José Carlos Mariátegui facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José Carlos Mariátegui
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Mariátegui in 1929
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| Born |
José del Carmen Eliseo Mariátegui De La Chira
14 June 1894 |
| Died | 16 April 1930 (aged 35) Lima, Peru
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| Region | Latin American philosophy |
| School | Marxism–Leninism |
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Main interests
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Politics, aesthetics |
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Influenced
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José Carlos Mariátegui La Chira (born June 14, 1894 – died April 16, 1930) was an important Peruvian writer, journalist, and thinker. He is known for his ideas about Marxism, a way of understanding society and economics.
Even though he died young, Mariátegui wrote many books and articles. He is often called "El Amauta," which means "teacher" in the Quechua language. Many people see him as one of the most important thinkers about Latin America. His most famous work is 7 Essays on Interpretation of Peruvian Reality (1928).
He started the Peruvian Socialist Party in 1928. After he died, this party changed its name to the Peruvian Communist Party. He also helped create the General Confederation of Workers of Peru in 1929, which is a big group for workers.
Many experts, like the sociologist Michael Löwy, believe Mariátegui was the most original Marxist thinker in Latin America.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Journalism
José Carlos Mariátegui was born in Moquegua, Peru, in 1894. His parents were María Amalia La Chira Ballejos and Francisco Javier Mariátegui Requejo. He had two siblings, Guillermina and Julio César.
In 1899, his family moved to Huacho. In 1902, he had an accident at school and had to go to a clinic in Lima. He recovered slowly, but his left leg was permanently stiff. Because he couldn't play like other kids, he spent his time reading and thinking.
Mariátegui started working at the newspaper La Prensa in 1909. He began as a helper and then learned to operate a Linotype machine, which was used to set type for printing. Even though he didn't finish school, he became a journalist. He wrote for La Prensa (1914-1916) and El Tiempo (1916-1919). He also wrote for magazines like Mundo Limeño and Colónida.
He used the pen name "Juan Croniqueur" to write about Lima's fancy society. He became friends with the writer Abraham Valdelomar. Mariátegui also loved poetry but never published his collection of poems called Sadness.
By 1918, he became interested in social problems. He started a magazine called Nuestra Época with other journalists. It criticized the military and old-fashioned politics. In 1919, he started the newspaper La Razón, which supported changes in universities and workers' rights. The government of President Augusto B. Leguía closed this newspaper.
Journey to Europe
In 1919, Mariátegui and his friend César Falcón traveled to Europe. The government gave them scholarships, but it was also a way to send them out of the country. They saw a workers' strike in New York and a revolution in Germany.
In Italy, Mariátegui married Anna Chiappe. He saw factory workers taking over factories in Turin. He also saw the Italian Communist Party (PCI) being formed. He studied Marxism and learned a lot about politics. He believed that the rise of fascism in Italy was due to problems within the left-wing groups.
Mariátegui traveled to many other European cities like Paris, Munich, and Berlin. He studied the big changes happening in Europe after the First World War.
Return to Peru
Mariátegui returned to Lima in March 1923 with his wife and first child. He gave talks at a university about the world's problems after the war. He also took over the magazine Claridad.
In 1924, Mariátegui had to have his leg removed because of his old injury. He continued to work from a wheelchair. In 1925, he moved to a house on Washington Street, which is now a museum. In October 1925, he started Editorial Minerva with his brother. This company published his books and other Peruvian writers' works.
In 1926, he started the magazine Amauta, which means "wise one" or "teacher" in Quechua. This magazine brought together many smart people who wanted to understand Peruvian life better. It also helped the indigenous movement in art and literature.
In 1927, Mariátegui was arrested during a trial against communists. They were accused of planning against the government. He was later put under house arrest.
In 1928, he disagreed with Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, another important political leader. On October 7, 1928, Mariátegui started the Peruvian Socialist Party. He became its leader a year later. That same year, he started the Marxist magazine Labor and published his famous book, 7 Essays on Interpretation of Peruvian Reality. In 1929, he founded the General Confederation of Workers of Peru.
