January 2, 2025 • 26 mins
Andrew talks with Gare about the history of anarchist theory and praxis in modern day Ecuador, Columbia, Panama, and Venezuela.
Sources:
Cappelletti, Angel (2018). Anarchism in Latin America. AK Press.
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anselme-bellegarrigue-the-world-s-first-anarchist-manifesto
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Colz Media.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hello, and welcome to ACRAP and here. I'm Andrew Sage.
I run Andrews on YouTube and I'm here with the voice.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Of Garrison Davis.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Hello, Hello, Hello, and today we're going to continue our
journey through Latin American anarchisms and their histories with a
sort of a fourth for one.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Special exciting, exciting, very exciting.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
We talked about Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Cuba
sofa as well as the Mapouch struggle in Chile and Argentina.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
And now was the time to explore what's going.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
On at the top of the South American continent, the
territory of the former Grand Colombia, and that is the
territories of Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Venezuela.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
But if this is the first.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Time you're hearing about Grand Columbia, let me give a
quick and a brief historical context. Rundown Grand Columbia was
a short lived political entity that emerged in the early
nineteenth century during Latin America's struggle for independence from Spanish
colonial route. It was formed in eighteen nineteen and it
encompassed the territories, like I said, of present day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador,
(01:15):
and Panama, as well as some parts of northern Peru,
western Guyana, and northwestern Brazil. The republic was envisioned by
Simon Bolivar, who are dreamt of uniting the former Spanish
colonies into.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
A powerful federation.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
They'll be able to resist foreign intervention and secure their independence.
The Congress of Angostura declared the creation of Grand Columbia
with Bolivar as its first president. The public was a
centralized state with a strong executive branch, so unsurprisingly, tension
soon arose among the constituent regions due to their differences
(01:51):
in political vision, economic interests, and regional identities. Centralized governance
had alienated local elites and over federalism us centralism deepened
existing divisions. Plus Bolivar's increasingly autocratic rule I mean he
literally tried to push for a lifetime presidency obviously sparked
(02:12):
internal opposition, so Grand Columbia was facing external threats from
Spanish royalist forces and internal fractures. By eighteen thirty, Bolivard
had to resign from the presidency, disillusioned by the failure
of his vision, and the same year Grand Columbia dissolved
into three separate nations, Venezuela, Ecuador, and the Republic of
(02:33):
New Grenada, which later on split into Columbia and Panama.
Unlike the other countries of South America that we've covered,
these countries had far less large scale anarchist movements, but
will still take a look at what little impact anarchists
did make in the past two centuries in these places.
This whole series, by the wouldn't be possible of the
(02:53):
scholarship of Anhill Capelletti, whose research I drew upon heavily
for this historical review. I suggest reading his book Anarchism
in Latin America for further details. Let's first take a
look at the history in Ecuador at the turn of
the twentieth century. Ecuador was ruined from a liberal revolution
that had just taken place in the country. The country
(03:14):
was shifting as industrialization creeped in. The bourgeoisie were on
the rise, and feuderal landowners were losing their grip on power.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
A new secular cultural.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Wave was also beginning to take shape as the clerical
authorities began to lose their power. The workers naturally needed
a voice in this process, and they found it first
with the rise of the Partiro Liberal Obrero was the
Liberal Workers Party in nineteen oh six. Around the same time,
on New Year's Eve of nineteen oh five, the Confederacire
Delacuador was founded in Guayaquil, a city there would become
(03:47):
a hub for worker activity. Both organizations shared a vision
rooted in social reform and work empowerment. It was also
around this time that the Cuban anarchist Miguel Albuquerque made
a name for himself in Ecquador. Originally, he had come
seeking assistance with Cuba's independent struggle, but eventually found himself
playing a key role in Ecuador's labor movement. He established
(04:09):
the side that the e host deale Trabajo or the
Society the Sons of Labor, and other anarchist groups would
also begin forming, contributing to the struggles taking place at
the time. The first recorded strikes with anarchist influence took
place in nineteen nineteen, where workers in the graphic arts
industry organized the demand back conditions. By nineteen twenty two,
(04:30):
Guyaquil was the epicenter of a massive general strike, shaped
in part by the anarchist Nicolists, who were obviously right
in the thick of it. The strike was driven by
dissatisfaction among the workers, particularly among the city's urban laborers
and dark workers, who were facing really poor wages, long hours,
and deteriorating living conditions talors all this time. The strike
(04:53):
culminated in a violent crackdown by government forces, also a
tales all this time, with estimates suggesting that one hundred
words of workers we killed when the military surpressed the revolts.
Most workers returned to their jobs after that, but the
trolley workers continued their strike until the twenty first of November,
when most of their demands were met.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
How much like crossover was there between like revolutionaries or
like you know, workers rights people or anarchists in Cuba
and places like this, because I assume there was like
a lot more like growing sentiment in Cuba based on
how that whole situation turned out in the next like
twenty thirty years, and I feel like there would be
(05:33):
a decent, like a decent number of cross or at
least like some travel between some of these other like
nearby places for.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Sure, because Cuba has been gained independence much in theater
than the rest of its last America neighbors, places like
Mexico and Central America and Grantit, Columbia and the rest
of South America. They all gained the independence, and Cuba
was still under the Spanish Thumb and their remain under
the Spanish thtumb until they ended up having to struggle
(06:00):
with the Americans as well and eventually to gain their
win independence. I mean, it's all one one big pond.
