This is a historical study of the Mexican anarchist movement and its crucial impact upon the Mexican working class between 1860 and 1931. It is not a history of the Mexican working class per se. That task of synthesis awaits the completion of numerous monographs treating regional and topical aspects of Mexican working-class history.
This study explores anarchism as an important factor in the development of the Mexican urban working-class and agrarian movements. It does not contend that anarchism, at any time, was the only ideology present within the Mexican working-class movement or that it commanded the ideological allegiance of a majority of either the urban or the rural workers. In explaining the history and defeat of anarchism it does not attempt to deny other forms of socialism or Marxism their rightful places in working-class history. It does destroy some old myths, but the fact that the nineteenth-century leaders, Plotino Rhodakanaty, Santiago Villanueva, Francisco Zalacosta, and José María González; the twentieth-century revolutionary precursor, Ricardo Flores Magón; the Casa del Obrero founders, Amadeo Ferrés, Juan Francisco Moncaleano, and Rafael Quintero; and the majority of the Centro Sindicalista Libertario, leaders of the General Confederation of Workers, were anarchists who emphatically denied government does not detract from the richness of the socialist-Marxist tradition in Mexico.
The anarchist tradition is an extremely complex one. It involves various social classes, including intellectuals, artisans, and ordinary workers; changing social conditions; and political and revolutionary events which reshaped ideologies and thinking. During the nineteenth century the anarchists could be distinguished from their various working-class, socialist, and trade unionist counterparts by their singular opposition to government. In the early twentieth century the lines were even clearer because of hardening anarchosyndicalist, anarchist-communist, trade unionist, and Marxist doctrines. While acknowledging both my sympathy for libertarian ideals and my impatience with often self-defeating and otherwise unrealistic tactics and goals, I have made a sincere attempt to explain events and to achieve unattainable objectivity. It may not be possible, with all the emotion surrounding the topic, but I hope that this is a dispassionate assessment of the Mexican anarchists and their rightful place in Mexican working-class history.
I want to express my appreciation to the many colleagues and friends without whose help and advice this study would not have been possible. At the very inception of the project Dieter Koniecki of Mexico City selflessly made available extensive historical data obtainable only through private sources. Rudolph de Jong, Director of the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, went beyond the call of duty in receiving me and then helping in the quest for many important documents. Stanley Payne and Fred Bowser both lent early encouragement and the inspiration to continue. James Wilkie made important suggestions regarding the twentieth century and George T. Morgan, Thomas Howard, and Laurens B. Perry lent considerable editorial advice. Special gratitude is reserved for Ingeniero Ernesto Sánchez Paulín, who out of generosity and faith gave me six priceless photographs and access to thousands of crumbling rare anarchist newspapers dating from the early twentieth century. The University of North Dakota Faculty Research Committee assisted in the completion of this study with grants during the summers of 1971 and 1972. The University of Houston Faculty Research Committee provided a similar grant for the summer of 1974.
The editorial staff of The Americas was most cooperative in making available for publication in this volume material which originally appeared in the October 1972 and January 1974 issues of that fine journal. I owe a special thanks to the many Mexican scholars who have furthered the study of Mexico’s working-class movements: among them are José Valadés, Luis Chávez Orozco, Manuel Díaz Ramírez, Rosendo Salazar, Luis Araiza, and Jacinto Huitrón. The pioneering work of Fernando Pérez Córdoba in his unpublished licenciado thesis provided countless leads. Finally, many thanks to Lisa for her manuscript assistance and to Mary for her unflagging support and patient forebearanee.
John M. Hart