With Masses and Arms: Peru's Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman Series)

Miguel La Serna's gripping history of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) provides vital insight into both the history of modern Peru and the link between political violence and the culture of communications in Latin America. Smaller than the well-known Shining Path but just as remarkable, the MRTA emerged in the early 1980s at the beginning of a long and bloody civil war. Taking a close look at the daily experiences of women and men who fought on both sides of the conflict, this fast-paced narrative explores the intricacies of armed action from the ground up. While carrying out a campaign of urban guerrilla warfare ranging from vandalism to kidnapping and assassinations, the MRTA vied with state forces as both tried to present themselves as most authentically Peruvian. Appropriating colors, banners, names, images, and even historical memories, hand-in-hand with armed combat, the Tupac Amaristas aimed to control public relations because they insightfully believed that success hinged on their ability to control the media narrative. Ultimately, however, the movement lost sight of its original aims, becoming more authoritarian as the war waged on. In this sense, the history of the MRTA is the story of the euphoric draw of armed action and the devastating consequences that result when a political movement succumbs to the whims of its most militant followers. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Abbreviations and Acronyms Introduction PART 1 CHAPTER 1. A New Generation Needs a New Name CHAPTER 2. Gone in 90 Seconds CHAPTER 3. La Cumpa CHAPTER 4. Capture the Flag CHAPTER 5. The Alliance CHAPTER 6. Captured PART 2 CHAPTER 7. The Heroic Guerrilla CHAPTER 8. Rodrigo’s Journey CHAPTER 9. Crime and Punishment CHAPTER 10. El Gordo Returns CHAPTER 11. The General’s Station Wagon CHAPTER 12. Freedom Tunnel PART 3 CHAPTER 13. Fujishock CHAPTER 14. Where the Potatoes Are Cooking CHAPTER 15. In the Wolf’s Mouth CHAPTER 16. The Internal Revolution CHAPTER 17. The Stripe-Painted Dog CHAPTER 18. The One-Legged Chair CHAPTER 19. Gone with the Wind CHAPTER 20. Captivity CHAPTER 21. Chavín de Huántar CHAPTER 22. Mary Is Sick! Conclusion Notes Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z