Nimio de Anquín (1896–1979) was an
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
Thomist
Thomism is the philosophical and theological school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Aquinas' disputed questions a ...
writer and
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
politician. Seeking to combine
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
models of fascism with his own attachment to the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
he led several movements and for a time had a strong following. Subsequently, however, he lost political influence, and his later life was mainly focused on his academic career.
Early years
A native of
Córdobaa, de Anquín studied law at the
National University of Córdoba
The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina.
Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...
.
[ Philip Rees, '' Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'', 1990, p. 11] With his studies in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
completed, he traveled to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to study philosophy under
Ernst Cassirer.
In
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, de Aquín developed his interest in politics and became a follower of the ideas of
Charles Maurras
Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet, and critic. He was an organizer and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that is monarchist, anti-parl ...
after coming into contact with his work.
Soon, de Anquín sought to develop his own political ideas by seeking to combine
Thomism with
Hegelianism
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
, which led him to call for a
national syndicalist
National syndicalism is a far-right adaptation of syndicalism to suit the broader agenda of integral nationalism. National syndicalism developed in France in the early 20th century, and then spread to Italy, Spain, and Portugal. It is generall ...
state.
[Rees, ''Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right'', p. 97]
Fascist leader
He was a founder of the ''Instituto San Tomas de Aquino'' in
Córdoba in 1929, a group that would become linked to the
Argentine Fascist Party
The Argentine Fascist Party (''Partido Fascista Argentino'', PFA) was a fascist political party in Argentina from 1932 until its official disbandment in 1936, when it was succeeded by the National Fascist Union (''Union Nacional Fascista'', UNF ...
. In 1934, he joined the ''Fascismo Argentino de Córdoba'' (Blueshirts). By the following year, he had taken over as leader of the group, which had changed its name to the ''Frente de Fuerzas Fascistas'' in 1935.
Various groups then merged in 1936 to emerge as the ''Union National Fascista'' under de Anquin's leadership.
[McGee Deutsch, ''Las Derechas'', p. 216]
A strong admirer of
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 ...
and
Italian fascism, de Aquín argued that Argentine ''nacionalismo'' should follow the Italian model by seeking to mobilise mass support but that the domestic version of fascism should put a stronger emphasis on the centrality of Catholicism to national identity than its European counterparts did.
However, de Anquín found it difficult to lead the fascist movement in the face of opposition. In 1934, he was suspended from his lectureship at the
Colegio Nacional de Monserrat
Colegio Nacional de Monserrat is a public college preparatory high school in Córdoba, Argentina. Patterned after the European gymnasium, the school is the second oldest of its type and one of the most prestigious in Argentina.
Overview
The Coll ...
, in Córdoba because of the violence of his movement.
The violence continued, however, until active repression began in late 1936, when he attempted to force university students to sign a letter in support of
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 ...
.
By 1939, the ''Union National Fascista'' was effectively moribund.
Later years
With his movement now defunct, de Anquín returned to lecturing, initially in his home town then later in
Santa Fe.
He did not abandon politics altogether, however, and became associated with the journals ''Sol y Luna'' and ''Nueva Politica'' and, on a more religious note, the group of intellectuals around
Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo.
He also wrote in praise of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
by stating in 1941 that "by the work of the great Hitler, liberalism and ugly democracy have died."
[Finchelstein, ''The Ideological Origins of the Dirty War'', p. 37]
He continued to write on political matters until late in his life and inevitably focused on his two favoured themes of militant
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
and anti-democracy.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anquin, Nimio de
1896 births
1979 deaths
People from Córdoba, Argentina
National University of Córdoba alumni
Argentine fascists
Argentine male writers
Thomists
National syndicalists
Christian fascists
Catholicism and far-right politics
Fascist politicians