ABSTRACT
In October of 1968, the Republic of Peru entered a new and controversial era when a military junta headed by General Juan Velasco Alvarado overthrew the civilian president Fernando Belaunde Terry and took power as a self-proclaimed "Revolutionary Government." Preceding Peruvian governments had been exceptionally reluctant to undertake even minimal reform programs and lagged far behind their neighbors in introducing any kind of administrative innovation. The new government's proposed reforms were still more detailed and extensive. The stated objective of reform is the creation of a "dynamic and efficient administrative structure leading to improved government action and a more effective service to society." The government's much publicized austerity program provoked a last minute decision to reduce the number of ministries and so led to the elimination of the old Ministry of Justice. The government's treatment of the new scheme was symptomatic of the larger misunderstandings surrounding the second stage of reform.