I like to see the Caribbean Sea. So there would
have been a lot of transfer and communication between these
independent Latin America and republics and Cuba, which was still
at the time of colony.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
That was really interesting to see.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
What when you know, these Cuban characters sort of show
up in other parts and then I've stirring up some trouble.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Totally well, and it shows just how like popular the
nineteen twenties were kind of like everywhere, Like yeah, whether
looking at like labor movement in the United States or
like everything that you've been talking about these last few
episodes about Latin American anarchism. Like always in like the
nineteen twenties, there was always just like crazy shit going
down consistently for sure.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Unfortunately, nineteen twenties is also the time of a lot
of decline for a lot of the anarchists movements because
nineteen twenties follows, you know, the rise of the USSR,
and a lot of people ended up abandoned in anarchism
and following that sort of popularity at the time.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Well, and similarly, once we start getting into like the
early thirties, I remember in the last few episodes that
you've done, you see the resurgence of like right wing populism,
like really hard.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yes, we tend to see a lot of resurgences.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
And like all this like revolutionary potential that's been growing
the past few decades all gets like co opted or
channeled into like right wing nationalism and right wing populism,
and like that's a whole whole other pivot that happens,
not just the more like you know, communism's statust one.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
In like the twenties, do see a resurgeons. We do
see a resurgions in the writing populism. Yes, we also
see a resurgions in the anarchist politics. Remember the thirties
was also the time of the Spanish Civil War, sure,
and so in that time you had the anarchists picking
up steam again and you also had fallen that Civil War,
a lot of the anarchists from Spain spread out into
(07:55):
a lot of the former colonies in lastin America.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I think part of that rebirn is just because of
how tied anarchism and anti fascism is.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
I think inadvertently, the rise of fascism, they actually give
birth to the rise of more anarchists as people get
involved in anti fascism because of these things are so like,
you know, sister movements in many ways. I think that
may be a contributing factor. That's certainly how I kind
of got into this sort of stuff was through anti fascism,
and and I suspect that that may have also been
(08:27):
the case even one hundred years ago.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
For sure, I think every story needs a good villain, unfortunately,
and this is the story of anarchism. I mean, the
fascists tend to make really, really impactful antagonists.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
I think.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Indeed, at the same time, we also had an ecuador
as to how these strikes going on oldiny anarchists doing
you know that thing that anarchists like to do, which
is a study group.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Many such cases.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Many such cases, many such cases. But I mean it
is an important aspect of struggles. That's sort of consciousness raison.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So these anarchists, in particular in Guyaquille, they founded these
Centro their Studio Socialists, which was a libertarian study.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
Group in Guayaquille, and then a.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Decade later, in nineteen twenty the anarchists also established a
Centro Gremial Sindicalista or the Synicalist Guild Center, which had
a mission to an end liberate all the oppressed of
the earth by bringing them into a libertarian syndicate that
will replace the present system and opposing all political and
religious doctrines as destructive and prejudicial to the rights and
(09:44):
aspiration of workers endcode. As in the rest of the region,
their publications played a key role in spreading the ideas
again early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, the anarchists were
making papers.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Yeah, use people's newspapers. Newspapers.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I mean it is a bit of a blueprint for
what anarchism continues to be in many ways, even with
like the rise of destroyism in the in the past
past decade or so, in like popular anarchism, less newspapers,
more more zines being held together by possibly one or
fewer stables.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
And I like to think that I also continue that
tradition and you and I as well by creating this
kind of totally what do you and visual content.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
I am a zine enjoyer, I have I have many zines,
but we also have to evolve with the times in
some ways. Not everyone's going to be reading newspapers, not
everyone's going to be reading booklets. Unfortunately, as much as
I encourage people to do so, I do think there
is value in attacking the information ecosystem that people more
more often use. That includes you know, podcasts, that includes
(10:54):
your fantastic videos on YouTube. Thank you, thank you, and yeah,
I agree for sure, for sure.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
But they didn't have things like like YouTube or the
interidet at the time. Instead, they had, at least in Ecuador,
their newspapers like El Proletario and El Cacajuerro and Bandera Roja,
which were carrying these syndicalists anarchismiclist ideas to the workers
across Ecuador. They also the first truly anarchist papers that
hit the country were Rendencion and Lose the Axion in
(11:27):
nineteen twenty two, nineteen twenty nine, respectfully. But as we
were anticipating in the nineteen thirties brought some challenges. Marxist
Lennis Thought began to dominate leftist circles, and figures like
Jose Carlos mariette Gui and his General Amota ended up
wielding significant influence in the worker's struggles, and by the
(11:47):
end of the decade, anarchist groups found themselves vastly overshadowed
as Marcus Lenists consolidated power through unified political parties. But
despite these shifts, anarchism and Acuador was really never entirely extinguished.
It actually continues to influence workers organizations like the Ferracio
and La guayas well into modern times. But now let's
(12:09):
make our way north to Columbia as a similar story
and foolds of anarchism taken route in hearly twentieth century.
