This paper will examine the interaction between internationalist leftism, transnational activism and progressive nationalism in early Cold War Latin America. It will highlight some key sites of transnational organisation and activism as well as important examples of leftists in exile during the period, with some discussion of the emergence of a wider latino/a identity and the redefinitions of U.S. imperialism in a Cold War context. The paper will also briefly discuss the migration of Latin American workers to the U.S. and associated political organisations and ideologies. The paper is based on a chapter from a proposed book on the Latin American Left during the early Cold War, and will include an outline of the overall project and some of he other themes covered.

Bill Booth is a Teaching Fellow in History at UCL.