The Trotskyist identity as an expression of the Argentine radical left. Reflections for understanding its rise, influence and continuity

In the current political situation in Argentina, referring to the left is, essentially, referring to the Trotskyist tradition and identity. This political alternative has become in recent years a radical proposal not only present among workers or in uni-versity life but even in electoral and parliamentary disputes. The existence of this proposal in the country is not new. Since the late 1920s, various expressions coexisted that pro-claimed themselves followers of the Left Opposition and, lat-er, of the Fourth International. However, it was not always a current with a notable presence or influence. This article aims to reflect on that stage considered fundamental for a firmer installation of this tradition, such as the early seventies. Spe-cifically, the work will take as a case study the future of the Socialist Workers Party (PST), a political party that, although started in 1972, was a continuator of an expression of Argen-tine Trotskyism that had existed since the 1940s. The objec-tive consists of the analysis of both the political program and the modes of political intervention that are possible to be considered particular in this period of mobilizations and con-flicts. In a context of coexistence of numerous expressions defined as revolutionary, two reflections are supported. Firstly, when studying the Trotskyist experience it is possible to distinguish particularities that, comparatively, were absent in other leftist organizations of the period. Secondly, it is stated that these particularities are also a relevant element to under-stand the survival of this radical proposal in subsequent decades and even today.