The Peruvian Civil War and the Shining Path

Abbey Corbin

The Shining Path

• Initiated the internal conflict in Peru

• Maoist insurgent guerrilla

organization

• Goal was to arrive at pure communism

• goal of replacing what it saw as bourgeois democracy with

"New Democracy". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shining_Path

Shining Path

• Peruvian gov. referred to Shining Path as terrorists

• Widely judged for its brutality, including violence against peasants, popularly elected officials, trade union organizers,

and civilian population

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=shining+path&hl=en&safe=active&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=ai9ZFCKsz97fSM:&imgrefurl=http://www.examiner.com/south-america-policy-in-national/slide-show-six-killed-shootout-between-peruvian-soldiers-and-shining-path

Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement

(MRTA)

• Marxist revolutionary group

• Other main cause for internal conflicts in Peru, and group considered terrorist by gov.

• goals were to establish a socialist state and rid the country of anything imperialist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BApac_Amaru_Revolutionary_Movement

Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA)

• At peak, group had 700 hundred members

• Gathered old members from Peruvian armed forces

• Violent rivalry with the SP

• Peruvian gov. stopped group from carrying out terrorists act

http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=600&q=T%C3%BApac+Amaru+Revolutionary+Movement&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&oq=T%C3%BApac+Amaru+Revolutionary+Movement&aq=f&aqi=&aql=1&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=1276l1276l0l2055l1l1l0l0l0l0l156l156l0.1l1l0&safe=active

Key Players

• Victor Polay Campos (Leader of MRTA)

• Nestor Cerpa Cartolini (Leader of MRTA)

• Abimael Guzman (Founder of SP)

• Óscar Ramírez (Leader of SP)

• Abimael Guzmán (Leader of SP) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abimael_Guzm%C3%A1n

Conflicts• Both groups were launching attacks

against Peruvian police and armed forces

• Fernando Belaúnde Terry declared a State of Emergency in 1981

• Peruvian Armed Forces were orderded to fight the Shining Path

• Constitutional rights were suspended for 60 days in Huamanga Province, Huanta Province, Cangallo Province, La Mar Province and Víctor Fajardo Province.

• Lots of constitutional rights were suspended,Peru’s military committed many human rights violations

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=shining+path&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&tbm=isch&tbnid=rJz7aBMkbw0q3M:&imgrefurl=http://archive.livinginperu.com/news/12253&docid=UyKVsT7gENrpqM&w=280&h=220&ei=B2F7TsTNBIa2t9,

Conflicts

• Both sides, SP and Peruvian police, decided to amp up violence as fighting tactics

• Some regions made anti-shining path groups called rondas

• Rondas were small groups armed with the donations from the armed forces

• The rondas managed to kill multiple commanders of the SP

http://i.imgur.com/9c6id.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

Statistics

• Shining Path contained around 2000 members

• Nearly 70,000 people died due to the fighting throughout the country

• Rondas killed roughly 75 member of the SP

Locations

• Central Peru

• SP’s boundaries expanded throughout the years

• Good majority of fighting located in Lima

US Envolvement • US provided money to

government to help fight against SP

• Peru defaulted on some loans, but aid kept being sent

• February 1990, the US plus several Andean countries, including Peru, signed the Cartagena Agreement (PDF), This was made to help expand economic and military assistance

• In 1991, reports advised US stopped sending Peru aid until they changed human rights standards

Video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCjHBsdZZN0