Falangism in Latin America has been a feature of political life since the 1930s as movements looked to the national syndicalist clerical fascism of the

Spanish state Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spani ...

and sought to apply it to other Spanish-speaking countries. From the mid-1930s, the Falange Exterior, effectively an overseas version of the

Spanish Falange The Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista (FET y de las JONS; ), frequently shortened to just "FET", was the sole legal party of the Francoist regime in Spain. It was created by General Francisco F ...

, was active throughout Latin America in order to drum up support among Hispanic communities. However, the ideas would soon permeate into indigenous political groups. The term "Falangism" should not be applied to the

military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...

s of such figures as Alfredo Stroessner, Augusto Pinochet and

Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( , ; 24 October 189130 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (, "The Chief" or "The Boss"), was a Dominican dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He ser ...

because while these individuals often enjoyed close relations to

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

's Spain, their military nature and frequent lack of commitment to national syndicalism and the corporate state mean that they should not be classed as Falangist (although individuals within each regime may have been predisposed towards the ideology). The phenomenon can be seen in a number of movements both past and present. The popularity of Falangism in Latin America declined after the defeat of Fascism and the Axis powers in World War II.

Argentina

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...

built his power base on his alliance with trade unions in Argentina, many of whom supported syndicalism whilst his government would go on to maintain links with Franco. However, Falangism in the country was largely ill at ease with

Peronism Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of Ar ...

until the emergence of the

Tacuara Nationalist Movement The ''Movimiento Nacionalista Tacuara'' (MNT, Tacuara Nationalist Movement) was an Argentine far right fascist movement from 1955 through the 1960s, and in the years (at least) 1960–66, as Neo Nazis,José Antonio Primo de Rivera for its inspiration and was also inspired by the works of

Julio Meinvielle Father Julio Meinvielle (31 August 1905 – 2 August 1973) was an Argentine priest and prolific writer. A leading Roman Catholic Church thinker of his time, he was associated with the far right tendency within Argentine Catholic thinking. As a po ...

, himself a strong admirer of Falangism. Elsewhere, both

Manuel Gálvez Manuel Gálvez (18 July 1882 – 14 November 1962) was an Argentine novelist, poet, essayist, historian and biographer. Early years Gálvez, a member of one of the leading patrician families of Entre Ríos Province, was educated by the Jesuits bef ...

and Juan Carulla endorsed " hispanidad" and in doing so expressed strong admiration for Falangism, especially Carulla.

Bolivia

Formed in 1937, the

Bolivian Socialist Falange The Bolivian Socialist Falange ( es, Falange Socialista Boliviana) is a Bolivian political party established in 1937. It is a far-rightJohn, S (2006) ''Permanent Revolution on the Altiplano: Bolivian Trotskyism, 1928-2005'', p. 445 party drawing ...

(''Falange Socialista Boliviana'' or FSB) of

Óscar Únzaga Óscar Únzaga de la Vega (19 April 1916 – 19 April 1959) was a Bolivian political figure and rebel. Most significantly, he founded the Bolivian Socialist Falange (FSB) movement in 1937, and ran for President in the 1956 elections, when his ...

gained a strong following amongst former landowners by offering a platform strongly influenced by Franco and

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

. The FSB became effective opposition to the

Revolutionary Nationalist Movement The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement ( es, Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario , MNR) is a centre-right conservative political party in Bolivia and was the leading force behind the Bolivian National Revolution from 1952 to 1964. It influen ...

government although their fortunes would later decline and they were ultimately absorbed into the

Nationalist Democratic Action Nationalist Democratic Action ( es, Acción Democrática Nacionalista) is a right-wing political party in Bolivia led by Óscar Daza Márquez. ADN was founded on March 23, 1979 by the military dictator Hugo Banzer after he stepped down from powe ...

