Argentine Regional Workers' Federation

The Federación Obrera Regional Argentina (short: FORA ) was an Argentine trade union federation with anarchist or anarcho -communist orientation. After its founding in 1901, it was for about two decades, the strongest trade union power in Argentina until they - weakened by internal struggles - sank after the military coup of Uriburu into insignificance in the early 1930s. The FORA shall continue as anarchist organization until today, but exercises since the 1970s, no union activity anymore.

History of FORA

The Argentine labor movement before the FORA

Argentina experienced in the second half of the 19th century, a strong economic growth and gradually became an economic center of South America. From the 1850s, sat thus also a wave of immigration that brought many European workers to Argentina. Only a few immigrants who came mainly from Italy and Spain, it was possible to become self-employed. Most stayed in the business centers such as Buenos Aires and earned her living as industrial workers or day laborers.

With European immigrants anarchist ideas came to Argentina and were formed Italian and Spanish sections of the International Working Men's Association in Argentina. But while the anarchist groups were mostly individualanarchistisch marked and set organization hostile, progewerkschaftliche forces became stronger over time. A decisive influence was the residence of Errico Malatesta, who was active from 1885-89 in the Argentine labor movement.

Initial tests of a Trade Union merger in the Federación de los Trabajadores de la Región Argentina ( " Argentine Federation of Workers ') failed quickly to the tension between the socialist trade union leadership and the predominantly anarchist professional associations. With the help of Pietro Gori, a political refugee from Italy, the Federación Libertaria was founded, which declared in a Declaration of Principles, objectives and means of political and trade union action by the anarchists. The newspaper La Protesta Humana appeared in 1897 and became the leading journal of the anarchist movement and the subsequent institution of the FORA.

Founding and first years

In 1901 arose from the merger of anarchist and socialist unions Federación Obrera, the Argentina of the approximately 10,000 members were involved. As a means in the struggle of the workers, the organization saw the general strike and solidarity within the working class, however, the support of political, even socialist parties was rejected.

There followed in 1902 a number of successful strikes, such as the strike of the longshoremen of Rosario, which escalated into a general strike. The dock workers of Buenos Aires won in the same year, the nine -hour day, and the government responded to the strike with bloody repression and expulsions. The FOA was renamed Federación Obrera Regional in 1904 in Argentina and decided at the Fifth Congress in 1905 to follow a social revolutionary and anarcho -communist course. This step led to the Confederación Obrera Regional in 1909 Argentina was formed, which took over the principles of the old FORA and represented an ideologically neutral position and the revolutionary syndicalism. The Argentine government began from that point on a systematic persecution and oppression of FORA and it was followed by many expulsions of the mostly non- Argentine workers. The increasing unemployment in the wake of the crisis of 1913/14, further weakened the FORA.

Unification and division

After 1914, the CORA had dissolved, most members of the FORA joined. On the IX. Congress in 1915 was an ideological neutrality decided and resolved to return to the principles of the old FORA of 1914. A minority in turn left the FORA ( IX ) and founded the FORA V, named after the respective congress. The FORA V had approximately 10,000 members and defined itself as anarcho-syndicalist organization. The FORA IX. was the far greater part, and united about 100,000 to 120,000 to be.

When, on January 7, 1919 leading the strike of an anarchist union with links to FORA V in Nueva Pompeya ( Buenos Aires ) an exchange of fire between police and unionists, five people were killed. At the funeral two days later, the police raided the funeral of 200,000 workers attending to the cemetery Cementerio de la Chacarita, killing another 39 people. In the subsequent Semana Tragica ( ' Tragic Week ') and the Argentine military intervened and it died an estimated 100 to 700 people. This led to frequent strikes and a strengthening of the trade unions. Only been to Buenos Aires 397 strikes were conducted with approximately 300,000 workers involved in 1919.

Decline

The question of membership in the Bolshevik Red Trade Union International led to an internal dispute within the FORA. The FORA IX. then broke up in 1922 in favor of the Unión Sindical Argentina. This USA but never reached the importance of FORA and eventually went on in the CGT.

The FORA V then took over again the name FORA, but nothing more came up to the strength of the old FORA. The military coup of General Uriburu of 1930 justified the demise of the FORA as anarchist organization.

From the late 1930s, the FORA had only minor importance and only occurred at times in regionally limited strikes smaller unions in appearance. In 1968 she organized after 40 years of non-union congresses their 11th Congress in Buenos Aires, but the further decline could not stop. In the 1970s, the union activity was abandoned.

Today, the FORA is as Argentine section of the International Workers Association under the name FORA - AIT and publishes the magazine Organización Obrera out, but has barely importance in the labor movement.