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Anarchism in Panama began as an organized movement among immigrant workers, brought to the country to work on the numerousmegaprojects throughout its history. From the mid-19th century onward, Panama’s labor history was shaped by waves of migrant workers drawn by major infrastructure projects such as thetrans-isthmus railroad and the construction of thePanama Canal Zone.
Early strikes for better wages and conditions began during the railroad era, with anarcho-syndicalist ideas introduced by European and Caribbean workers during the French and later American canal efforts. FollowingPanama’s independence from Colombia in 1903, anarchists established transnational networks that drove labor organizing in the Canal Zone, despite government attempts to suppress activism.
Anarchist newspapers and affinity groups emerged alongside continued labor actions, culminating in the founding of theSindicato General de Trabajadores in 1924 and the involvement of anarchists in broader socialist and communist movements by the 1930s.
The trans-isthmus railroad built between 1850 and 1855, the French canal attempt in the 1880s, and the U.S.-led canal construction from 1904 to 1914 brought large numbers of workers fromEurope,Asia, and theCaribbean to Panama.Strikes for higher wages and better conditions began during the railroad era.[1]
During the 1880s, approximately 20,000 workers arrived mainly fromSpain,France, andItaly. These migrant workers brought class consciousness andanarcho-syndicalist ideas to Panama, especiallySpanish libertarian workers. Anarchists in Panama led several successful strikes during the French canal phase. Poor working conditions led to sickness and high mortality among workers, fueling further labor unrest.[1]
In a table listing the geographic origins of donations to Italian anarchist periodicals, a small portion of donations to the periodicalVolontà written byErrico Malatesta came from Panama during the period 1889–1915.[2]
Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, distinguishing its labor history from that of other Central American countries.[1] The broader context of labor organization in Latin America, and Panama, included interconnected networks and solidarities across borders, with anarchist and syndicalist organizations such as theIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW) contributing to the spread of radical labor activism across the continent.[3]
Foreign anarchists first drove Anarchist labor activity in Panama during the construction of thePanama Canal Zone.[3] During the U.S. construction of the Panama Canal, around 40,000 workers arrived, especially fromCentral America,Jamaica, and the broader Caribbean. These workers bringclass consciousness and anarcho-syndicalist ideas to Panama.[1]
The subsequent movement involved both native Panamanians and foreign-born anarchists. These anarchists were part of broader transnational networks that linked labor and political activists across Latin America and the Atlantic world.[4] Anarchists built transnational networks that linked the Canal Zone toCuba andSpain, establishing international ties for organization and support.[3]
Anarchists in the Panama Canal Zone focused on building class consciousness among canal workers. They developed short-term projects such as newspapers and printing presses, aiming for long-term influence. Anarchists in Panama formed part of larger transnational movements resisting bothcolonialism and emerging nation-states.[3]
In response to growing labor activism, the Panamanian government created Article 5 of Law 72 in 1904, which barred anarchists from immigrating to the country. GeneralGeorge Whitefield Davis, governor of the Canal Zone, actively worked to suppress anarchist activity in the Zone. However, labor actions persisted, such as a 1907 strike by 2,000 workers.[1]
The newspaperEl Unico, an anarchist publication, was launched inColón by a group influenced byStirner andNietzschean ideas in 1911. The following year, according to historianMax Nettlau, there were around twenty individualist anarchist affinity groups among workers in Panama.[1]
TheSindicato General de Trabajadores (General Workers' Union), a predominantly though not entirely anarcho-syndicalist organization, was founded in 1924. It became Panama's first centralized labor body and gained thousands of members. Some of its founders include Spaniards José María and Martín Blásques de Pedro, the Pole Sara Gratz, and thePeruvianEsteban M. Pavletich. Panamanian members include anarchists andMarxists such as Eliseo Echevez and Domingo Turner.[1]
Anarchists active on the fringes of the Federación Obrera, formed with the support of liberal presidentBelisario Porras, helped organize the 1925Tenant Strike from September to October of that year. The tenants’ strike played a significant role in shaping Panama’s leftist and labor movements.[1][5]
While BlackWest Indian workers formed a large part of the workforce in Panama and lived in the poorer districts ofPanama City and Colón, they were not heavily involved in the strike. This was due to longstanding divisions between West Indian and Hispanic workers, recent unsuccessful labor actions led by West Indians in the Canal Zone, and the fact that the Hispanic organizers of the strike did not prioritize gaining West Indian support. These factors created a longstanding rift between West Indians and the larger labor movement, contributing to persistent separation between national independence efforts and campaigns against racial discrimination in Panama.[5]
Eliseo Echevez and Domingo Turner became founders of thePartido Comunista, and Diógenes de la Rosa became the leader of thePartido Socialista in 1930.[1]
