{"id":11836,"date":"2022-01-13T22:29:52","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T22:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavozlit.com\/?p=11836"},"modified":"2022-01-13T22:29:52","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T22:29:52","slug":"argentina-20-years-of-the-argentinazo-memories-and-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/2022\/01\/13\/argentina-20-years-of-the-argentinazo-memories-and-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentina | 20 years of the Argentinazo, Memories, and Lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 8, 2021
\nDuring the 90s, Carlos Menem\u2019s government unleashed a neoliberal offensive on our country. Once taking power, he allied himself with Alsogaray (a mix of Macri and Milei of yesteryear, a servant of all dictatorships), privatized national industries, handed over our sovereignty to foreign capital, accelerated the transition of our economy to focus on the production of raw materials, generalized job insecurity, and fired hundreds of thousands of state employees. At the end of his term, the situation was unbelievable, with millions unemployed.<\/em>
\nBy PSTU-Argentina
\nThroughout the country, demonstrations broke out (initially called by community organizing groups). Strikes were called all over as Argentina erupted.
\nThe 1999 elections were won by the\u00a0 De la R\u00faa alliance, a very brief hope. A new debt crisis, the continuation of privatizations (such as the state\u2019s decision to refrain from taking over Aerol\u00edneas Argentinas, Argentina\u2019s largest airplane company), and the increase in unemployment (with more than 50% of the workforce un- or under-employed) made the situation inhospitable.
\nThe workers, who had lost their confidence in Peronism for the first time in decades, saw no way out. Either the crisis would be resolved or they would die of hunger. A series of general strikes, including blockades of roads led by community organizations were bringing down the government bit by bit.
\nDe la R\u00faa and Cavallo (an ex-minister of the Menem government, whom the Alliance appointed to Minister of the Economy) announced the \u201ccorralito\u201d (lit. \u201cplaypen\u201d) policy, dipping into the middle class\u2019s savings, which pushed them to join the mobilizations and cacerolazos<\/em> (coordinated banging of pots and pans) as resistance was organized in neighborhood assemblies. The rebellion was becoming uncontainable.
\nHaving lost control, De la R\u00faa declared a state of emergency on December 19. This provoked a massive spontaneous mobilization which condemned not only the sitting government but also the Parliament and the Peronist opposition, unifying under the slogan \u201cEveryone needs to go, leave no one behind\u201d to defeat the state of emergency.
\nOn the 20th, hundreds of thousands took the streets once more in Buenos Aires and across the whole country, forcing De la R\u00faa to resign his post. This was a true revolution, bringing down an elected government for the first time. The movement was working-class in its composition and its political goals. It was also anti-imperialist in its demands: private businesses and banks had to board up their windows to withstand the attacks of the masses of retirees, workers, women, and students.
\nA break with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was a unifying demand in the popular assemblies. It was violent: the demonstrations faced police and armed groups that opened fire against unarmed protestors. 35 people were murdered, and we have yet to avenge their deaths. But we still won the day.
\nFive presidents came and went, the political regime was in shambles and unable to retake control. Finally, the Peronist Eduardo Duhalde took charge. For months in 2002, constant mobilizations kept up the fight against the new government.
\nIn June, Duhalde moved to end the crisis through brutal repression. It was on this day that Kosteki and Santill\u00e1n were killed. The quick response forced Duhalde to retreat: the murderous policemen were arrested (although the politicians responsible for the crackdown, such as Duhalde, Felipe Sol\u00e1, or An\u00edbal Fern\u00e1ndez, did not face justice). Elections were called for early 2003.
\nAll of the bourgeois parties, as well as the union bureaucracy and even the majority of the organizations that had led the Argentinazo, abandoned the streets and turned to focus on the electoral campaign. The majority of the parties of the left (which today comprise the FIT-U, MAS, etc.) did the same. This allowed Argentine capitalism to begin to exit from its state of severe crisis.
\nThe Argentinazo was a major lesson for the working class. Kirchnerists decry the events of 2001 as a disgrace. Nothing could be further from the truth. The disgrace was the misery, poverty, and unemployment that the bourgeois government led us into.
\nThe Argentinazo was a heroic fightback that saved thousands from starvation. It was like a second October 17, 1945 (on this date, a working-class demonstration forced the release of Juan Per\u00f3n from jail, allowing for the political ascent of Peronism), but instead of facing down a military government behind a bourgeois leadership, it was a leaderless movement facing down a \u201cdemocratic\u201d government.
\nThe Argentinazo did not fulfill its goals<\/strong>
\nA few measures were put into place in response to the popular demands, such as the cancellation of sovereign debt, the expansion of subsidies and holidays, and the abolition of impunity for state forces. But capitalism and its political regime survived. The goals in the hearts and minds of the demonstrators were not realized.
\n\"\"
\nTelam 12\/20\/2004: POPULAR UPRISING OF THE 19TH AND 20TH OF DECEMBER 2001, which led to the fall of Fernando de la R\u00faa\u2019s government. Credit: Fernando Gens\/Archivo Telam<\/em>
\nThe movement lacked a revolutionary party that could harness and organize this energy, spread its organs regionally and nationally to coordinate efforts, with a political outlook of class independence for the working class, that could develop self-defense for workers against the repression, through picket lines and militias, to build the working class\u2019s power. In other words, a party that could lead a workers\u2019 socialist revolution. Such a task remains incomplete.
\nThey learned their lesson\u2026did we learn ours?<\/strong>
\nThe capitalists were wise enough to learn their lessons. They learned how to co-opt the new union leaderships, the unemployed, and the whole process through maneuvers such as the \u201cgreen wave\u201d, etc. When there is crisis, they extend their networks of patronage, snuffing out leaders with promises of privileges.
\nThey have learned to avoid relying on popular mobilizations to settle differences within the ruling class, as this could quickly spiral out of their control.
\nThe trade union bureaucracy pushes against all attempts to mount working-class actions. Under Macri, they called for just one general strike because workers forced them to, on \u201cthe day of the lectern\u201d (el d\u00eda del atril<\/em>). They block all attempts by the working classes to organize themselves independently.
\nMore than ever, they infiltrate community and political organizations, strengthening the state\u2019s mechanisms of social control (criminalization, antiterrorist laws, etc.) while the armed forces and police are being trained in new methods of repression.
\nMore than ever, they rely on the Church, the media, and all types of trickery to stop the struggle.
\nWe should also learn our lessons. The lesson of relying on direct action by our class, without any illusions regarding Parliament, the courts, or the regime.
\nThe working class needs to lead, with its democratic organs, independent of the influence of the bosses and the bureaucrats. To build our defenses against repression in every factory, shop, and neighborhood, using any method necessary.
\nWith a working-class program and for independence from the IMF, from multinational corporations, and imperialism.
\nAnd above all else, for the construction of a mass working-class revolutionary party, ready for combat and struggle, as part of an international organization to stand and fight united.
\nFirst published at: https:\/\/www.pstu.com.ar\/<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 8, 2021 During the 90s, Carlos Menem\u2019s government unleashed a neoliberal offensive on our country. Once taking power, he allied himself with Alsogaray (a mix of Macri and Milei of yesteryear, a servant of all dictatorships), privatized national industries, handed over our sovereignty to foreign capital, accelerated the transition of our economy to focus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13882121,"featured_media":11837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27671],"tags":[27738,30661],"class_list":["post-11836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-en","tag-argentina","tag-argentinazo"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"es","enabled_languages":["en","es"],"languages":{"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"es":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdQxqk-34U","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13882121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}