Editing Communism in Peru (section)

== History ==
The first Peruvian political party to adopt [[communism]] as an ideology was the [[Peruvian Communist Party]] (''Partido Comunista Peruano'', PCP). It was originally founded as the Peruvian Socialist Party (PSP) in 1928 by a group of nine socialist sympathisers (known as the "Group of Lima"), which included [[Marxism|Marxist]] philosopher and journalist [[José Carlos Mariátegui]],<ref>{{Cite book |title=Gran Historia del Perú |last=García Yrigoyen |first=Franklin Pease |publisher=[[El Comercio (Peru)|Empresa Editora El Comercio S.A.]] |year=2000 |edition=1st |location=Lima |pages=207–214 |language=es |chapter=Leguía y la “Patria Nueva” (1919-1930)}}</ref> and formally changed its name in 1930, following Mariátegui's death and his succession by {{ill|Eudocio Ravines|es}} as party leader.

Following a period of outright illegality, the group gradually incorporated itself into the legal political scene during the 1960s, which led to the disappointment with its so-called bureaucratic and collaborationist character, believing that [[guerrilla warfare]] was the only path to the establishment of a [[socialist state]]. In 1962, a faction split and formed the [[National Liberation Army (Peru)|National Liberation Army]] (ELN) a year later, which led such a military campaign until its defeat by 1965.

Peruvian reception for Marxism was increased by the 1959 victory of the [[Cuban Revolution|Cuban revolution]] and the [[Fidel Castro]]'s declaration following Cuba post-[[Bay of Pigs Invasion|Bay of Pigs invasion]] declaration that he was a [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist-Leninist]] and always would be.<ref name=":23233">{{Cite book |last=Scott Palmer |first=David |title=Mao's Little Red Book: A Global History |date=2013 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-107-05722-7 |editor-last=Cook |editor-first=Alexander C. |location=Cambridge |pages= |chapter=The Influence of Maoism in Peru}}</ref>{{Rp|page=132}}

[[Fernando Belaúnde|Fernando Belaúnde Terry]]'s administration was tolerant of the political left, and a variety of Marxist parties expanded during his time in office.<ref name=":23233" />{{Rp|pages=132-133}}

In 1963, the ongoing [[Sino-Soviet split]] separated the PCP into two rival factions, one [[Soviet Union|pro-Soviet]] and the other [[People's Republic of China|pro-Chinese]]. The latter subsequently split from the Peruvian Communist Party in January 1964 and adopted the name [[Peruvian Communist Party (Marxist–Leninist)|Peruvian Communist Party – Red Flag]] (PCP-BR).{{sfn|Fumerton|2003|p=37}} The party was originally led by [[Saturnino Paredes]], [[José Sotomayor]], and [[Abimael Guzmán]].{{sfn|Alexander|1999|p=156}}{{sfn|Mauceri|1996|p=120}} Due to internal disagreements among the party's three leaders, the party expelled several of its members in its early history. Two parties subsequently emerged from a 1969 split in the party: the [[Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland]] (PCP-PR) and the [[Shining Path|Communist Party of Peru – Shining Path]] (PCP-SL){{efn|Self-proclaimed as the "Communist Party of Peru" (PCP), but otherwise known as the "Shining Path" (SL).|name=PCPSL}} led by Guzmán. Afterwards, Paredes became the party's sole leader and renamed the party "Peruvian Communist Party (Marxist–Leninist)". In response to the [[Sino-Albanian split]], the party dropped its commitment to [[Maoism]] and aligned itself with the [[Party of Labour of Albania]] and [[Hoxhaism]]. In 1978, the "PCP-Mayoría" faction split from the PCP to form a more pro-Soviet branch, as it considered that the PCP had adopted [[Eurocommunism]] instead, operating until the 1980s.

The [[1980 Peruvian general election|elections of 1980]] formally ended the so-called [[Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces of Peru|Revolutionary Government]] of [[Francisco Morales Bermúdez]], who had seized power from [[Juan Velasco Alvarado]] through a [[Tacnazo|military coup]] in 1975. The previously banned socialist and communist parties participated in the elections, leading to the PCP attaining five seats in the constituent assembly, while left-wing groups as a whole achieved an important presence and united to form the [[United Left (Peru)|United Left]] alliance, which formed one of the country's main political forces during the 1980s.

In contrast to the aforementioned legal route of the political left, Guzmán's PCP-SL began its war against the [[Peruvian government]] by [[Chuschi ballot burning incident|burning ballots]] in [[Chuschi]], a town in rural [[Department of Ayacucho|Ayacucho]]. Guzmán's faction considered the political left as [[Revisionism (Marxism)|revisionists]], openly and actively opposing them through its [[Internal conflict in Peru|period of insurgency]]. The Shining Path's leadership was [[Operation Victoria|captured and arrested]] by the [[Special Intelligence Group]] in 1992, and entered amnesty talks the following year. Rump factions of the group that opposed the peace talks have since continued a low-intensity insurgency that continues to this day, allying themselves with [[Narcoterrorism|narcoterrorist]] groups in rural parts of the country, notably the [[Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro]] (VRAEM).

Following the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991, the PCP and other communist parties in Peru have since participated at a much smaller level in the country's politics, mainly through broad left-wing political alliances.