THE PEOPLE'S WAR

May 17, 1980.

• The eve of Peru's return to democratic elections.
• The day Sendero Luminoso launced its Prolonged People's War in the departments of Ayacucho, Apurimac and Huancavelica.
• The end of military regimes that had ruled Peru from 1968 to 1980.

Sendero's plan was based on Mao Zedong's theory of revoltuion.  They would begin in the countryside and finally encircle the towns, with leadership passing from the peasants to the urban working class at a late stage.  They wanted to "destroy the Peruvian state and construct a 'New Democracy'".  By 1983, the group had reached the third stage in Guzman's program for victory.  This meant the growth of operations within Ayacucho and an attempt to extend operations beyond the central highlands.

The movement into the cities was extremely beneficial to Sendero's efforts.  Because of unemployment and increased discrimination in the cities, recruitment tended to be higher.  They also gained a powerful political profile and support among Peru's labor unions.
 
 

Links
Why A People's War?
14th Anniversary of the War
Revolutionary Art
News of the People's War
More News

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