Blood quota
Blood Quota
The blood quota (Spanish: cuota de sangre) is a concept developed by Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path, where a communist militant must sacrifice their life for the world proletarian revolution. As part of the blood quota, militants promoted hatred and violence to attract adherents, instrumentalizing the masses and tolerating cruelty against opponents to gain obedience. Violence was seen as necessary for communism, and death was viewed as heroic. The concept formed a core tenet of Gonzalo Thought.
Implementation of the "Blood Quota" led to widespread atrocities, including assassinations, bombings, massacres, and terrorism. The Shining Path's campaign resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and widespread suffering across Peru until Guzman's capture in the early 1990s.
Background
The Shining Path believed in a violent revolution to overthrow the Peruvian government and establish a communist state. The "Blood Quota" was integral to Gonzalo Thought, reflecting the belief that sacrifices were necessary to achieve revolutionary goals. This notion is rooted in Maoist ideology, which advocated for the use of violence and people's war to achieve a communist revolution.
The People's War
Guzmán declared that “the triumph of the revolution will cost a million deaths.” "Paying the quota" meant that the senderista would "cross rivers of blood" for the triumph of the "people's war." The aim was to incite the Peruvian State to carry out acts of violence against civilians, thereby gaining popular support and the capacity for mass mobilization.
In December 1982, President Fernando Belaúnde declared a state of emergency and ordered the Peruvian Armed Forces to fight the Shining Path, granting them extraordinary powers. Military leadership committed state terrorism, massacring entire villages and forcing disappearances of civilians. When the military organized peasant militias to fight Senderistas, the Shining Path retaliated heavily, as seen in the 1983 Lucanamarca massacre where nearly 70 indigenous people were murdered.
Media Depiction
The violence inspired author Alonso Cueto to write about the insecurity of the period. His well-known novel The Blue Hour (2005) was adapted into an eponymous movie in 2014.
References
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