And this is actually a fun factor because both Eli's
Recluse and Mikhail Bercunan visited Columbia recluses there for research purposes,
and Bercunan wasn't an anarchist at the time, so they
didn't directly contribute to the anarchist movement as far as
(12:31):
we know, in the country. By the nineteen tents, anarchist
ideas were definitely spreading finding a home among students, artists,
writers and workers. And this wasn't just idle philosophizing. They
also got to work building workers societies and organizing mass
actions at the May fifteenth demonstration in nineteen sixteen, which
(12:52):
of course met with brutal police repression. From there, the
movement came momentum. In nineteen twenty, port workers in Katahina
went on strike and by the following decade and I
guess we're the forefront of workers militancy all across the
Caribbean coast, which was more connected to global struggles. In
the rest of Columbia, I was thus a hotbed of
organizing unrest. If you know the geography of Columbia, you'd
(13:15):
know that there's a lot of jungle and mountainous region
near the middle of the country. There's the coast where
you tend to have more of the activity and connection
with the neighboring countries and the Cribbean Sea. Fir the
fact there's actually a lot of people in the English
speaking Caribbean aren't aware of the fact that there are
people in the Spanish speaking Caribbean who consider, you know,
coastal Columbia and coastal Venezuela to be part of the Caribbean,
(13:39):
but as like the sort of niche discourse which you
get an r slash ass Caribbean. The few anarchists wu
present in Colombia were part of nearly every major uprising,
including the Baranquila Strike of nineteen ten, the labor wave
that swept Baranquila and Santimurar year nineteen eighteen, the first
strike against the notorious le bloody United Food Company in
(14:01):
nineteen eighteen, the hero Dot Railroad strike and the Artisans
and Labor strike in Bogota nineteen nineteen. The oil strikes
in Baron Kabirmeha during the nineteen twenties, including one against
the Tropical Oil Company nineteen twenty seven, which cost twelve
hundred workers their jobs and painted the targets on the
backs of the organizers because how dare you mess with oil?
(14:24):
And then finally there was the famous Santa Maria Banana
strike of nineteen twenty eight, where workers demanded fair wages
and better treatment, and the government responded at the behest
of the United Fruit Company by claiming hundreds of lives
after the massacre. The anarchist movement in Columbia was heavily repressed,
and because of how small it was, it didn't quite
(14:45):
pick back up. As historian Max that Lao noted, publications
like Organization in Santa Marta and Via Libre and Baranquilla
disappeared at late nineteen twenties. This crackdown on anarchists, coupled
with the rise and influence of Bolsheviki unions, shifted the landscape,
and by the nineteen thirties anarchist organizing was all but
(15:06):
silenced in Columbia. But it's a part of Columbia that
we're missing. She At one point Panama was considered part
of the country, So there must have been stuff happening
on that little sliver of land, right. It'd be surprised
if we rewind to the mid nineteenth century. Between eighteen
fifteen eighteen fifty five, Panama saw the construction of a
trans isthmus railroad, and this massive project was followed by
(15:30):
two phases of canal constructure, the first by the French
between eighteen eighteen and eighteen ninety five and the second
by the US from nineteen oh forty nineteen fourteen. These
projects brought tens of thousands of workers from Europe, Asia
and the Caribbean. Effe actually turned in Panama into her
melting part of laborers who brought their skills, their culture,
and their ideas. Bijian workers, for example, that is people
(15:52):
from Barberos. If I recall correctly, there was a time
in Barberos' history where it was some massive number.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
I was sure if it was like a full quarter
of the.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Country's income was just coming from remittances from people who
had had family members sending their money from the canal
project back home. And it's not just the Cribbean that
was impacted obviously, as workers from Europe and Asia also
part of this project. And it's the workers from Europe
and particularly Spain that brought many of the ideas of
(16:23):
class consciousness and anarchist cynicalism that had been brewin in
that region of the world. And such ideas were of
course solely needed in the horrific working conditions of death
and disease that marked the Panama Canal construction project. Workers
organized some successful strikes in both the French phase and
the American phase of construction, both before and after Panama
gain its independence from Colombia nineteen oh three, but it
(16:45):
was just before the transition to American control of a
canal construction that Panama officially banned anarchists from entering the country.
For the anarchists that were left well when the Americans
took over the canal, Governor of the Canal So in general,
George W. Davis actively suppressed the anarchist workers that remained.
In nineteen oh seven or whatever, despite that repression, two
(17:05):
thousand Spanish workers went on strike for better wages. In
nineteen twenty four, a prodominently anarchist syndicalist group founded the
Sindicato Heneralist Rabbaha Daughters, which was Panama's first central workers union.
It grew to thousands of members and brought together a
mix of ideologies anarchists and Marxists alike, even those who
would later found the Communist Party and the Socialist Party
(17:27):
of Panama in nineteen thirty. But on such a small
sliver of land were so many people mixed in there
there was bound to be a vibrant mix of ideas.
And not all of the anarchists in Panama were of
the syndicalist flair. Believe it or not, they were actually
workers within Panama who aligned themselves with Max Stunner's philosophy.
It had egoists and anarchist egoism. Interesting in Panama, Yeah, exactly.
(17:50):
This blew my mind as well. You know, they don't
expect to see them in such contexts.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Were they reading Sterner in Panama?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
I'm not sure if they were reading Sterner, I'm assuming so,
because otherwise how would they have come to identify with
his philosophy. But they did launch a paper called Eluniko
in nineteen eleven.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
That's what I was wondering is if instead of like
widely Distributing's actual books, like, was there like some like
Sterner influence like newspaper that people were running.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Yeah, yeah, because like that makes sense exactly exactly. So
I assuming some of the people either would have read
Sterner abroad or they brought still the Inn, and they
were obviously inspired by it, and they were skeptical of
this sort of mass movement syncho those popular at the time.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Sure many people are.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
They were questioning its effectiveness as a strategy for anarchy.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Yeah, and so.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
If they were focused primarily on organizing sort of smaller
affiarency groups, yep. And one of those groups ended up
launching that paper e Lunico to spread the ideas and
obviously called itself an individualist publication.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
That's so funny, that's so emblematic of where we still
are with an archism. Oh that's good, that's good.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah. I to think that this kind of diversity of
thoughts and strategy is really really beautiful, and I'm glad
to see it in the most unconventional and surprise enough contexts.
