Taking of Encarnación (1931)
Fri Feb 20, 1931
Image: Painting depicting a communist uprising, unknown author and date [https://canalabierto.com/]
On this day in 1931, anarchist workers and students in Paraguay seized control of the city of Encarnación and attempted to declare an anarchist community, holding the town for 16 hours before it was reclaimed by state forces.
The uprising took place amidst widespread a backdrop of widespread social discontent amongst the working classes of Paraguay, with a strong existing anarcho-syndicalist movement.
The rising in Encarnación had been planned in tandem with actions in Asunción and Villarrica, but the government had arrested and deported labor leaders there in the days preceding. Workers had planned to seize control of rail links between the cities, paralyzing the country's transport links.
Due to the lack of instantaneous communication at the time, revolutionaries were unaware that their compatriots in the other cities had been arrested before they crossed the Paraná River from Argentina into the city on February 20th.
Despite this setback, 150 revolutionaries, among them notable communists Oscar Creydt, Marcos Kanner, and Félix Cantalicio Aracuyú, successfully held the commune in Encarnación for sixteen hours before it was recaptured by the state.
Many rebels successfully managed to flee, using two seized steamboats to travel towards Brazil, attacking "yerba mate" plantations and burning records of indentured servitude along the way. Seventeen who were unable to flee were arrested and subject to torture and incarceration.
In 1985, Paraguayan researcher Fernando Quesada published a book about the uprising, titled "1931, la toma de Encarnación".
- Date: 1931-02-20
- Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, canalabierto.com.ar.
- Tags: #Communism, #Anarchism.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org