Argentine Patriotic League
Encyclopedia
The Argentine Patriotic League (Liga Patriótica Argentina) was a Nacionalista paramilitary
group, officially created in Buenos Aires
on January 16, 1919, during the Tragic week
events. Presided over by Manuel Carlés, a professor at the Military College and the Escuela Superior de Guerra, it also counted among its members the deputy Santiago G. O'Farrell (1861-1926). The League was merged into the Argentine Civic Legion
in 1931.
neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It received military training by members of the Argentine Armed Forces, was subsidised by important members of the oligarchy
, and supported by the Church
. The League worked hand-in-hand with the Bonaerense
police forces in the repression of social movements. Some of its members were also members of the Radical Party
.
It quickly extended itself through-out Argentina
, on a nationalist, xenophobic, anti-Communist and anti-Semitic program. They attacked in particular Catalan
s (accused of being anarchists
) and Jews
(accused of being Bolsheviks).
At its height in the early 1920s, the League's so-called brigades contained as many as 300,000 members throughout the country .
The League counted with the official support of the admiral and Minister of Marine Manuel Domecq García.
The League participated to the events known as Patagonia rebelde
or Patagonia Trágica (1921-1922), in Río Gallegos, during which 1,500 workers in strike were assassinated.
It also participated to José Félix Uriburu
's 1930 military coup, which initiated the Infamous Decade
.
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
group, officially created in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
on January 16, 1919, during the Tragic week
Tragic Week (Argentina)
Tragic Week was a series of riots and massacres that took place in Buenos Aires, during the week of January 7, 1919. The riot was led by anarchists and communists, and was fought by both the police and the army...
events. Presided over by Manuel Carlés, a professor at the Military College and the Escuela Superior de Guerra, it also counted among its members the deputy Santiago G. O'Farrell (1861-1926). The League was merged into the Argentine Civic Legion
Argentine Civic Legion
The Argentine Civic Legion was a Argentine nationalist and fascist militia. It was recognized as a political entity on 20 May 1931 and received juridical personality on 11 January 1932. In 1937, the Legion was succeeded and replaced by the Alliance of Nationalist Youth...
in 1931.
History
Composed of wealthy youth, the League assaulted workers' neighborhoods, including the Jewish OnceBalvanera
Balvanera is a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.-Origin of Name and Alternative Names:The official name, Balvanera, is the name of the parroquia centered around the church of Nuestra Señora de Balvanera, erected in 1831.The zone around Corrientes avenue is known as Once after Plaza Once de...
neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It received military training by members of the Argentine Armed Forces, was subsidised by important members of the oligarchy
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
, and supported by the Church
Roman Catholicism in Argentina
The Catholic Church in Argentina is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the Curia in Rome, and the Argentine Episcopal Conference....
. The League worked hand-in-hand with the Bonaerense
Buenos Aires Provincial Police
The Buenos Aires Provincial Police is the police service responsible for policing the Province of Buenos Aires, in Argentina....
police forces in the repression of social movements. Some of its members were also members of the Radical Party
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina...
.
It quickly extended itself through-out Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, on a nationalist, xenophobic, anti-Communist and anti-Semitic program. They attacked in particular Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
s (accused of being anarchists
Anarchism in Argentina
The Argentinian anarchist movement was the strongest such movement in South America. It was strongest between 1890 and the start of a series of military governments in 1930. During this period, it was dominated by anarchist communists and anarcho-syndicalists...
) and Jews
History of the Jews in Argentina
The history of the Jews of Argentina goes back to the days of the Spanish Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition, when Jews fleeing persecution settled in what is now Argentina. Many of the Portuguese traders in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata were Jewish, but an organized Jewish community...
(accused of being Bolsheviks).
At its height in the early 1920s, the League's so-called brigades contained as many as 300,000 members throughout the country .
The League counted with the official support of the admiral and Minister of Marine Manuel Domecq García.
The League participated to the events known as Patagonia rebelde
Patagonia rebelde
Patagonia rebelde was a violent suppression of a rural worker's strike in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz in Argentine Patagonia between 1921 and 1922. The uprising was put down by Colonel Héctor Benigno Varela's 10th Cavalry Regiment of the Argentine Army under the orders of Hipólito Yrigoyen...
or Patagonia Trágica (1921-1922), in Río Gallegos, during which 1,500 workers in strike were assassinated.
It also participated to José Félix Uriburu
José Félix Uriburu
General José Félix Benito Uriburu y Uriburu was the first de facto President of Argentina, achieved through a military coup, from September 6, 1930 to February 20, 1932.-Biography:...
's 1930 military coup, which initiated the Infamous Decade
Infamous Decade
The Infamous Decade in Argentina is the name given to the period of time that started in 1930 with the coup d'état against President Hipólito Yrigoyen by José Félix Uriburu...
.