It's why I consider myself an anarchist without adjectives, you.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
Know, I really absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I think we benefit greatly from conversation between these traditions
and between these strategies, and so seeing that there were
more than one form of anarchism in such a small context,
it's really quite inspiring.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Yeah, I am with you there.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
By the way, for those listeners who may not be
familiar with the anarchist egoist tradition, I know that we're
ego and egoism.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Might conjure up some psychoanalytical Freudian Yeah, it might bring
some some some sort of feelings about capitalistic individualism or
like extreme selfishness and that kind of thing, kind of
like screw everybody except me.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
But it's actually a much deeper philosophical bent to anarchist
egoism than I think everyone or you should give a chance.
I actually recently read what is considered the first manifesto
of anarchism, and it was written by this French anarchist
named Anseel and Bella Garide, and he was actually an
individualist anarchist, and you're actually, in reading that end up
(20:15):
seeing a lot of the influences that would later sort
of develop further into anarchist individualism from the very beginning,
you know, I highly recommend reading it. It's called Anarchy
a Journal of Order. It's available on the Anarchist Library.
It's a surprisingly contemporary piece in my opinion. It was
translated by Sean Wilbows, another anarchist scholar who I'm really
(20:39):
inspired by lately, and it really gets into some of
the ideas that I think we've forgotten in terms of
what it takes to achieve the complete liberation of all people.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
So that's Anarchy a Journal of Order.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
Yeah, Anarchy a Journal of Order.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
He ended up not publishing more than two suits due
to low readership, but that's what happens, I think when
you have any such cases, many such cases, many such cases.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah, I will pull that up on the Anarchist Library
and give that a raid myself.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Yeah, it happens when you're ahead of the times in
a sense, and he actually ends up becoming at least
partially relevant to the next episode I'm going to do
on the Latin American Anarchism series, because he ends up
making his way to Latin America at one point in
his life. In fact, he dies in Latin America, but
we'll get to that in time. Finally returned to Venezuela
(21:44):
as late nineteenth century refugees from the field of Paris
Commune arrived in Caracas, bringing with them the radical spirit
of the International working Men's Association. From a few of
these immigrants, small anarchist cells emerged, but they were stifled
by the brutal dictatorship of Juan Vincente Gomez from eighteen
ninety nine to nineteen thirty five.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
So few in number.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
The anarchist immigrant efforts to form mutual societies, organized strikes,
and spread propaganda gained them a notoriety that put a
massive bullseye on them. For Gomez's persecution, he had a
mister Oppression. A few sparks of anarchism did survive in
the cultural fabric. Writers like Migueli Guardo Parlo portrayed anarchists
as spiritual revolutionaries, lacking them to saints. Sounds familiar, does
(22:32):
sound very familiar, yes, if you know, back in the
days of Saint Andrew's There You Go. But his novel
Toto and Pueblo described anarchists as apostles of justice, which
is a really fire title, I must say, as they
carried the flame of liberty into the streets.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
But it wasn't all pros.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
The early twentieth century also saw a spike in industrial strikes.
In nineteen eighteen, for example, of it all strike involving
transit workers included at least one known Italian anarchist named
Vincenzo Kusati. Although defeated, the strike left to mark in
the country's consciousness. Inspired by such as Strive for Freedom,
workers united through various mutual aid societies which they were
(23:14):
disguised as religious skills, the anarchist influence quietly spread among bakers, bricklayers,
and oil workers. Truly, it was the oil boom of
the nineteen twenties that reshieved Venezuelan society, and of course
continues to affect it today. While anarchistiniclust maintained underground networks
in the grown oil sector, state and corporate power proved
to be too much by the mid twentieth century. After
(23:38):
the fall of Gomez's regime, the rise of political parties
like Accion Democratica cooperted many of the workers who might
have otherwise embraced anarchist syndicalism and anarchist ideals became increasingly marginalized,
eclipsed by party politics and steed repression between nineteen thirty
six to nineteen forty five. In fact, anarchist repression also
gained a constitutional footing in the form of the Lara Law,
(24:00):
which band strikes, associations meeting through a permission from the state,
political propaganda, and basically all the.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
Usual digatorial stuff.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
After the Spanish Civil War and the rise of Franco
more Spanish anarchist immigrants came to Venezuela. You see, I
said they would be relevant, Yes, yes, but they didn't
end up impacting Venezuela so much.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
As immigrants.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
They ended up creating a mostly self contained scene. Pararly
through the founding of the Federacion Obrera Riqunal Venezuelana in
nineteen fifty eight, which was affiliated to the International Workers Association,
but as I said, didn't make to much of a
splash in the port of Venezuelan population. They mostly affected
other Spanish immigrants. So ANARCHISTKNOV developed into an explicitly mass
(24:46):
movement to Venezuela, but elements of it did persist, and
the unield in pursuit of freedom were still felt even
in the harshest of conditions. To looking today at the
countries that composed the former Grand Columbia, I would argue
that this spark of anarchism still hasn't died. You know,
ecuador uprisings continue to challenge distractive economies and demand autonomous
(25:08):
control over rendigous territories as some anarchist collectives are active
in solidarity, providing logistical support during protests and pushing horizontal
forms of organizing in the broader social struggle. After the
twenty twenty one national strike in Colombia, some anarchist practices
have begun to infuse movements against police brutality, privatization, and
austerity measures. Mutual aid networks have all same emerged inspired
(25:30):
by anarchist practice to support the community's hit hardest by
economic crises. In Panama, anarchism exists on the fringes, but
it has the potential to provide inspiration to those who
are actively confronting the liberal policies, advocating for workers' rights,
and engaging in anti corporate actions. Finally, in Venezuela, economic
(25:51):
collapse and authoritarianism of created space for anarchist ideals to
spread through grassroots initiatives. Neutral aid and self organized community
groups have stepped in. The state has failed across these countries,
and gas ideas still have potency. And really, my hope
is at these places continue to explore the creativity and
(26:13):
solidarity that are necessary for liberation, that they continue to
struggle and they go through this still you know Viva
I labored that, or power.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
All the people Peace.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
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Colz Media.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hello, and welcome to ACRAP and here. I'm Andrew Sage.
