A Temporary Disease? The Socialist Party and the Consequences of the Sáenz Peña Law

Abstract

In this article we propose to account for the impact of Sáenz Peña Law, which extended the universe of political participation, on the organization and internal life of the Partido Socialista (PS). We begin by reviewing the positions of the PS in the discussions that led to the enactment of the Saenz Peña Law. Here we address the way in which the surprisingly positive socialist results were received in the Buenos Aires elections that followed the passage of the electoral reform. Third, and focusing on the PS’s XIIth Congress, held in 1914, we analyze how the socialists themselves perceived the challenges born from the growth experienced by the party after the enactment of the new electoral law. We conclude by considering some more general arguments regarding the challenges that the Socialists were under, from the effective date of the Sáenz Peña Law.