Leandro Eduardo Moglia, A Movement with a History: One Hundred Years of Agricultural Cooperativism in Chaco, 1897–1998. Resistencia, Argentina: Librería de La Paz, 2023. ISBN: 978-631-6535-122.

Abstract

In 1926, Mexico stood on the eve of the religious conflict known as the Cristero War. That same year, the National Bank for Agricultural Credit was established with the aim of strengthening the agricultural sector during the post-revolutionary period, while the pertussis vaccine was made available worldwide. The year also witnessed the births of prominent figures such as Fidel Castro, Marilyn Monroe, and Alfredo Di Stéfano, the Argentine-born footballer and coach who later became a naturalized Spanish citizen, as well as the inauguration of a regular transport service between Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

Within this broader historical context, Argentina was experiencing a pivotal moment in its economic history. It is against this backdrop that Leandro Moglia situates his study in 1926, focusing on the National Territory of Chaco, a region closely associated with the expansion of agricultural, livestock, and timber production that contributed significantly to Argentina's prestige in international markets. Much of this momentum, which had begun in the late nineteenth century, was driven by exports from the primary sector, including timber, wheat, soybeans, beef, forage crops, and cotton, among other commodities. The global economic crisis of 1929 temporarily disrupted this export-oriented growth until the Pinedo Plan of 1940 helped to revive agricultural and livestock production.