I run Andrews on YouTube and I'm here with the voice.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Of Garrison Davis.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Hello, Hello, Hello, and today we're going to continue our
journey through Latin American anarchisms and their histories with a
sort of a fourth for one.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Special exciting, exciting, very exciting.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
We talked about Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Cuba
sofa as well as the Mapouch struggle in Chile and Argentina.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
And now was the time to explore what's going.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
On at the top of the South American continent, the
territory of the former Grand Colombia, and that is the
territories of Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Venezuela.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
But if this is the first.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Time you're hearing about Grand Columbia, let me give a
quick and a brief historical context. Rundown Grand Columbia was
a short lived political entity that emerged in the early
nineteenth century during Latin America's struggle for independence from Spanish
colonial route. It was formed in eighteen nineteen and it
encompassed the territories, like I said, of present day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador,
(01:15):
and Panama, as well as some parts of northern Peru,
western Guyana, and northwestern Brazil. The republic was envisioned by
Simon Bolivar, who are dreamt of uniting the former Spanish
colonies into.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
A powerful federation.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
They'll be able to resist foreign intervention and secure their independence.
The Congress of Angostura declared the creation of Grand Columbia
with Bolivar as its first president. The public was a
centralized state with a strong executive branch, so unsurprisingly, tension
soon arose among the constituent regions due to their differences
(01:51):
in political vision, economic interests, and regional identities. Centralized governance
had alienated local elites and over federalism us centralism deepened
existing divisions. Plus Bolivar's increasingly autocratic rule I mean he
literally tried to push for a lifetime presidency obviously sparked
(02:12):
internal opposition, so Grand Columbia was facing external threats from
Spanish royalist forces and internal fractures. By eighteen thirty, Bolivard
had to resign from the presidency, disillusioned by the failure
of his vision, and the same year Grand Columbia dissolved
into three separate nations, Venezuela, Ecuador, and the Republic of
(02:33):
New Grenada, which later on split into Columbia and Panama.
Unlike the other countries of South America that we've covered,
these countries had far less large scale anarchist movements, but
will still take a look at what little impact anarchists
did make in the past two centuries in these places.
This whole series, by the wouldn't be possible of the
(02:53):
scholarship of Anhill Capelletti, whose research I drew upon heavily
for this historical review. I suggest reading his book Anarchism
in Latin America for further details. Let's first take a
look at the history in Ecuador at the turn of
the twentieth century. Ecuador was ruined from a liberal revolution
that had just taken place in the country. The country
(03:14):
was shifting as industrialization creeped in. The bourgeoisie were on
the rise, and feuderal landowners were losing their grip on power.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
A new secular cultural.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Wave was also beginning to take shape as the clerical
authorities began to lose their power. The workers naturally needed
a voice in this process, and they found it first
with the rise of the Partiro Liberal Obrero was the
Liberal Workers Party in nineteen oh six. Around the same time,
on New Year's Eve of nineteen oh five, the Confederacire
Delacuador was founded in Guayaquil, a city there would become
(03:47):
a hub for worker activity. Both organizations shared a vision
rooted in social reform and work empowerment. It was also
around this time that the Cuban anarchist Miguel Albuquerque made
a name for himself in Ecquador. Originally, he had come
seeking assistance with Cuba's independent struggle, but eventually found himself
playing a key role in Ecuador's labor movement. He established
(04:09):
the side that the e host deale Trabajo or the
Society the Sons of Labor, and other anarchist groups would
also begin forming, contributing to the struggles taking place at
the time. The first recorded strikes with anarchist influence took
place in nineteen nineteen, where workers in the graphic arts
industry organized the demand back conditions. By nineteen twenty two,
(04:30):
Guyaquil was the epicenter of a massive general strike, shaped
in part by the anarchist Nicolists, who were obviously right
in the thick of it. The strike was driven by
dissatisfaction among the workers, particularly among the city's urban laborers
and dark workers, who were facing really poor wages, long hours,
and deteriorating living conditions talors all this time. The strike
(04:53):
culminated in a violent crackdown by government forces, also a
tales all this time, with estimates suggesting that one hundred
words of workers we killed when the military surpressed the revolts.
Most workers returned to their jobs after that, but the
trolley workers continued their strike until the twenty first of November,
when most of their demands were met.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
How much like crossover was there between like revolutionaries or
like you know, workers rights people or anarchists in Cuba
and places like this, because I assume there was like
a lot more like growing sentiment in Cuba based on
how that whole situation turned out in the next like
twenty thirty years, and I feel like there would be
(05:33):
a decent, like a decent number of cross or at
least like some travel between some of these other like
nearby places for.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Sure, because Cuba has been gained independence much in theater
than the rest of its last America neighbors, places like
Mexico and Central America and Grantit, Columbia and the rest
of South America. They all gained the independence, and Cuba
was still under the Spanish Thumb and their remain under
the Spanish thtumb until they ended up having to struggle
(06:00):
with the Americans as well and eventually to gain their
win independence. I mean, it's all one one big pond.
