De historiografías y militancias. Izquierda, artiguismo y cuestión agraria en el Uruguay (1950-1973)

Abstract

In Uruguay, throughout the XX century all political forces, without exception, made a sustained political use of the main historical figure of the country, José Artigas, who was one of the leaders of the revolutionary process that shook the Río de la Plata region between 1810 and 1820. From 1950 up to the beginning of the military dictatorship in 1973, the left carried out a rescue operation and appropriation of Artigas and his revolution. Within the framework of a process of social and political agitation without precedents, many people thought that the country was on the verge of revolution. In this context, some historians who belonged officially or unofficially to these leftist parties and movements, published a series of studies that somehow reinforced the concept that the true artiguista tradition was rooted in their revolutionary forces, not in the traditional political parties. Moreover, they considered them as followers of the work of the enemies of José Artigas.