Hierarchical and trade unionists.

The origins of the Centro de Capitanes de Ultramar y Oficiales de la Marina Mercante en la Argentina (CCUOMM) in post-war

Abstract

This article explores the origins of the Centro de Capitanes de Ultramar y Oficiales de la Marina Mercante, founded in Argentina on 6 September 1918. The commemoration of its cen­te­nary has certainly prompted reflection on the organisation's first steps, as well as bringing to the forefront the potential of its study. In search of interpretative and historiographical clues that research into the creation of a trade union could provide us with, we analyse the initial conditions and forms of this process, and its probable link with the generation of trade union traditions des­tined to endure over time. This research focuses on the particular case, relating it to the historical context, the situation of the labour movement, the economic structure and national politics. For a detailed consideration of the founding process, the work deals with a corpus of documents con­sisting of the first Minutes Book of the Centre, together with other trade union and state docu­ments, as well as bibliography and existing studies on the subject.