I like to see the Caribbean Sea. So there would
have been a lot of transfer and communication between these
independent Latin America and republics and Cuba, which was still
at the time of colony.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
That was really interesting to see.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
What when you know, these Cuban characters sort of show
up in other parts and then I've stirring up some trouble.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Totally well, and it shows just how like popular the
nineteen twenties were kind of like everywhere, Like yeah, whether
looking at like labor movement in the United States or
like everything that you've been talking about these last few
episodes about Latin American anarchism. Like always in like the
nineteen twenties, there was always just like crazy shit going
down consistently for sure.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Unfortunately, nineteen twenties is also the time of a lot
of decline for a lot of the anarchists movements because
nineteen twenties follows, you know, the rise of the USSR,
and a lot of people ended up abandoned in anarchism
and following that sort of popularity at the time.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Well, and similarly, once we start getting into like the
early thirties, I remember in the last few episodes that
you've done, you see the resurgence of like right wing populism,
like really hard.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yes, we tend to see a lot of resurgences.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
And like all this like revolutionary potential that's been growing
the past few decades all gets like co opted or
channeled into like right wing nationalism and right wing populism,
and like that's a whole whole other pivot that happens,
not just the more like you know, communism's statust one.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
In like the twenties, do see a resurgeons. We do
see a resurgions in the writing populism. Yes, we also
see a resurgions in the anarchist politics. Remember the thirties
was also the time of the Spanish Civil War, sure,
and so in that time you had the anarchists picking
up steam again and you also had fallen that Civil War,
a lot of the anarchists from Spain spread out into
(07:55):
a lot of the former colonies in lastin America.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I think part of that rebirn is just because of
how tied anarchism and anti fascism is.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
I think inadvertently, the rise of fascism, they actually give
birth to the rise of more anarchists as people get
involved in anti fascism because of these things are so like,
you know, sister movements in many ways. I think that
may be a contributing factor. That's certainly how I kind
of got into this sort of stuff was through anti fascism,
and and I suspect that that may have also been
(08:27):
the case even one hundred years ago.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
For sure, I think every story needs a good villain, unfortunately,
and this is the story of anarchism. I mean, the
fascists tend to make really, really impactful antagonists.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
I think.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Indeed, at the same time, we also had an ecuador
as to how these strikes going on oldiny anarchists doing
you know that thing that anarchists like to do, which
is a study group.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Many such cases.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Many such cases, many such cases. But I mean it
is an important aspect of struggles. That's sort of consciousness raison.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So these anarchists, in particular in Guyaquille, they founded these
Centro their Studio Socialists, which was a libertarian study.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
Group in Guayaquille, and then a.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Decade later, in nineteen twenty the anarchists also established a
Centro Gremial Sindicalista or the Synicalist Guild Center, which had
a mission to an end liberate all the oppressed of
the earth by bringing them into a libertarian syndicate that
will replace the present system and opposing all political and
religious doctrines as destructive and prejudicial to the rights and
(09:44):
aspiration of workers endcode. As in the rest of the region,
their publications played a key role in spreading the ideas
again early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, the anarchists were
making papers.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Yeah, use people's newspapers. Newspapers.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I mean it is a bit of a blueprint for
what anarchism continues to be in many ways, even with
like the rise of destroyism in the in the past
past decade or so, in like popular anarchism, less newspapers,
more more zines being held together by possibly one or
fewer stables.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
And I like to think that I also continue that
tradition and you and I as well by creating this
kind of totally what do you and visual content.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
I am a zine enjoyer, I have I have many zines,
but we also have to evolve with the times in
some ways. Not everyone's going to be reading newspapers, not
everyone's going to be reading booklets. Unfortunately, as much as
I encourage people to do so, I do think there
is value in attacking the information ecosystem that people more
more often use. That includes you know, podcasts, that includes
(10:54):
your fantastic videos on YouTube. Thank you, thank you, and yeah,
I agree for sure, for sure.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
But they didn't have things like like YouTube or the
interidet at the time. Instead, they had, at least in Ecuador,
their newspapers like El Proletario and El Cacajuerro and Bandera Roja,
which were carrying these syndicalists anarchismiclist ideas to the workers
across Ecuador. They also the first truly anarchist papers that
hit the country were Rendencion and Lose the Axion in
(11:27):
nineteen twenty two, nineteen twenty nine, respectfully. But as we
were anticipating in the nineteen thirties brought some challenges. Marxist
Lennis Thought began to dominate leftist circles, and figures like
Jose Carlos mariette Gui and his General Amota ended up
wielding significant influence in the worker's struggles, and by the
(11:47):
end of the decade, anarchist groups found themselves vastly overshadowed
as Marcus Lenists consolidated power through unified political parties. But
despite these shifts, anarchism and Acuador was really never entirely extinguished.
It actually continues to influence workers organizations like the Ferracio
and La guayas well into modern times. But now let's
(12:09):
make our way north to Columbia as a similar story
and foolds of anarchism taken route in hearly twentieth century.
And this is actually a fun factor because both Eli's
Recluse and Mikhail Bercunan visited Columbia recluses there for research purposes,
and Bercunan wasn't an anarchist at the time, so they
didn't directly contribute to the anarchist movement as far as
(12:31):
we know, in the country. By the nineteen tents, anarchist
ideas were definitely spreading finding a home among students, artists,
writers and workers. And this wasn't just idle philosophizing. They
also got to work building workers societies and organizing mass
actions at the May fifteenth demonstration in nineteen sixteen, which
(12:52):
of course met with brutal police repression. From there, the
movement came momentum. In nineteen twenty, port workers in Katahina
went on strike and by the following decade and I
guess we're the forefront of workers militancy all across the
Caribbean coast, which was more connected to global struggles. In
the rest of Columbia, I was thus a hotbed of
organizing unrest. If you know the geography of Columbia, you'd
(13:15):
know that there's a lot of jungle and mountainous region
near the middle of the country. There's the coast where
you tend to have more of the activity and connection
with the neighboring countries and the Cribbean Sea. Fir the
fact there's actually a lot of people in the English
speaking Caribbean aren't aware of the fact that there are
people in the Spanish speaking Caribbean who consider, you know,
coastal Columbia and coastal Venezuela to be part of the Caribbean,
(13:39):
but as like the sort of niche discourse which you
get an r slash ass Caribbean. The few anarchists wu
present in Colombia were part of nearly every major uprising,
including the Baranquila Strike of nineteen ten, the labor wave
that swept Baranquila and Santimurar year nineteen eighteen, the first
strike against the notorious le bloody United Food Company in
(14:01):
nineteen eighteen, the hero Dot Railroad strike and the Artisans
and Labor strike in Bogota nineteen nineteen. The oil strikes
in Baron Kabirmeha during the nineteen twenties, including one against
the Tropical Oil Company nineteen twenty seven, which cost twelve
hundred workers their jobs and painted the targets on the
backs of the organizers because how dare you mess with oil?
