Los cambios estructurales en la economía peruana.
Image courtesy of the Senate House Library Latin American Political Pamphlet Collection
by annika dhakad
Los cambios estructurales en la economía peruana.
El fracaso del populismo militar (1968 – 1976)
Structural changes in the Peruvian economy.
The failure of military populism (1968 – 1976)
In Peru, due to the expansion of popular sectors in marginal cities who came from different parts of the country, the political current of populism began in the middle of the 20th century. People sought agrarian reform, industrialization, state planning, and the reduction of social and economic inequality. In 1963, the populist government of Fernando Belaunde came to power, promising to comply with popular demands; however, the government became involved in a series of scandals, while its policy changes allowed the armed forces to carry out a coup d’état in 1968, under the leadership of General Velasco Alvarado.
Velasco's popular military government was marked by processes of profound and radical economic and social reforms. These structural changes occurred in one of the most traditionalist Latin American countries, through the expropriation and nationalization of foreign-owned private companies, mostly North American. The booklet we see here was published by “the “Jose Maria Arguedas” publication: national reality series”, in reference to the famous anthropologist and writer of the same name.
The image on the cover, attributed to C. Brudenius, presents a detailed black and white illustration against a bright red backdrop. We see a crumbling government building on the verge of collapse: this represents the Peruvian economy in a state of decay. Meanwhile, the people of Peru are surrounding the building, working together and making every effort to prevent the complete destruction of their economy. To the side of the building we can see an elderly man representing the United States lurking behind the dilapidated building, wearing his signature pilgrim hat.
