-Liberal populist mobilization. As this rivalry played out in the Communist strongholds of the union movement, it became apparent that a large portion of the organized working class (perhaps a majority) supported Gaitán even though their leaders dismissed him as a fascist. Workers, organized and unorganized, clearly demonstrated their belief that Gaitanismo was a radical movement of change despite the fact that it arose within the traditional party system.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 2000 by the University of Texas Press

Footnotes

Earlier versions of this article were presented to the Fundación Friedrich Ebert in Bogotá in September 1994, the Latin American Studies Association in September 1995, and the Southern Labor Studies Conference in Austin Texas in October 1995.

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