Hist 528

Front 1

39. FMLN (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front)

Back 1

Who: Insurgent group (later becomes a political party in 1992) in El Salvador originally composed of 5 competing guerrilla groups, very unorganized because it lacked a central command structure. Fought against the government supported military in the Salvadorian Civil War. Named after rebel leader Farabundo Martí. Supported by Castro and Sandinistas.
When: Formed on October 10, 1980
What: goal was to overthrow military dictatorship and destabilize regime. Conducted military offenses against government starting in 1981. Sought to gain support from rural community, conduct raids against government forces and government infrastructure.
Where: El Salvador
Significance: Reached peace settlement with Salvadorian government in 1991 and became one of El Salvador's main political parties representing social and economic justice and the poor. No longer considered a insurgent group.

Front 2

40. Radio Venceremos

Back 2

Who: rebel radio station of FMLN guerrillas that reported news of war from guerrilla perspective. Faced opposition from military who wanted to crush it.
What: Founded by Carlos Henríquez Consalvi. Tool used by the FMLN to organize fellow FMLN insurgents.
When: Salvadorian Civil War
Where: El Salvador
Significance: Provided a vital link between combatants in the mountains and the outside world, as well as an alternative to mainstream media reporting dominated by the right wing. Had great national/international influence during war. Effective propaganda tool to mobilize support for the FMLN

Front 3

41. “The Final Offensive”

Back 3

Who: Guerilla offensive where more than 800 people were killed
What: Final offensive against U.S. backed Salvadorian military regime. Used modern weapons delivered by Cuba and Nicaragua.
When: Began on January 10, 1981
Where: El Salvador
Sig: Marked official beginning of war. failed in its effort to incite a countrywide insurrection. vast majority of Salvadorans ignored the FMLN's call for an uprising. The FMLN FMLN would fail again to defeat the army in a general offensive in early 1982. After these setbacks, the FMLN worked to increase their strategic and tactical coordination and made substantial progress during 1982 in overcoming logistical and communications problems.

Front 4

42. Ladino

Back 4

who: people of mixed ancestry, mestizos, part of upper class, wealthier than mayan indians, who were at the bottom of the hierarchy and usually part of lower class. have conflict with mayan indians.
what: ladinos tended to see indigenous people as not part of national culture
when: 1960, civil war in Guatemala
where: Guatemala, mostly lived in urban areas
sig: Their dominance in Guatemala caused a lot of polarization within society which led to the civil war, which pitted the wealthier urban ladinos against the poorer rural Mayans. Ladinos controlled the military and government.

Front 5

43. Guerrilla Army of the Poor (EGP)

Back 5

Who: Guatemalan guerrilla movement
What: real emphasis on indigenous people, emphasize U.S. as being common enemy, anti-imperialism, pro-peasantry, U.S. is providing military aid that is creating this culture of violence. Merged with 3 other insurgent groups in 1982
When: established in 1972
Where: Guatemala
Sig: Got more support and merged with 3 other insurgent groups in 1982 to form the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG). Continued attack on government as one entity. Drew inspiration from Che

Front 6

44. Ixil

Back 6

Who: Mayan people
What: EGP tried to gain support from them
When: early 80s
Where: Guatemala, live in ixil community or ixil triangle comprising of three neighbouring towns in the Quiché department in the mountains of Guatemala.
Sig: Ixil Community was one of the principal stages for insurgent and counter-insurgent operations in the Guatemalan civil war. EGP used the surrounding mountains as a base of operations. Thousands of civilians caught in crossfire of war and were killed, tortured or disappeared. Army targeted civilians in this region, said to be motivated by their desire to eradicate Mayan culture.

Front 7

45. The Tiger of Ixcán

Back 7

Who: Jose Luis Arenas Berrera, rich landowner who was famously cruel to indigenous people, EGP assassinated him
What: assassination met with mixed results by the ixil people. Some approved, rejoiced with fiestas but many were now left unemployed. Infuritated the army
When: 1975
Where: Ixcan jungle
Sig: gave army short term justification to turn its attention to the jungles of ixcan. EGP killed him because he was a symbol of oppression and they wanted to gain support from the peasants

Front 8

46. Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union (URNG)

Back 8

Who: Guatemalan political party that started as guerrilla movement
What: EGB merged with other guerilla groups and became the URNG in 1982, drew support from rural poor, indigenous people and urban intellectuals
When: became legal party in 1998 after peace process after civil war
Where: Guatemala, worked mostly in countryside
Sig: best known for conducting nearly a decade of peace negotiations with the Guatemalan government on behalf of its member groups. As a result of the negotiations, the civil war ended in 1996.

