A History of Organized Labor in Bolivia

A History of Organized Labor in Bolivia

Author: Robert J. Alexander

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 2005-11-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780275977443

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Bolivia was the center stage for one of the most important Latin American social revolutions of the twentieth century, one that occurred amid a sea of tremendous political instability. The expansion of organized labor that occurred during the 1920s was met with multiple government reprisals and was largely curbed by the Chaco War with Paraguay of 1932-1935. Nevertheless, despite being compelled to operate illegally, the labor movement found support in several political parties, the most successful of which was the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario, a powerhouse in the miners' federation. Conscious of the remarkable upheavals which punctuated Bolivian history during the twentieth century, Alexander traces the relative successes of Bolivia's labor unions, contextualizing their triumphs and disappointments within the captivating history of Bolivia's tumultuous political scene. Bolivia was the center stage for one of the most important Latin American social revolutions of the twentieth century, one that occurred amid a sea of tremendous political instability. The expansion of organized labor that occurred during the 1920s was met with numerous government reprisals and was largely curbed by the Chaco War with Paraguay of 1932-1935. Nevertheless, despite being compelled to operate illegally, the labor movement found support in several political parties, the most successful of which was the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario, a powerhouse in the miners' federation. Conscious of the remarkable upheavals which punctuated Bolivian history during the twentieth century, Alexander traces the relative successes of Bolivia's labor unions, contextualizing their triumphs and disappointments within the captivating history of Bolivia's tumultuous political scene. Alexander explains how the labor movement evolved in the framework of several political changes, including: the brief presidency of Major Gualberto Villarroel which began in December 1943 and lasted only two and a half years; the Bolivian National Revolution which began on April 9, 1952; the onset of agrarian reform in 1952; the overthrow of the revolutionary regime in November 1964


A History of Organized Labor in Uruguay and Paraguay

A History of Organized Labor in Uruguay and Paraguay

Author: Robert J. Alexander

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2005-03-30

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 0313068453

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In this volume, Alexander sketches the history of organized labor in the countries of Uruguay and Paraguay. He covers such topics as the role of organized labor in the economics and politics of these two countries and their relations with the international labor movement. It is based on extensive personal contacts of the author with the labor movements over almost half a century. It may seem unusual at first to have both of these countries in one volume because there does not exist anywhere else in Latin America such historical political disparity between neighboring countries as that between Uruguay and Paraguay. However in spite of the political contrasts, there are certain similarities in the history of the labor movements of these two republics. In both Uruguay and Paraguay, the earliest organizations to be founded by the workers were mutual benefit societies, rather than trade unions. But in both countries, trade unions which sought to protect their members against employers began to appear. By the early years of the 20th century, these unions began to demand that employers negotiate with them, and there were an increasing number of strikes, attempting to make these demands effective. There were soon efforts to bring together the various trade unions into broader local, national, and international labor organizations.


A History of the Bolivian Labour Movement 1848-1971

A History of the Bolivian Labour Movement 1848-1971

Author: Guillermo Lora

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2009-01-18

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 9780521100212

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This book is an abridgement and translation of Guillermo Lora's five-volume history. It deals with the strengthening and radicalisation of Bolivia's organised labour movement, which culminated in the drastic revolutionary changes of the 1950s. The first half offers a reinterpretation of Bolivian history in the century preceding the revolution, viewed from the perspective of the working class. The second half discusses in more detail the major political events and doctrinal issues of a period in which the author, as secretary of the Trotskyist Partido Obrero Revolucionario, himself frequently played an active part. Despite the radical upheaval that occurred in the fifties and the mobilisation of broad sectors of the population around such radical objectives as direct property seizures, union-nominated ministers and union, military and worker control, the labour movement was unable to maintain its conquests in the 1960s. The concluding chapters describe the period of renewed military repression and the continuing efforts of the labour movement to resist.


