Between the "Civilian-Military Convergence" and the "Revolutionary Turn". The Crisis of the Communist Party during the 1980s

Abstract

During the Communist Party’s 16th Congress, held in November 1986, a series of propositions were designed in order to correct the “right deviations” that had taken place in the party line during the military dictatorship of 1976-1983. Those deviations, it seemed to be the majority opinion, had been the responsibility of the “old” party leadership, composed of obsolete leaders. For an important part of the membership, the Congress had to reorganize Argentine communism upon new and more radical foundations, in tune with the winds of struggle that roamed Latin America. This article analyzes the context of crisis and internal deliberation the CP went through before and after the congress, and also examines the main programmatic revision topics those days witnessed.