With a POD no earlier than 1910, was there anyplace in South America where trade unionism could develop along anarcho-syndicalist lines as it did in Catalonia during the 1930s? What would be an ideal political crisis to cause, if not the whole takeover of a nation, then at least the creation of a separatist region that runs under anarchist collectivism for at least 10 years? Is there any way for such an entity to survive long-term without becoming a client state to the Soviets?
Anarcho-syndicalist state in South America?
- Thread starter cincpac overboard
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Your safest bet seems to be a somewhat successful Patagonia Rebellion in Argentina during the 20s, though how that comes about would be a question of POD. As for long-term survival and whether it could take over Argentina, I couldn't tell you, as I'm not super knowledgeable on South American affairs.
It could be feasible with an earlier point of divergence, sometime in the middle of the 19th century. If Argentina's unification process had failed and the War of the Triple Alliance against Paraguay had gone differently, chances are the entire region would have ended up split between tiny warring states which would be susceptible to foreign influence
You're probably right about the need for an earlier POD, but maybe not that early. The late 19th century saw massive foreign investment in the Argentine economy along with the birth of trade unionism. Italian and Spanish anarchists were present in Buenos Aires and (if the wiki article is correct) the first anarchist trade union was established in 1887. Some sort of "nationalize the economy" crisis seems like a good catalyst for the powerful growth of anarcho-syndicalism, at least in the region of Buenos Aires.