Urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inBuenos Aires
This article examines the most significant urban conflict of Argentina’s oligarchic era (1880-1916): the 1907 Buenos Aires tenant strike. Over the course of three months, a substantial number of tenants collectively refused to pay their rents. This protest is frequently portrayed as the product of a...
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Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/boletin/article/view/17269 |
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I28-R245-article-172692026-01-02T03:31:48Z Urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inBuenos Aires Conflicto urbano, política y Estado en la era oligárquica: la huelga de inquilinos de Buenos Aires de 1907 Albornoz, Martín Hora, Roy Argentina huelga de inquilinos protesta urbana historia política régimen oligárquico Urban conflict tenant strike Argentina oligarchic regime politics This article examines the most significant urban conflict of Argentina’s oligarchic era (1880-1916): the 1907 Buenos Aires tenant strike. Over the course of three months, a substantial number of tenants collectively refused to pay their rents. This protest is frequently portrayed as the product of a deeply divided society and of the ruling elite’s indifference, if not hostility, towards popular demands. This article presents a different interpretation of the 1907 strike. It shows that the press and public opinion largely supported the tenant’s demands for lower rents. Furthermore, it demonstrates that state institutions –namely, the municipal government, the judicial system, and the police– played a crucial role in shaping the political environment that facilitated the protest, and to a significant extent, they also aligned with the tenants. Contrary to the views that portray the oligarchic regime as solely repressive, this article argues that the 1907 tenant strike highlights the opportunities provided by the liberal political and institutional framework of early 20th-century Argentina for expressing popular demands. Este artículo analiza uno de los mayores conflictos urbanos de la era oligárquica (1880-1916) en Argentina, la huelga de inquilinos de Buenos Aires de 1907. Esta protesta, que movilizó a lo largo de varios meses a decenas de miles de residentes de las precarias y degradadas viviendas colectivas porteñas que recibían el nombre de conventillos, suele interpretarse como la expresión de una sociedad polarizada, que se desplegó en el marco de un orden político hostil a las demandas de las clases populares de la ciudad. A partir de un análisis detallado del conflicto, y del tratamiento que le dio la prensa, así como de la acción del gobierno municipal, la justicia y la policía, este artículo propone una interpretación alternativa. Sugiere que la disputa se desplegó en un clima de ideas favorable al reclamo de los inquilinos, y que las instituciones estatales tuvieron un papel clave en la construcción del espacio político que hizo posible la huelga. Muestra, por otra parte, que los huelguistas explotaron esas oportunidades de manera consciente, tomando un curso de acción que los distanció de las voces de izquierda que los invitaban a radicalizar la protesta. Por estos motivos, la huelga de inquilinos de 1907 invita a revisar ciertas nociones arraigadas sobre la relación entre las clases populares y el orden político oligárquico. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires 2026-01-02 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf text/html https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/boletin/article/view/17269 10.34096/bol.rav.n64.17269 Boletín del Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana Dr. Emilio Ravignani; Núm. 64 (2026): Enero-junio; 30-57 1850-2563 0524-9767 spa https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/boletin/article/view/17269/15554 https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/boletin/article/view/17269/15555 Derechos de autor 2026 Martín Albornoz, Roy Hora https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 |
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Universidad de Buenos Aires |
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I-28 |
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R-245 |
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Boletín del Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana Dr Emilio Ravignani |
| language |
Español |
| format |
Artículo revista |
| topic |
Argentina huelga de inquilinos protesta urbana historia política régimen oligárquico Urban conflict tenant strike Argentina oligarchic regime politics |
| spellingShingle |
Argentina huelga de inquilinos protesta urbana historia política régimen oligárquico Urban conflict tenant strike Argentina oligarchic regime politics Albornoz, Martín Hora, Roy Urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inBuenos Aires |
| topic_facet |
Argentina huelga de inquilinos protesta urbana historia política régimen oligárquico Urban conflict tenant strike Argentina oligarchic regime politics |
| author |
Albornoz, Martín Hora, Roy |
| author_facet |
Albornoz, Martín Hora, Roy |
| author_sort |
Albornoz, Martín |
| title |
Urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inBuenos Aires |
| title_short |
Urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inBuenos Aires |
| title_full |
Urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inBuenos Aires |
| title_fullStr |
Urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inBuenos Aires |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inBuenos Aires |
| title_sort |
urban conflict, politics and the state: the 1907 tenant strike inbuenos aires |
| description |
This article examines the most significant urban conflict of Argentina’s oligarchic era (1880-1916): the 1907 Buenos Aires tenant strike. Over the course of three months, a substantial number of tenants collectively refused to pay their rents. This protest is frequently portrayed as the product of a deeply divided society and of the ruling elite’s indifference, if not hostility, towards popular demands. This article presents a different interpretation of the 1907 strike. It shows that the press and public opinion largely supported the tenant’s demands for lower rents. Furthermore, it demonstrates that state institutions –namely, the municipal government, the judicial system, and the police– played a crucial role in shaping the political environment that facilitated the protest, and to a significant extent, they also aligned with the tenants. Contrary to the views that portray the oligarchic regime as solely repressive, this article argues that the 1907 tenant strike highlights the opportunities provided by the liberal political and institutional framework of early 20th-century Argentina for expressing popular demands. |
| publisher |
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires |
| publishDate |
2026 |
| url |
https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/boletin/article/view/17269 |
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