(14:24):
And then finally there was the famous Santa Maria Banana
strike of nineteen twenty eight, where workers demanded fair wages
and better treatment, and the government responded at the behest
of the United Fruit Company by claiming hundreds of lives
after the massacre. The anarchist movement in Columbia was heavily repressed,
and because of how small it was, it didn't quite
(14:45):
pick back up. As historian Max that Lao noted, publications
like Organization in Santa Marta and Via Libre and Baranquilla
disappeared at late nineteen twenties. This crackdown on anarchists, coupled
with the rise and influence of Bolsheviki unions, shifted the landscape,
and by the nineteen thirties anarchist organizing was all but
(15:06):
silenced in Columbia. But it's a part of Columbia that
we're missing. She At one point Panama was considered part
of the country, So there must have been stuff happening
on that little sliver of land, right. It'd be surprised
if we rewind to the mid nineteenth century. Between eighteen
fifteen eighteen fifty five, Panama saw the construction of a
trans isthmus railroad, and this massive project was followed by
(15:30):
two phases of canal constructure, the first by the French
between eighteen eighteen and eighteen ninety five and the second
by the US from nineteen oh forty nineteen fourteen. These
projects brought tens of thousands of workers from Europe, Asia
and the Caribbean. Effe actually turned in Panama into her
melting part of laborers who brought their skills, their culture,
and their ideas. Bijian workers, for example, that is people
(15:52):
from Barberos. If I recall correctly, there was a time
in Barberos' history where it was some massive number.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
I was sure if it was like a full quarter
of the.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Country's income was just coming from remittances from people who
had had family members sending their money from the canal
project back home. And it's not just the Cribbean that
was impacted obviously, as workers from Europe and Asia also
part of this project. And it's the workers from Europe
and particularly Spain that brought many of the ideas of
(16:23):
class consciousness and anarchist cynicalism that had been brewin in
that region of the world. And such ideas were of
course solely needed in the horrific working conditions of death
and disease that marked the Panama Canal construction project. Workers
organized some successful strikes in both the French phase and
the American phase of construction, both before and after Panama
gain its independence from Colombia nineteen oh three, but it
(16:45):
was just before the transition to American control of a
canal construction that Panama officially banned anarchists from entering the country.
For the anarchists that were left well when the Americans
took over the canal, Governor of the Canal So in general,
George W. Davis actively suppressed the anarchist workers that remained.
In nineteen oh seven or whatever, despite that repression, two
(17:05):
thousand Spanish workers went on strike for better wages. In
nineteen twenty four, a prodominently anarchist syndicalist group founded the
Sindicato Heneralist Rabbaha Daughters, which was Panama's first central workers union.
It grew to thousands of members and brought together a
mix of ideologies anarchists and Marxists alike, even those who
would later found the Communist Party and the Socialist Party
(17:27):
of Panama in nineteen thirty. But on such a small
sliver of land were so many people mixed in there
there was bound to be a vibrant mix of ideas.
And not all of the anarchists in Panama were of
the syndicalist flair. Believe it or not, they were actually
workers within Panama who aligned themselves with Max Stunner's philosophy.
It had egoists and anarchist egoism. Interesting in Panama, Yeah, exactly.
(17:50):
This blew my mind as well. You know, they don't
expect to see them in such contexts.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Were they reading Sterner in Panama?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
I'm not sure if they were reading Sterner, I'm assuming so,
because otherwise how would they have come to identify with
his philosophy. But they did launch a paper called Eluniko
in nineteen eleven.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
That's what I was wondering is if instead of like
widely Distributing's actual books, like, was there like some like
Sterner influence like newspaper that people were running.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Yeah, yeah, because like that makes sense exactly exactly. So
I assuming some of the people either would have read
Sterner abroad or they brought still the Inn, and they
were obviously inspired by it, and they were skeptical of
this sort of mass movement syncho those popular at the time.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Sure many people are.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
They were questioning its effectiveness as a strategy for anarchy.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Yeah, and so.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
If they were focused primarily on organizing sort of smaller
affiarency groups, yep. And one of those groups ended up
launching that paper e Lunico to spread the ideas and
obviously called itself an individualist publication.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
That's so funny, that's so emblematic of where we still
are with an archism. Oh that's good, that's good.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah. I to think that this kind of diversity of
thoughts and strategy is really really beautiful, and I'm glad
to see it in the most unconventional and surprise enough contexts.
It's why I consider myself an anarchist without adjectives, you.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
Know, I really absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I think we benefit greatly from conversation between these traditions
and between these strategies, and so seeing that there were
more than one form of anarchism in such a small context,
it's really quite inspiring.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Yeah, I am with you there.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
By the way, for those listeners who may not be
familiar with the anarchist egoist tradition, I know that we're
ego and egoism.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Might conjure up some psychoanalytical Freudian Yeah, it might bring
some some some sort of feelings about capitalistic individualism or
like extreme selfishness and that kind of thing, kind of
like screw everybody except me.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
But it's actually a much deeper philosophical bent to anarchist
egoism than I think everyone or you should give a chance.
