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• Guerilla: Spanish for 'little war'
• Until 20^th century it was used to supplement the actions of regular armies.

Contents 1 Guerilla warfare according to Mao Tse-Tung 2 Facts about Guerilla Warfare 3 Why has it been the most common form of warfare since 1945? 4 Comments

Guerilla warfare according to Mao Tse-Tung

Organization Phase:

• Build up a structure of "cadres" to organize population support ('agit-prop' teams to develop popular awareness/use of "selective terror" against government officials, to eliminate landlords and others the population disliked, and to deter informers.

Guerilla Phase:

• Introduce guerilla attacks and ambushes (to acquire weapons and blow up infrastructure) make it difficult for governments to maintain a military presence (creation of "liberated areas")
• Mobile War (Third Phase)
• Amounted to civil war / force government forces to retreat to major cities until these were surrounded by a hostile countryside.

Facts about Guerilla Warfare

• Used where to engage in conventional warfare would mean defeat.
• Developed in rural societies where Marxist style revolution was not possible b/c of the lack of a proletariat.
• Guerrilla tactics are the "practical methods of achieving the strategic objectives" (Che Guevara) including mobility, self-sufficiency, sabotage.
• Must establish parallel structures of government
• Aim must be the changing of an unjust society/shouldn't be used until all peaceful methods of obtaining change have been exhausted (Che Guevara)
• Must have support of people. (Mao's metaphor of the guerilla fighter being the fish and the people the sea)
• Most movements have a middle class leadership.

Why has it been the most common form of warfare since 1945?

• Struggle of Asian and African people against colonial rule which meant conventional warfare was out of the question.
• The areas of decolonialisation were suited to its use.
• Outlawing of war (through UN)
• Development of nuclear weapons meant that guerilla warfare was used as a "war by proxy" btw the great powers.
• Advances in weaponry (more dangerous form of warfare)
• Suited with the politicization of the population
• The spreading of Marxism
• The development of the "Cold War"
  • Established Gov. could rely on support of one of the super-powers
  • USSR and China used it to pose as liberators in most colonial conflicts
• Development of the Mass Media prevents the government forces from using all methods at their disposal.

Comments