Nimio de Anquín
Encyclopedia
Nimio de Anquín was an Argentine
Thomist
writer and fascist
politician.
A native of Córdoba, Argentina
, de Anquín studied law at National University of Córdoba
. With his studies in Argentina completed he travelled to Germany to study philosophy under Ernst Cassirer
. Whilst in Europe he developed his interest in politics and became a follower of the ideas of Charles Maurras
after coming into contact with his work. Soon de Anquín sought to develop his own political ideas by seeking to combine Thomism with Hegelianism
, leading him to call for a national syndicalist state.
He was a founder of the Instituto San Tomas de Aquino in Córdoba, Argentina
in 1929 and this group would become linked to the Argentine Fascist Party
. In 1934 he joined the Fascismo Argentino de Córdoba (Blueshirts). By the following year he had taken over as leader of the group, which by then 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.
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
, in Córdoba, due to 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
. By 1939 the Union National Fascista was effectively moribund.
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 continued to write on political matters until late in his life, inevitably focusing on his two favoured themes of militant nationalism
and anti-democracy.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Thomist
Thomism
Thomism is the philosophical school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, his commentaries on Aristotle are his most lasting contribution...
writer and fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
politician.
A native of Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
, de Anquín studied law at National University of Córdoba
National University of Córdoba
The National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...
. With his studies in Argentina completed he travelled to Germany to study philosophy under Ernst Cassirer
Ernst Cassirer
Ernst Cassirer was a German philosopher. He was one of the major figures in the development of philosophical idealism in the first half of the 20th century...
. Whilst in Europe he developed his interest in politics and became a follower of the ideas of Charles Maurras
Charles Maurras
Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras was a French author, poet, and critic. He was a leader and principal thinker of Action Française, a political movement that was monarchist, anti-parliamentarist, and counter-revolutionary. Maurras' ideas greatly influenced National Catholicism and "nationalisme...
after coming into contact with his work. Soon de Anquín sought to develop his own political ideas by seeking to combine Thomism with Hegelianism
Hegelianism
Hegelianism is a collective term for schools of thought following or referring to G. W. F. Hegel's philosophy which can be summed up by the dictum that "the rational alone is real", which means that all reality is capable of being expressed in rational categories...
, leading him to call for a national syndicalist state.
He was a founder of the Instituto San Tomas de Aquino in Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
in 1929 and this group would become linked to the Argentine Fascist Party
Argentine Fascist Party
The Argentine Fascist Party was a fascist political party in Argentina from 1932 until its official disbandment in 1936, when it was succeeded by the National Fascist Union...
. In 1934 he joined the Fascismo Argentino de Córdoba (Blueshirts). By the following year he had taken over as leader of the group, which by then 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.
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
Colegio Nacional de Monserrat is a public college preparatory high school in Córdoba, Argentina. Patterened after the European gymnasium, the school is the second oldest of its type and one of the most prestigious in Argentina.-Overview:...
, in Córdoba, due to 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
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. By 1939 the Union National Fascista was effectively moribund.
With his movement now defunct de Anquín returned to lecturing, initially in his home town then later in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
. 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
Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo
Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 8 September 1942. He was ordained a priest on 7 December 1968 in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. At the St. Thomas Aquinas University of Rome he was awarded a Ph.D...
. He continued to write on political matters until late in his life, inevitably focusing on his two favoured themes of militant nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and anti-democracy.