Military Government of Peru (1968–1980)

Military Government of Peru (1968–1980)
Native name	Gobierno Militar del Perú
Conventional long name	Military Government of Peru
Common name	Peru (1968–1980)
Era	Cold War
Government type	Military dictatorship
Year start	1968
Year end	1980
Event start	Coup d'état
Date start	3 October 1968
Event end	Return to democracy
Date end	28 July 1980
Capital	Lima
Common languages	Spanish
Currency	Sol (various)
Leader1	Juan Velasco Alvarado
Year leader1	1968–1975
Leader2	Francisco Morales Bermúdez
Year leader2	1975–1980

Military Government of Peru (1968–1980)

The Military Government of Peru (1968–1980) was a period in Peruvian history defined by a coup d'état, a reformist junta led by Juan Velasco Alvarado followed by a conservative junta under Francisco Morales Bermúdez, extensive nationalizations, an Agrarian reform program, confrontation with domestic opposition including Shining Path precursors and labor movements, and a managed transition back to the Fernando Belaúnde presidency in 1980. The era intersected with Cold War dynamics, influencing relations with the United States, Soviet Union, Cuba, and regional states such as Chile and Argentina.

Background and 1968 Coup

In the late 1960s Peru faced social unrest linked to land concentration around haciendas in the Andes, price controls under the Fernando Belaúnde Terry administration, and tensions within the Peruvian Armed Forces influenced by nationalist currents and reformist intellectuals associated with the APRA tradition and leftist parties such as the Peruvian Communist Party and the Mariateguist Union (UNIR). On 3 October 1968 a group of officers led by General Juan Velasco Alvarado executed a bloodless coup d'état that deposed President Fernando Belaúnde Terry and dissolved the Congress of the Republic of Peru, suspended the Constitution of 1933 (Peru), and formed the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces with support from sectors including the Confederación General de Trabajadores del Perú (CGTP), indigenous leaders from regions like Cusco and Puno, and intellectuals sympathetic to Third Worldism.

Institutional Reform and Agrarian Reform

The junta enacted sweeping institutional changes through bodies such as the Council of Ministers and the National Constituent Assembly initiatives, implementing a radical Agrarian reform law that expropriated large estates, redistributed land to peasant cooperatives, and created Instituto Nacional de Reforma Agraria structures. Velasco's program targeted landowners linked to families like the Hacienda elites and entities such as the International Petroleum Company in disputes over resource control, while establishing state enterprises like Empresa Nacional de la Petróleo (ENAP), nationalizing sectors including Fisheries, mining holdings such as Minas Buenaventura operations, and creating social institutions influenced by thinkers around José Carlos Mariátegui and reformers from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Economic Policy and Development Plans

Economic policy combined import substitution industrialization measures with nationalizations of companies including foreign firms and the creation of state-owned enterprises under a five-year plan approach; planning bodies drew on models from Peronism, Import substitution industrialization, and interactions with planners from Cuba and advisors linked to the Non-Aligned Movement. The regime launched investment projects in infrastructure — ports at Callao, highways to Puno and Arequipa, and hydropower schemes like Mantaro Hydroelectric Complex — while confronting inflationary pressures, balance of payments deficits, and conflicts with multinational corporations such as International Petroleum Company and Exxon. The 1975 coup against Velasco by Francisco Morales Bermúdez shifted policy toward fiscal austerity, engagement with the International Monetary Fund, and attempts to stabilize the sol.

Domestic Politics, Repression, and Human Rights

The junta suppressed political parties including APRA and curtailed activity by organizations like the Union Nacional de Trabajadores del Perú, while negotiating with peasant federations and indigenous organizations in the Sierra. Security forces including the Peruvian National Police and military intelligence units pursued counterinsurgency against emergent guerrilla currents that would later coalesce into Shining Path and Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, producing cases of detention, enforced disappearances, and reported human rights violations documented by church groups such as the Peruvian Bishops' Conference and NGOs like Amnesty International. Urban unrest in Lima included strikes by the SUTEP teachers' union and protests influenced by students from the National University of San Marcos and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Foreign Policy and International Relations

Velasco's foreign policy asserted Peruvian sovereignty through the nationalization of International Petroleum Company holdings and maritime claims involving the Falklands-era tensions and disputes with Ecuador over border issues, while aligning diplomatically with Cuba, establishing relations with the Soviet Union, and courting non-aligned partners such as Yugoslavia and India. Morales Bermúdez reoriented relations toward the United States and multilateral financial institutions amid debt pressures, negotiating with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and participating in regional forums like the Organization of American States and the Andean Pact.

Transition to Civilian Rule and 1980 Elections

Facing economic decline, internal dissent, and international pressure, Morales Bermúdez announced a timetable for a return to democratic institutions, convening a process that produced the 1978 Constituent Assembly elections and a new constitution debate. The regime supervised the 1980 general elections which returned Fernando Belaúnde Terry to the presidency, marking the formal handover of power on 28 July 1980 amid continuing challenges including unresolved agrarian conflicts, military influence in politics, and the nascent insurgency of Shining Path that would shape Peru's subsequent decade.

Category:History of Peru Category:Military dictatorships