A History of Organized Labor in Brazil

A History of Organized Labor in Brazil

Author: Robert J. Alexander

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2003-05-30

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 0313071926

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Alexander examines the history of the labor movement in Brazil during its two key phases. First, he looks at the origins and early development of the movement from the last decades of the 19th century until the Revolution of 1930. Then he analyzes the impact of the corporate state structure that President Getulio Vargas imposed on labor during his first tenure in power, and the continuation of that structure during most of the remainder of the century. Until 1930, the trajectory of the labor movement in Brazil was quite similar to what was happening in most of the rest of Latin America. Most of the early labor organizations were mutual-benefit societies rather than trade unions. This began to change in the early 1900s. From the onset, organized labor in Brazil was involved with politics, and organized labor had to deal not only with the opposition of employers, but also with that of successive conservative governments. All this changed with the ascent of Vargas to power in 1930. He sought to win the support of the urban working class, and with the coming of the New State in 1937, the government was deeply involved in the direction of union activities. After 1945, Brazilian labor was once more influenced by a variety of different political currents, and by the 1960s the labor movement began to extend into the rural sector of the economy. The Constitution of 1988 allowed workers to organize without government control and they won the right to strike. By 1990 the Brazilian labor movement had attained the structure and characteristics it would retain into the new century. A major resource for scholars, students, and other researchers involved with Brazilian labor, economic, and political affairs.


A History of Organized Labor in Panama and Central America

A History of Organized Labor in Panama and Central America

Author: Robert J. Alexander

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2008-07-30

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0313359032

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This volume is a pioneering study of the history of organized labor in the Central American republics. It traces the history in the various countries from the early nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. It also discusses why they appeared, what organizational and ideological tendencies characterized the movement in these countries, the role of collective bargaining, the economic influence of organized labor, as well as the relations of the movement in the individual countries with one another and with the broader labor movement outside of the countries involved in this volume.


International Labor Organizations and Organized Labor in Latin America and the Caribbean

International Labor Organizations and Organized Labor in Latin America and the Caribbean

Author: Robert J. Alexander

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2009-09-23

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 0313381836

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The first scholarly work to focus exclusively on the roles of pan-regional and worldwide labor organizations in the labor movements across the nations of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. With a career that covers over a half century, Robert J. Alexander is perhaps our foremost authority on Latin American history and politics. In International Labor Organizations and Organized Labor in Latin America and the Caribbean: A History, Alexander explores one of the most fascinating and often overlooked aspects of the Latin American labor scene he has so meticulously chronicled: the relationships between labor unions within specific nations, region wide organizations, and organized labor around the world. Alexander has written many of the cornerstone works on labor movements within the nations of Latin America, and this is his first volume to focus on the impact of international unions on Latin American labor issues. Coverage includes the AFL-offshoot Pan American Federation of Labor and the CIA-backed AIFLD; the role of the Russian Union, Profintern; European-based unions like the anti-Communist/anti-Fascist Postal Telegraph and Telephone International; and intraregional organizations like the Confederacion de Trabajadores de America Latina (CTAL)—the first attempt to form a multinational labor organization exclusively for the region.


A History of Organized Labor in the English-Speaking West Indies

A History of Organized Labor in the English-Speaking West Indies

Author: Robert J. Alexander

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 2004-10-30

Total Pages: 510

ISBN-13:

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This volume deals with the history of organized labor in all of the countries of the English-speaking West Indies. It is the fourth in a series of histories of the organized labor movement in Latin America and the Caribbean. Alexander traces the countries' origins, early struggles, experiences with collective bargaining, and the key roles in the politics of their respective countries, particularly their participation in the struggle for self-government and independence. He also examines the international organizations of trade unions in the West Indian area, and their association with the hemisphere and worldwide labor groups. This work is based on the author's personal contacts with these labor movements and their leaders, as well as on printed material, including collective contracts, histories of some of the labor groups and other similar sources. Scholars and students of labor relations, economic and social development, and those interested in the history of the West Indies and Latin America will enjoy this book.