Blood quota
The blood quota (Spanish: cuota de sangre) is a concept developed by Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path, through which the communist militant must sacrifice his life for the world proletarian revolution.[1][2] As part of the blood quota communist militants promote hatred to attract adherents, instrumentalize the masses in their favor and tolerates cruelty against their opponents to gain obedience, viewing violence as a necessary element on the path to communism and death as an heroic act.[3]
The implementation of the "Blood Quota" led to widespread atrocities, including targeted assassinations, bombings, massacres, and other acts of terrorism.[4] The Shining Path's campaign of violence resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and widespread suffering across Peru until Guzman's capture in the early 1990s.
Theory
The Shining Path believed in the necessity of a violent revolution to overthrow the Peruvian government and establish a communist state. The concept of the "Blood Quota" was an integral part of Gonzaloi thought and reflected the belief that a certain number of people needed to be killed or sacrificed in order to achieve their revolutionary goals. Increasing conflicts and radicalizing oppositions cannot have any other effect than to accelerate history, bringing closer the day of final triumph.[3]
This notion itself is rooted in Maoist ideology, which advocated for the use of violence and protracted people's war as a means of achieving a communist revolution.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "El ocaso de Sendero y la muerte de Guzmán". noticiasser.pe (in Spanish). 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ Roncagliolo, Santiago (2007). La cuarta espada: la historia de Abimael Guzmán y Sendero Luminoso. Barcelone: Debate. ISBN 978-84-8306-738-3.
- ^ a b Portocarrero Maisch, Gonzalo (2014). Razones de sangre (2nd ed.). Fondo Editorial de la PUC. pp. 27–35. ISBN 978-612-4146-92-3.
- ^ Burt, Jo-Marie (October 2006). "'Quien habla es terrorista': The political use of fear in Fujimori's Peru". Latin American Research Review. 41 (3): 38. doi:10.1353/lar.2006.0036.
- ^ Priestland, Davis (2009). The Red Flag: A History of Communism. New York: Grove Press. p. 253.