Mariátegui's ideas were discussed at meetings in Latin America. He wanted a unique approach for Peru, which sometimes differed from the main Communist International group.
In February 1930, Eudocio Ravines took over as the leader of the Socialist Party of Peru. Mariátegui was planning a trip to Buenos Aires to get treatment for his illness and attend a meeting.
Last Days and Death
In late March 1930, Mariátegui went to the hospital. He died on April 16, 1930, just before his planned trip. On May 20, the Peruvian Socialist Party changed its name to the Peruvian Communist Party.
Mariátegui was buried in the Presbítero Maestro Cemetery. Many people attended his funeral. In 1955, his remains were moved to a new monument in the same cemetery.
Mariátegui's Ideas
Understanding Peru
Mariátegui believed that when Europeans arrived in the Americas, it changed Peru's history and economy forever. Before the Spanish, the Inca society had a strong community-based economy. Everyone worked together, and people were well-off.
The Spanish brought a system like feudalism, where land was owned by a few powerful people. The Spanish mainly wanted to take natural resources, not build a strong economy. This system continued even after Peru became a republic.
Mariátegui explained that powerful local landowners, called "gamonal," often ignored laws meant to protect indigenous people or farmers. These landowners had a lot of influence with the central government.
He also wrote about how products like Guano (bird droppings used as fertilizer) and saltpeter (used in explosives) became very important for Peru's economy. Europe needed these products, and Peru had a lot of them. This wealth helped create banks and businesses in Peru. It also shifted power from the Andean mountains to the coast. This helped Peru move from a feudal system to a more capitalist one.
After the War of the Pacific, Peru lost its guano and saltpeter. This war also hurt Peru's trade and production. The Grace Contract was signed to help Peru recover, but it gave British companies a lot of control over Peru's railways.
Marxism and Society
After returning from Europe, Mariátegui became a follower of Marxism. He believed that culture and ideas were very important for making revolutionary changes. This led him to create his magazine Amauta.
He was a strong critic of older socialist ideas that he felt were too slow or didn't go far enough. Mariátegui is seen as the first Marxist thinker in Latin America because he focused on the role of indigenous people. He believed they were the true "workers" who could lead a socialist revolution in the continent.
Ideas on Fascism
Mariátegui saw fascism not just as a problem in Italy, but as a worldwide issue. He thought it was a way for big businesses to react to major social problems. He believed that when the ruling class felt their democratic systems weren't protecting them enough, they would blame the parliamentary system for all the country's troubles. He thought fascism would lead to more problems in Europe and the world.
Lasting Influence
Mariátegui's ideas have influenced many groups in Peru, like the Shining Path and the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, and the Peruvian Communist Party.
His writings have become popular again because of the rise of left-wing governments in South America. For example, in Bolivia, Evo Morales became the first indigenous president in 2005. The growth of indigenous movements in Ecuador and Peru has also made people more interested in Mariátegui's ideas about the role of indigenous people in Latin American revolutions. The Peruvian Nationalist Party, which governed Peru from 2011 to 2016, also says Mariátegui was one of its key thinkers.
Works
Mariátegui only published two books during his life: The Contemporary Scene and Seven Interpretation Essays on Peruvian Reality. He left two other books unfinished, which were published after his death: The Morning Soul (1950) and Defense of Marxism (1955).
His family later collected and published his many articles, talks, and essays into 20 volumes. These include his own writings and biographies about him. Most of his important work was created between 1923 and 1930.
- The Heroic and Creative Meaning of Socialism José Carlos Mariátegui. Selected Essays. – Edited and Translated by Michael Pearlman. 1996 Humanities Press, New Jersey
- Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality by José Carlos Mariátegui. University of Texas Press. 1997. ISBN: 978-0292701151
See also
In Spanish: José Carlos Mariátegui para niños
