Peru: 20th Century Developments

Peru began the twentieth century under the so-called Aristocratic Republic, a period of civilian oligarchic rule that gave way to recurring cycles of elected government and military intervention. Augusto Leguia dominated much of the 1920s with an authoritarian presidency emphasizing modernization and foreign investment, but economic strain and mounting opposition led to his overthrow in 1930. The following decades brought alternating civilian administrations and coups, including a 1948 takeover by General Manuel Odria, as the country urbanized rapidly and Lima's population grew substantially.

In 1968, the military under General Juan Velasco Alvarado seized power and pursued sweeping reforms, nationalizing foreign oil holdings and redistributing large landed estates to peasant communities. A return to elected civilian government came in 1980, but the country soon faced a brutal internal conflict as the Maoist insurgent group Shining Path, active from 1980, waged a guerrilla campaign against the state that claimed tens of thousands of lives over the following two decades.

Alberto Fujimori, elected president in 1990, implemented sweeping economic reforms and, backed by the military, suspended the constitution in a 1992 autogolpe that concentrated power in the executive. His government captured Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman later that year, a turning point that significantly weakened the insurgency. Fujimori resigned amid corruption scandals in 2000, and Peru closed the century working to rebuild democratic institutions and address the legacy of internal conflict.