Thought, Action, and Political Base of the Shining Path Movement. The War and the First Responses of the Community Members (1964-1983)
This text focuses on the political movement Sendero Luminoso (SL), which was formed as a splinter of the Partido Comunista Peruano (PCP), examining its political line, its actions, and the way it built a social base. It covers an initial and decisive phase of the movement: the rise of Abimael Guzmán until he imposed himself as undisputed leader, the launch by Sendero of armed struggle as a political strategy or "armed word," and the offensives of 1982 and 1983 — the "deployment of guerrilla warfare." This was the beginning of the bloodiest phase of the war, which includes the counteroffensive by the Armed Forces and SL's response, which ultimately placed the peasants between two fires. (Introduction excerpt).