ABSTRACT
The Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional Tupamaros was formed as an extension of a 1961 protest in which Raul Sendic, a thirty-six-year-old law student from Montevideo, led a group of poverty-stricken sugar farmers in their demands for higher pay and decent working conditions. The guerrilla group emerged from what many considered an unlikely foundation for a popular revolt. Uruguay's intrinsic qualities led to the formation of a new type of revolutionary association—one that utilized the predominantly urban makeup of the country to its advantage. The Tupamaros vowed to take up an armed struggle in order to create an independent nationalist identity and implement socialism as Uruguay's socioeconomic system. Popular demonstrations composed of students and trade unionists highlighted the Tupamaros' relatively high standing in Uruguayan society. By mid-1972, the guerrilla influence within the nation had been essentially eliminated and the armed forces were anxious to establish national security and rid the government of endemic corruption.
