ABSTRACT
In analyzing the rapid swings in the balance between popular/ revolutionary and counter insurgent forces, this chapter considers both objective and subjective factors that determined the course of the war. The experience of the revolutionary movement in the Guatemalan highlands during the late 1970s and early 1980s is the subject of considerable debate. The very experiences of the popular movements radicalized some of their participants, while revolutionizing others. The guerrilla movement of the 1960s suffered from persistent sectarianism and rivalries among the different organizations. Most seriously, based in the eastern section of the country, the guerrilla insurgency of the 1960s had virtually ignored the Indian population and its needs. The only exceptions had been the early attempt by Turcios Lima to establish an Indian front in Huehuetenango and the formation of a Cakchiquel contingent in the Verapaz provinces. In the reassessments and self-criticisms of the movements of the 1960s, this point became the basis for a new strategy.