. A breakaway group known as the ''Movimiento al Socialismo – Unzaguista'' emerged in 1987 under David Añez Pedraza. Representing a more left-wing take on Bolivian Falangism, it became moribund before the title, rather than ideology, was effectively appropriated by Evo Morales in 1999 to form the basis of his leftist

Movement for Socialism The Movement for Socialism–Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples ( es, Movimiento al Socialismo–Instrumento Político por la Soberanía de los Pueblos, abbreviated MAS-IPSP, or simply MAS, punning on ''más'', Spanish for ...

.History of Bolivian Falangism
/ref> A revivalist group, ''Frente Socialista de Naciones Bolivianas'', was formed by Horacio Poppe in 2000 and they have since emerged as the ''Falange Neounzaguista'', otherwise known as the "Whiteshirts". Taking their name from Óscar Únzaga, they have led a recruitment drive in Bolivian universities, although they remain a minor force.

Chile

In 1935, a group of younger social Christians split from the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

to form the ''Falange Nacional''. Despite its name, this group was largely made up of

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

and reformist Catholics and bore little resemblance to Spanish Falangism. In its early years, it imitated elements of fascist movements with some of its members wearing uniforms and undergoing paramilitary training. With its progressive economic program (creating an alternative to capitalism, "redeeming" the proletariat), it was in open conflict with the Catholic high clergy who accused it of disrespecting the Church's leadership and siding with communists. Despite its aim to be a centrist alternative to the

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

and the right and relatively great public attention, it never received more than 4 percent of the votes. Later, it supported the leftist administration of

Juan Antonio Ríos Juan Antonio Ríos Morales (; November 10, 1888 – June 27, 1946) was a Chilean political figure who served as president of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office. Early life Ríos was born at the ''Hu ...

(1942–1946) and in 1957 was one of the founding groups of the Christian Democrat Party of Chile. One of its former members, Eduardo Frei Montalva, became President of Chile in 1964. Other notable members include

Radomiro Tomic Radomiro Tomic Romero (7 May 1914 – 3 January 1992) was a Chilean politician of Croatian origin. He was one of the most prominent leaders of that country's Christian Democratic Party. Born in Calama, Tomic received his law degree from the Un ...

and Bernardo Leighton. A more avowedly Falangist group, ''Movimiento Revolucionario Nacional Sindicalista'' (Revolutionary National Syndicalist Movement), would appear in 1952, although it did not achieve the influence of the ''Falange Nacional''. The name has proven durable however as it still organised into the 21st century, albeit on a very minor level. They also organise a youth movement, ''Guardia Revolucionaria Nacionalsindicalista''.

Colombia

During the 1930s, future President of Colombia Laureano Gómez became an enthusiastic supporter of Falangism, although this fervour had died down somewhat by the time he took power in 1950. Nevertheless, a Falangist group was active in the country during the 1940s. A current group exists, the ''Falange Nacional Patriótica de Colombia'', which claims to be active in the

National University of Colombia The National University of Colombia () is a national public research university in Colombia, with general campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, and satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés, Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, Ces ...

. Recently, they changed their name to ''Frente Obrero Social Patriota''.List of movements
(archived version)

Costa Rica

President of Costa Rica Teodoro Picado Michalski, who governed between 1944 and 1948, was an admirer of Falangism and Somocismo, and even defended

in the United Nations. However, even after the end of the Second World War, the National Delegation of the Falangist Foreign Service recounted Costa Rica as one of the Hispanic countries where there was still an active circle of Falangists. Likewise, Falangist literature was published in Costa Rica between 1937 and 1946 in newspapers like ''El Nacionalista'' and ''La gloria de España'', while two hours a week of propaganda were broadcast in Costa Rica on the radio programs ''La España y el Mundo''.

Cuba

A minor Cuban Falangist movement existed from 1936 to 1940 under Antonio Avendaño and Alfonso Serrano Vilariño. This group was effectively ended by a law which barred political groups from making specific reference to the policies of foreign groups. Although the government of Fulgencio Batista maintained good relations with Franco, it was not Falangist and the only real manifestation of Falangism since 1940 was with the minuscule (and probably defunct) ''La Falange Cubana''.

