Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Semana Roja (Red Week) is the name given to the general strike of May 1909 that had insurrectional characteristics. The strike is framed within the historic struggle of the Argentinian working class for democratic liberties, especially resistance against repressive laws and regulations, the defense of freedom of expression, and the right of assembly. Semana Roja marked the beginning of escalating repression against union organizing, culminating with the Centenario celebrations in 1910 marking 100 years since Argentina gained independence from Spain. In the late nineteenth century, the Argentinian working class gained greater self-identification during the economic crisis of 1898–1904, when labor strikes – an unknown phenomenon up to then – unleashed the rapid expansion of labor organizing and labor unions, and the national FORA (Regional Argentinian Workers' Federation) was created. The first decade of the century represents the dawn of Argentinian working-class consciousness. In this decade, union actions were met with extreme repression by the state, which proved itself incapable of responding through conciliation, leading to general strikes in 1902, 1904, and 1906. Although each strike had different objectives, all sought to end working-class oppression. In 1902, the Argentinian government initiated its first major anti-labor policy through the passage of the Law of Residence ... log in or subscribe to read full text