Santiagonism: the Path of the Quasi or the True Dolvusist?
By Adolfo Ali, Panamanian historian
The Imperium of Panama proclaims itself to be Quasi Dolvusist, specifically follower an imperialist idea known as Santiagonism after the then leader of the Imperiums founding party, the Patriotic Party of Panama, Dídac Santiago. It is proclaimed to be have been founded as a ideological schism from Dolvusim in 1931. Before we can focus on the teachings of Santiago however we must first define Dolvusism.
Dolvusism proclaims to be anti-ideological and pragmatic ideology that proclaims itself antimaterialist, anti-individualist, antiliberal, antidemocratic, anti-Communist, is populist and anticapitalist in tendency, expresses itself aesthetically more than theoretically by means of a new political style and by myths, rites, and symbols as a lay religion designed to acculturate, socialize, and integrate the faith of the masses with the goal of creating a 'new man.' The Dolvusist State interprets, develops, and potentiates the whole life of a people, for everything in the state, nothing against the State, nothing outside the state. Dolvusism is a religious conception in which man is seen in his immanent relationship with a superior law and with an objective Will that transcends the particular individual and raises him to conscious membership of a spiritual society. Whoever has seen in the religious politics of the Dolvusist regime nothing but mere opportunism has not understood that Dolvusism besides being a system of government is also, and above all, a system of thought. This sits upon the mountain of the centre.
Dídac Santiago turned to Dolvusim in the early 1920s, after rejected liberalism as a path towards national suicide. He took to a Pan-Hispanic desire in this period with emphasis on the national glory of Panama. He joined Oscar Albuqerques Patriotic Party of Panama, which was contesting with the democratic government as a road to the slavery of chaos. The party especially clashed with the Bakunist League of Panama. However even in these early years disagreement with the racism growing leaded to issue, for Santiago had a massive believe in the importance of assimilation in bringing the Other into the fold of the Us, to convert the enemy into a brother. He took a white washed view of the Conquisdors to justify this and great influence of the French mission civilisatrice. What really caused Santiagonism was Himmlerism and Santiagos distaste for it as a counter national ravaging. He stated the Mayans and Aztecs were conquered not simply just by gunpowder and divine punishment for their wickedness but also through the mission to bring the native into following the faith of the conqueror. To conquer the mind is to really conquer your enemy. Controversially also describe extermination camps as a waste of forced labour that might have been used as part of the conquest of the minds.
It was in 1934 that Santiago published Holy Imperium Determination: a True Dolvusist Reflection on Hispanic Imperialism and Desires to Relive the Conquistadors Virtues which had the first half of the book basically a retelling of the history of Hispania, a white-washed tale of the Conquistadors and of the Latin American states
each, with Panama reserved for last but most definitely not least in those histories. The next quarter is basically stating that the Hispanic Empire must be reunited, bought under the justice of the Light so that the Lord may reward the Hispanic peoples their glories and ensure a nation that could proclaim itself Heaven-on-Earth. Here he introduces his own version of Dolvusim, hailing Dolvusim while noting its short-coming. The last quarter he compares Hispanic imperialism and Dolvusim to others but in truth three quarters of this are directed as an outright attack on Himmlerism.
1937 saw Santiago publish a more focused piece on what he viewed Dolvusism should be titled The Hispanic Caesar. Santiago claimed that the racial elements of Himmlerism were determent to the cultural glories, fearing that it undermined the purpose of order and discipline. He links to Oscar Albuqerque, who had written in 1928 a book titled Dolvusism is All: God favours Order over Democracy which took the missionary icon to a Dolvusist notion, along with a reflection on the importance of Social Darwinism in cultural conquest but question blood politics that were emerging in Europe and were cursing parts of the PPP itself. Santiago made his focus on the ideal of Rome, on the assimilation focus of the empire in how it create a cultural nation beyond the mist of the blood but to make all Roman. We must consider making all Hispanic, for the failure of the Germanic model is to deny those following an inferior culture the chance to make correction and accept the culture of superiority, which emphasise the importance of power and order for the true freedoms of the subjects of the State. Santiago spoke the Leader of the Dolvusist State as a Caesar who must stand above the ashes of the corrupt senate, the hordes of the barbarians and become the icon of the citizens in their duty for unity is the true goal of the real Dolvusist, not isolationism paved with blood of the lesser. Santiagonism sees the state and nation being beyond blood; it is of the souls of the peoples, who must be assimilated and incorporated into a patriotic discipline. As this was in the Civil War it also saw how sometimes to save a nation you have to bleed it.
Further notions came back in 1936 the year that the PPP managed to march on Panama and proclaim themselves order, after a rising Bakunist political gain in the parliament. The resulting Panamas Civil War would last from 1936-1939, ending with victory for the military backed PPP. Santiago, with support of the military, proclaimed himself Imperator of Panama and branded forth the Imperium of Panama. Notably women were permitted to serve in the Imperium military in the civil war and saw of the then first time Captain Adora Rivera manage to gain high rank through her efforts of pirating Bakunist supply lines.
Dolvusim is opposition to syndicalism; Santiago realised this. Take notion for instance the Cult of Tradition sets with form of the Santiagonists proclaiming themselves the Conquistadors Reborn. Action for action sake is well rooted in the believe system of Dolvusism. It is of national unity, not of national destruction. Dolfuss converted from Syndictism to the mountain of the centre as Santiago argued in a short essay Our Struggle Against Syndictism and the other forms of Bakunism in 1940. The soul of nation must be hailed, not emancipated by the whims of the communal. Strenght through joy, not evil. The inequality of cultures is not evil; attempt to proclaim them equal is and hence all who proclaim that Dolvusism is part of the Bakunist school of thought should be given a lesson in national realities. Santiagonism, which I am proud to have been the producer of by the words of my comrades, is against Bakunism!
The ideology of the Imperium henceforth focuses on the unity of the nation through discipline and order. Till 1948 the Imperator Dídac Santiago ruled. He had groomed Jordana Vargas for leadership after her show of discipline and her own works with her Culture Wars in 1943 which places emphasis on combating Himmlerism as missing the true target, the true nemesis, the true Them; hostile cultures. Indeed Panamas neutrality in the wars in Europe was a reaction against Himmler, yet it did provide a diversion to invade Jamaica in reaction to growing anti-Santiagonist declaration from Jamaica.
Imperator Jordana Vargas developed a route of Santiagonism nicknamed Vargas Santiagonism or Vargasism. She places more emphasis on the metrocratic and on not only the glories of the Hispanic Civilization but on assimilation of lands beyond to the Imperiums culture. She first wants to do her predecessors aim of uniting the whole of Central America, then she will strive to see the Imperium become the successor to the Roman, Spanish and Portuguese empires. Opposition within the Council of War with Artur Ubina, the Grand Mayor of Panama City, who has proclaimed his own form of Santiagonism (Ubinaism or Ubi Santigaonism) which focused on more small scale expansion with emphasis on growing taller than the weeds without the excessive Cult of Tradition, replace by a ever renewing of the nation as a snake throws its old skin away to become reborn over and over again. Still Jordana stands for the sake of seeing the Imperium expand and its ideology to spread out.
