The International Newsletter of Communist Studies Online IX

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The International Newsletter of Communist Studies Online 16/2003 31 a Social and Political History (RGASPI). In various countries the »archival revolution« has caused a new wave of interest for studies of the history of Latin American Communism and its relations with Moscow. One of the pioneers in this RGASPI-oriented research of the mechanism of the functioning of the Third International in the Western hemisphere was the German scientist Jürgen Mothes, who before his premature death was able to plan the basic directions of analysis of this aspect of the history of the Comintern in Latin America, and also managed to establish some connections between colleagues in various countries and today this spiritual framework allows them, to a certain degree, to work in common for further scholarly activities. However, during a long period of time, this kind of cooperation remained virtual because of the lack of possibilities to meet each other and to discuss the achievements and problems of their respective works. 14 The Congress of the International Federation of Latinamericanists and Caribbeanists (Moscow, June, 2001) for the first time allowed to bring together a great number of experts on the history of Latin American Communism. On the occasion of the symposium »Comintern and left mouvements of the Latin America« (coordinator Dr. Lazar Kheyfetz ), in which scholars from 14 countries took part, discussions took place not only about the latest scholarly achievements, but also the concrete circumstances and the new methodology of using the documents from RGASPI. The meeting served as an information exchange concerning projects and joint publications. In the opinion of the participants of the symposium, the Moscow meeting should produce a new impetus to investigate the history of the Comintern and its interaction with the national sections in Latin America. 15 Nota: La Universidad de Chile fue designada como organizadora y sede del 51º Congreso de Americanistas en el año 2003 (13-18 de Julio) – »Repensando las Américas en los umbrales del siglo XXI«. Igor Yanchuk: The 1931 elections in Peru according to the documents from the Comintern Archives The opposition of political forces after the overthrow of the dictator Leguia by L. M. Sánchez Cerro in August of 1930 continued under conditions of permanent political crisis, and massive, mostly spontaneous demonstrations. Several political blocks were formed in order to fight for power. The block concentrated around Sánchez Cerro and his »Revolutionary Union« represented the traditional interests of the oligarchy. On the side of the the Aprist party with V. R. Haya de la Torre as the principal figure were the national industrial bourgeoisie, small holders of the mining industry, workers from the sugar plantations and others. The anti- 14 The first attempt to organize such a conference was made thanks to the initiative of some Russian scholars who convoked a «Round Table« in the journals »Latinskaya Amerika« and »Clio«. Not only Russians reports but also some western researchers like B. Carr, E. Ching, D. Spencer and A. Saborit made public the results of their studies; unfortunately, many of them could only send the texts of the reports by mail. 15 Unfortunately not all the scientists studying the history of Comintern and its national sections and willing to take part in the Congress had the opportunity to come to Moscow (we didn’t see Barry Carr /Australia/, Jussi Pakkasvirta /Finland/, Jean Ortiz /France/, Rina Ortiz, Antonio Saborit, Enrique Arriola Woog, Ricardo Melgar Bao /Mexico/, Gary Tennant /Ireland/, Elisabeth Burgos /Venezuela/, Christine Hatzky (Germany). We don’t give up the hope that the next meeting will be more representative.
The International Newsletter of Communist Studies Online 16/2003 32 imperialism of the Aprists (the followers of the APRA) was linked to the replacement of the national producers of sugar by the businessmen from Northern America and Germany. The archival materials concerning Peru were created in the period from September 1930 to October 1931. From the point of view of the Comintern and its Peruvian section, these documents demonstrate the tense political struggle in Peru and the difficulties of the party in taking decisions about the strategic and tactical lines of political activity. There were constant changes of political guidelines depending on the estimation of the situation in Peru by the central organs of the Comintern and it’s South-American Bureau. In Peru itself the party was directed by the representatives and often contradictory instructions sent by the IC. As a consequence, the political line in the main part was spontaneous and it is impossible to speak about the domination of any viewpoint or political course. The reasons for the electoral failure of the party were its weaknesses in organization and theory. Ideological confusion in the South-American Bureau and in the party about the character of the revolutionary situation (socialist or bourgeois) and the way of democratic revolution was one of the reasons for the weakness of the party’s influence within the working class. The orientation towards insurrectionist uprising (not towards concrete activities) disorientated the masses. Revolt was an everyday phenomenon in Peru in 1930-1931, but the party failed to conquer solid positions in the principal centers of the country. The absence of cooperation with APRA kept the party far from the workers. Repression by the government of Sánchez Cerro and the anti-communist propaganda made their task difficult, the main leadership and the most active members of the party were imprisoned and exiled. Erik Ching, History Department, Furman University: The Intersection of Local, National and International in the First Communist Parties in Central America, 1925–1935 Invaluable to studying the history of any communist party are traditional questions relating to the party’s decisions and actions. However, equally important, if not more fundamental, are questions about the party’s own perceptions of its surroundings. The present paper looks at how the first communist parties in Central America conceived of their social world and why they were obliged to view their world in a particular way. The paper proposes that communism should be viewed as a narrative that shaped party members’ perceptions of their social world regardless of their conscious intent. The narrative of communism cut across geographical boundaries such that actors at the local, national and international levels were mutually participant in the constant process of constructing and reconstructing the meaning of their collective. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, communist parties were newly formed in four of the five nations in Central America. Each of these parties was affiliated with the Comintern. The central premise is that, contrary to the beliefs of contemporary communist theorists and strategists, communism was a discourse rather than an immutable doctrine. As such it allowed actors to borrow from and adapt meanings according to their respective interests. The parties in Central America sometimes held views in common with one another and with the Comintern. At other times,
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