Ecuador

A group known as the ''Alianza Revolucionaria Nacionalista Ecuatoriana'' appeared in 1948, drawing its influences directly from Falangism and synarchism. Under Jorge Luna, they recruited followers from the young upper middle classes and adopted a platform of Christianity, nationalism and anti-communism. However, the group ultimately became more of a street fighting army in support of President José María Velasco Ibarra rather than a political party. A fringe tendency towards Falangism continues in the ''Falange Nacional Garciana Ecuatoriana'', said to be a newly formed group.

El Salvador

Under the regime of

Arturo Armando Molina Colonel Arturo Armando Molina Barraza (6 August 1927 – 18 July 2021) was a Salvadoran politician and military officer, who served as President of El Salvador from 1972 to 1977. He was born in San Salvador. He served between 1 July 1972 and 1 ...

, left-wing anti-government guerrilla activity became such a feature of Salvadoran life that government agencies began to fund far-right paramilitaries and death squads to oppose the leftists. One of the first of these was the ''Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional – Guerra de Exterminacion'', better known by the acronym FALANGE, set up in 1975 with the stated aim of exterminating "all communists and their collaborators". Carrying out 38 murders in one week in October 1975 alone, the group changed its name to the ''Union Guerrera Blanca'' in 1976, de-emphasising its Falangist ideology whilst continuing its initial role of assassination of left-wing targets.

Mexico

Mexican synarchism, which combined Catholicism with anti-communism, bore some of the hallmarks of Falangism and looked to Franco (amongst others) for inspiration. Its political representatives, the National Synarchist Union, became influential during the late 1930s. Alongside this indigenous variation a wholly mimetic group, the ''Falange Española Tradicionalista'' was formed in the country by Spanish merchants based there who opposed the consistent support given to the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War by

Lázaro Cárdenas Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (; 21 May 1895 – 19 October 1970) was a Mexican army officer and politician who served as president of Mexico from 1934 to 1940. Born in Jiquilpan, Michoacán, to a working-class family, Cárdenas joined the M ...

. The group neither sought nor had influence outside this immigrant population, however. Mexican far-right groups often emphasise ''Orgullo Criollo'' ("Creole Pride"), which underlines the celebration of their links to Spain and the ''hispanidad'' culture.

Nicaragua

Falangist influence was felt in the country during the later 1930s, particularly in the

Colegio Centro América The Colegio Centro América is a private Catholic school located in Managua, Nicaragua. Founded by the Jesuits in the city of Granada in 1916, the school serves as an elementary, middle, and high school. The school quickly became the preferred ...

in Managua where the ideology was widespread. However, such activity was suppressed after 1941 as Nicaragua took a decidedly pro-United States line after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Peru

A minor ''Falange Perú'' exists and claims the support of Spanish Falangists.

Puerto Rico

Around the time of the Spanish Civil War, the Falange was heavily active amongst the 8,000 or so Spanish citizens on the island, with an official branch of the Falange organised in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

. This group officially disavowed any involvement in local politics, although it was scrutinised closely by the FBI during the Second World War. Two very minor Falangist groups have been active in the drive for Puerto Rican independence. The first of these was the ''Falange Boricua'', who have claimed that they were banned on 7 May 2000 after leader Walter Lozano was arrested attempting to blockade U.S. military bases on the island. They have since been refounded as the ''Movimento Nacional Sindicalista de Puerto Rico''.

Venezuela

Enrique Parra Bozo, who was noted for his admiration of Franco as well as his Catholicism and anti-communism, led the ''Partido Auténtico Nacionalista'' along Falangist lines. The group lent its support to the military regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez and even attempted, though unsuccessfully, to nominate him as their candidate for the 1963 presidential election. A minor group, the ''Falange Venezolana'', have been active in the 21st century and look to José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Ramiro Ledesma Ramos, Léon Degrelle and Corneliu Zelea Codreanu for their inspiration.FV website
(archived version)

References

{{Latin America topics Falangism History of Central America History of South America Fascism in South America