The Dark Side of the Argentine Labor Movement. Towards a Social History of Strikebreakers (Buenos Aires, early 20th Century)

Abstract

This article examines the section of the working class that not only remained aside from the struggles of the labour movement, but also actively challenged them. Strikebreakers’ social composition was not consistent, and their action was shaped by different kinds of motivations: ideological, political, economic, religious, moral, or a combination of them. The field of intervention of the so-called “crumiraje” was not exempt from pressures by employers and other social actors. Against this background, spontaneous forms coexisted with more organized structures, especially when agro-export companies’ activities were affected. Despite the importance of strikebreaking, their analysis has been practically absent in Argentine historiography. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to draw a picture of the strikebreakers’ phenomenon as well as to propose some clues for further research.