Front 9

47. Efraín Ríos Montt

Back 9

Who: former Guatemalan dictator
What: presidency lasted less than 2 years before he was over thrown by coup, resided over one of the bloodiest periods of Guatemala's civil war, presided over rifle and beans campaign. began a "scorched-earth" counterinsurgency campaign in Guatemala's highlands against the URNG and its supporters.
When: took office during a coup in 1982, overthrown in 1983
Where: Guatemala
Sig: will stand trial on charges he ordered the murder, torture and displacement of thousands of Mayan Indians. Supported by U.S. and CIA

Front 10

48. Rifle and Beans

Back 10

Who: campaign initiated during Montt's presidency
What: "If you are with us, we’ll feed you, if not, we’ll kill you" beans for those who cooperated, rifles for those who didn't.
When: 1982
Where: Guatemala, countryside
Sig: designed to keep guerrillas out of Indian villages. recaptured what had been considered guerrilla territory but with massacres of civilians – largely Mayans.

Front 11

49. PACs

Back 11

Who: government formed Civilian defense patrols
What: were in theory voluntary but many felt forced to join, consist of villagers obliged to serve, without pay or remuneration, under the command of a local military officer, patrolled own neighborhoods and at times participated in kidnappings and killings
When: initiated in 1982
Where: Guatemala, country side
Sig: recaptured all guerrilla territory , used to maintain control over countryside, helped defeat guerrillas. Important part of military's counter insurgency

Front 12

33. Agustín Farabundo Martí

Back 12

Who: leading founder of the Salvadoran Communist Party, revolutionary
What: in 1932 was a strategist in a mass peasant insurgency. Rebellion was crushed by the military and Marti was executed in what is now known as La Matanza (the Massacre). Estimated 30,000 peasants, many of indigenous descent were murdered for the uprising
When: 1932
Where: El Salvador
Sig: memory of la matanza would linger over Salvadoran political life for decades, deterring dissent and maintaining a sort of coerced conformity. Inspired the FMLN, which was named after him.

Front 13

34. José Napoleón Duarte

Back 13

Who: President of El Salvador from 1984–89
What: unsuccessfully tried to reduce poverty and halt the prolonged civil war and violence of the military and the police
When: became provisional president of a military-civilian junta in 1980, ousted in 1982. Elected president in 1984
Where: El Salvador
Sig: tried to end civil war, government received a lot of aid from the U.S.

Front 14

36. Rutilio Grande

Back 14

Who: priest
What: first priest assassinated before civil war started, criticized the government, was a voice for the poor and called government out on silencing priests
When: assassinated in 1977 while driving on the way to mass
Where: El Salvador
Sig: murdered by government, showed that they were willing to kill even priests, Grande’s death was moment of crisis for Romero, prompted him to take direct action and change conservative attitudes and urge government to investigate murders especially Grande's, showed that Catholic Church was one of the government's most vocal opponents

Front 15

37. Oscar Arnulfo Romero

Back 15

Who: Archbishop of Catholic Church in El Salvador
What: At first was conservative but after Grande was assassinated he had a wake up call and he demands government to investigate Grande's murder. Says wont attend public functions and catholic schools would be closed until murders were solved. Starts investigated human rights abuses. Became very vocal, critique of the government.
When: El Salvador
Where: Assassinated on March 24, 1980 while giving mass in small chapel located in a hospital called "La Divina Providencia"
Sig: One of the people's most important allies especially for the poor, give weekly sermons, questioned who the real terrorists were. Holy week 1980 sermon he alled on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God's higher order and to stop carrying out the government's repression and violations of basic human rights. Assassination received international attention. Thousands mourn death, even in death he was still as threat to the regime, assassination made people turn to more violent

Front 16

38. YSAX

Back 16

Who: he archdiocese radio station
What: Place where Archbishop Romero delivered sermons. Romero’s Sunday audience was found to be reaching “73% of the [population in the] countryside and 47% [in] the urban areas. every documented case of killing, assault, disappearance, or torture – whether by the left or the right was broadcast.
When: transmitter or antenna was bombed ten times between 1977 and 1980.
Where: El Salvador
Where: a key vehicle for Oscar Romero’s instruction. Via the air waves Romero’s messages, in particular his lengthy Sunday sermon (generally no less than one and a half hours), found a huge and receptive audience across the nation – as well as in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. One of the only press sources that was not controlled by right.