I actually recently read what is considered the first manifesto
of anarchism, and it was written by this French anarchist
named Anseel and Bella Garide, and he was actually an
individualist anarchist, and you're actually, in reading that end up
(20:15):
seeing a lot of the influences that would later sort
of develop further into anarchist individualism from the very beginning,
you know, I highly recommend reading it. It's called Anarchy
a Journal of Order. It's available on the Anarchist Library.
It's a surprisingly contemporary piece in my opinion. It was
translated by Sean Wilbows, another anarchist scholar who I'm really
(20:39):
inspired by lately, and it really gets into some of
the ideas that I think we've forgotten in terms of
what it takes to achieve the complete liberation of all people.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
So that's Anarchy a Journal of Order.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
Yeah, Anarchy a Journal of Order.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
He ended up not publishing more than two suits due
to low readership, but that's what happens, I think when
you have any such cases, many such cases, many such cases.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah, I will pull that up on the Anarchist Library
and give that a raid myself.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Yeah, it happens when you're ahead of the times in
a sense, and he actually ends up becoming at least
partially relevant to the next episode I'm going to do
on the Latin American Anarchism series, because he ends up
making his way to Latin America at one point in
his life. In fact, he dies in Latin America, but
we'll get to that in time. Finally returned to Venezuela
(21:44):
as late nineteenth century refugees from the field of Paris
Commune arrived in Caracas, bringing with them the radical spirit
of the International working Men's Association. From a few of
these immigrants, small anarchist cells emerged, but they were stifled
by the brutal dictatorship of Juan Vincente Gomez from eighteen
ninety nine to nineteen thirty five.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
So few in number.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
The anarchist immigrant efforts to form mutual societies, organized strikes,
and spread propaganda gained them a notoriety that put a
massive bullseye on them. For Gomez's persecution, he had a
mister Oppression. A few sparks of anarchism did survive in
the cultural fabric. Writers like Migueli Guardo Parlo portrayed anarchists
as spiritual revolutionaries, lacking them to saints. Sounds familiar, does
(22:32):
sound very familiar, yes, if you know, back in the
days of Saint Andrew's There You Go. But his novel
Toto and Pueblo described anarchists as apostles of justice, which
is a really fire title, I must say, as they
carried the flame of liberty into the streets.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
But it wasn't all pros.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
The early twentieth century also saw a spike in industrial strikes.
In nineteen eighteen, for example, of it all strike involving
transit workers included at least one known Italian anarchist named
Vincenzo Kusati. Although defeated, the strike left to mark in
the country's consciousness. Inspired by such as Strive for Freedom,
workers united through various mutual aid societies which they were
(23:14):
disguised as religious skills, the anarchist influence quietly spread among bakers, bricklayers,
and oil workers. Truly, it was the oil boom of
the nineteen twenties that reshieved Venezuelan society, and of course
continues to affect it today. While anarchistiniclust maintained underground networks
in the grown oil sector, state and corporate power proved
to be too much by the mid twentieth century. After
(23:38):
the fall of Gomez's regime, the rise of political parties
like Accion Democratica cooperted many of the workers who might
have otherwise embraced anarchist syndicalism and anarchist ideals became increasingly marginalized,
eclipsed by party politics and steed repression between nineteen thirty
six to nineteen forty five. In fact, anarchist repression also
gained a constitutional footing in the form of the Lara Law,
(24:00):
which band strikes, associations meeting through a permission from the state,
political propaganda, and basically all the.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
Usual digatorial stuff.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
After the Spanish Civil War and the rise of Franco
more Spanish anarchist immigrants came to Venezuela. You see, I
said they would be relevant, Yes, yes, but they didn't
end up impacting Venezuela so much.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
As immigrants.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
They ended up creating a mostly self contained scene. Pararly
through the founding of the Federacion Obrera Riqunal Venezuelana in
nineteen fifty eight, which was affiliated to the International Workers Association,
but as I said, didn't make to much of a
splash in the port of Venezuelan population. They mostly affected
other Spanish immigrants. So ANARCHISTKNOV developed into an explicitly mass
(24:46):
movement to Venezuela, but elements of it did persist, and
the unield in pursuit of freedom were still felt even
in the harshest of conditions. To looking today at the
countries that composed the former Grand Columbia, I would argue
that this spark of anarchism still hasn't died. You know,
ecuador uprisings continue to challenge distractive economies and demand autonomous
(25:08):
control over rendigous territories as some anarchist collectives are active
in solidarity, providing logistical support during protests and pushing horizontal
forms of organizing in the broader social struggle. After the
twenty twenty one national strike in Colombia, some anarchist practices
have begun to infuse movements against police brutality, privatization, and
austerity measures. Mutual aid networks have all same emerged inspired
(25:30):
by anarchist practice to support the community's hit hardest by
economic crises. In Panama, anarchism exists on the fringes, but
it has the potential to provide inspiration to those who
are actively confronting the liberal policies, advocating for workers' rights,
and engaging in anti corporate actions. Finally, in Venezuela, economic
(25:51):
collapse and authoritarianism of created space for anarchist ideals to
spread through grassroots initiatives. Neutral aid and self organized community
groups have stepped in. The state has failed across these countries,
and gas ideas still have potency. And really, my hope
is at these places continue to explore the creativity and
(26:13):
solidarity that are necessary for liberation, that they continue to
struggle and they go through this still you know Viva
I labored that, or power.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
All the people Peace.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
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