Revolutionary Union Unión Revolucionaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | UR |
| Supreme Chief | Luis A. Flores[1] |
| Founded | July 30, 1931 (1931-07-30) |
| Dissolved | 1956 (1956) |
| Headquarters | Casa Tenaud,Lima |
| Newspaper | Acción[2] |
| Youth wing | Legión Juvenil Fascista[3] |
| Paramilitary wing | Black Shirts (1933–1934)[4] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right[13] |
| Colors | Black |
| Slogan | "Perú para los peruanos" (unofficial) (lit. 'Peru for Peruvians')[14] |
| Party flag | |
 | |
TheRevolutionary Union (Spanish:Unión Revolucionaria,UR), was anationalistpolitical party in Peru founded in 1931 byLuis M. Sánchez Cerro, former president ofPeru. The party was formed following the coup with which Sanchez Cerro overthrew theeleven-year dictatorship ofAugusto B. Leguía.[15] Initially anauthoritarian-populist organization, the party later transitioned towardsfascism following the assassination of its founder, withLuis A. Flores assuming leadership in 1933 and consolidating this ideological shift.[16]
As amass movement, the UR drew significant support from many different groups in Peruvian society, includedrural communities, individuals from theAndean and southern regions,women, the unemployed, marginalized groups (lumpen), as well as formercivilistas andconservatives.[17] In theelections of 1931, Sánchez Cerro obtained more than 150,000 votes, allowing the aforementioned candidate to lead a second government.[17] The party maintained a populist and nationalist character, and displayed a staunch opposition towardscommunism and theAPRA, organizing armed groups to combat said movements.[18] The UR organized impoverished social sectors in both urban and rural areas. It carried out extensive work among poor women, urban marginalized groups andyanaconas.[18]
Theassassination of Sanchez Cerro at the hands of anaprista militant and the assumption of power of the party by Luis A. Flores lead an ideological transition towardsfascism.[15] Highly inspired inItalian fascism, the party adopted a similar paramilitary branch called theLegión de Camisas Negras ("Blackshirt Legion").[19] The UR openly advocated for an armed struggle againstleftist forces, under the slogan that fascism means “religiosity, conservatism, and right-wing conduct”.[18] By 1936, the UR had at least 6,000 members among their armed groups.[4] In the elections of that year, Flores lost in second place againstLuis Antonio Eguiguren, although the elections were later annulled by the government ofÓscar R. Benavides, who would reform the1933 constitution to extend his term by an additional three years.[20]
The UR saw a loss of support after failure in the elections of 1936.[21] Following the extension of the Benavides’ government, some of the most prominent leaders of both the UR and the APRA would be deported. Deprived of charismatic leadership and overshadowed in popular favour by the new regime's achievements, the UR began a decline that ultimately led to its disappearance in 1956.[22]
The party was founded in 1931 byLuis Miguel Sánchez Cerro and became the governing party that same year. It took part in elections in 1931 and 1945.
In 1933 the leadership was taken over byLuis A. Flores. The party wasanti-democratic, supportingfascism,nationalism andpopulism.[23] Revolutionary Union started its own Blackshirts paramilitary arm as a copy of theItalian group[24] and would also use theRoman salute like other fascist movements use.[25]
The Union first achieved its political victories in the 1930s.[26] It formed theNational Democratic Front coalition besideAPRA and theReformist Democratic Party, resulting inJosé Luis Bustamante y Rivero becoming president.[27] After losing support in the1936 Peruvian general election, the party would see its supporters move to the Peruvian Fascist Brotherhood ofJosé de la Riva-Agüero y Osma.[28]
On December 7, 1945, the group's headquarters, located at theCasa Tenaud, was attacked by sympathisers of theAmerican Popular Revolutionary Alliance, who usedincendiary devices anddynamite to attack the building and later made it difficult for firemen to carry out their duties and put out the flames.[29] Consequently, the unsalvageable building[29] was later demolished, being replaced by the 20-storey Anglo–Peruvian building.