9 - The urban working class and early Latin American labour movements, 1880–1930

Summary

During the period from 1880 to 1930, although the population of the region remained overwhelmingly rural, urban workers became a significant force in the national life of most Latin American countries. The specific form of Latin America's incorporation in the world economy, however, meant that the urban labour movements which emerged in the region were different in important respects from those of Europe or North America.

The economy, the bourgeoisie and the state

Most Latin American countries served in the international economic order as exporters of primary products and importers of manufactured goods; until well into the twentieth century industry played a relatively minor role in the economies of the region. Not only were most Latin American economies fundamentally dependent on decisions made elsewhere and subject to the sometimes violent fluctuations of the world market, but the labour force was often highly segmented. Those employed in the export sector sometimes lived in considerable isolation from other workers, although they generally had the advantage of relatively greater bargaining power. When the carpenters or even textile workers went on strike in Buenos Aires or São Paulo or Santiago the effects might be serious, but were scarcely comparable to the repercussions of a disruption in the export economy. If the railway workers failed to bring Argentine wheat or Brazilian coffee or Chilean nitrate to the ports, and if these commodities were not quickly loaded onto the ships which were to take them to European or North American markets, serious crisis almost immediately threatened the respective national economies.