Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Internal Conlict
The country returned to civilian rule in 1980, but with the economy stalled, the inequities
facing indigenous peasants fell off the radar. It was at this time that a radical Maoist guer-
rilla group from Ayacucho began its unprecedented rise. Sendero Luminoso (Shining
Path) wanted nothing less than a complete overthrow of the social order through armed
struggle. This resulted in two decades of escalating violence, with Sendero (in addition to
smaller guerrilla groups) assassinating political and community leaders and carrying out
bomb attacks.
In response, the government sent in the military, which knew little about how to handle
a guerilla insurgency. Caught in the middle were thousands of peasants, who bore the
brunt of the casualties. The conflict ultimately left an estimated 70,000 dead.
Aggravating the situation was the wheezing economy. In the late 1980s President Alan
García suspended foreign debt payments and nationalized the banks - actions that eventu-
ally led to a hyperinflation rate of 7500%. There were food shortages and riots, and the
government declared a state of emergency. Soon after his term was over, García fled the
country after being accused of embezzling millions of dollars. (He returned in 2001, when
the statute of limitations on his case ran out.)
Fujishock
In 1990 Alberto Fujimori, an agronomist of Japanese descent, was elected president. He
implemented an austerity plan that the press dubbed 'Fujishock.' It ultimately succeeded
in reducing inflation and stabilizing the economy, but not without costing the average Per-
uvian dearly. Fujimori followed this, in 1992, with an
autogolpe
(coup from within), a
move that stocked the legislature with his allies. Peruvians tolerated the move: the eco-
nomy was growing and Sendero Luminoso's leadership had been apprehended. As the
country faced the new millennium, the violence began to wind down.
By the end of his second term, however, Fujimori was being plagued by allegations of
corruption. After running for a third term (technically unconstitutional), it was revealed
that his security chief had been embezzling government funds and bribing officials.
Fujimori was declared 'morally unfit' to govern by the legislature and was voted out of
office. He was later convicted of ordering extrajudicial killings and misappropriating gov-
ernment funds, and is now serving three decades in prison.
