INCA PLAN: BACKGROUND, CAUSES AND OBJECTIVES - HISTORY - 2025

The Inca Plan was a document prepared by the self-proclaimed Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces in Peru. The document was a government plan that covered a series of objectives to be carried out in 20 years.

A coup had brought the military to power in 1968, naming Major General Juan Velasco Alvarado as president. The causes of its uprising were the economic crisis, social problems and the growing tension that the country was experiencing. A scandal related to oil exploitation was the most immediate cause of the coup.

Juan Velasco Alvarado - Source: Unknown, undefined

Once he came to power, Alvarado and the rest of the military who accompanied him set out to totally reform the country. The Inca Plan was the program created to carry out those changes that, as they declared, should create a more just, equal and free Peru.

The plan detailed the actions to be taken to achieve its objectives. These ranged from re-controlling oil and mining, then in foreign hands, to establishing equality between women and men.

Background

Peru had experienced a military coup in the early 1960s to, among other reasons, prevent the victory of the Aprista candidate in the elections. The military government that emerged from the uprising was quite progressive in character, with measures such as the creation of the National Planning Institute.

After a year ruling, the military organized elections in which their preferred candidate, Fernando Belaunde, won. Although most of the military leadership pledged to the new president, the country's economic and political instability continued to grow.

According to some historians, General Juan Velasco never supported President Belaunde. Along with him, other officers trained in the CAEM were positioned, who, in the end, would be the protagonists of the 1968 coup.

Coup

The coup d'état took place in October 1968. On the morning of October 2, General Velasco went to the Government Palace during the swearing-in of the cabinet. Hours later, already during the early morning of the 3rd, the tanks surrounded the Palace and the Congress. Belaunde was jailed and the Congress closed.

After taking control of the country, a Military Junta was created. This appointed Velasco Alvarado President of the Government.

Causes

At the end of Belaúnde's term, the situation in Peru was very turbulent. On the one hand, there was significant guerrilla activity and very radical workers' organizations had appeared. The traditional parties accused the growing political instability.

On the other hand, the national economy was plunged into a deep crisis, which only increased the feeling of ungovernability.

Economic crisis

Peru was going through a very delicate stage economically. The reforms undertaken and the flight of foreign capital caused the government to ask for foreign loans.

On the other hand, two of the great national riches, oil and mining, were under the control of foreign companies.

Inequality

This entailed a very marked social inequality. In the case, for example, of the possession of farmland, the data indicate that 2% of the population owned 90% of the arable land.

The Talara Act scandal and Page 11

The event that the military used as the last pretext to carry out the coup was a scandal that arose around the La Brea and Pariñas oil fields. These were exploited by an American company, the International Petroleum Company.

The company had not paid exploitation taxes since it took over the exploitation. On August 13, 1968, the Talara Act was signed, by means of which all the deposits that were exploited by that company passed into state hands. The only exception was the old Talara refinery.

Despite the apparent resolution of the conflict, accusations soon emerged claiming that there were hidden agreements to favor the American company. The scandal broke out when it was reported that a page was missing in the crude price contract, signed by the state-owned Empresa Petrolera Fiscal and the US company.

The so-called "Page Eleven" served as an excuse for Velasco to strike, since he accused Belaunde of favoring the United States company against the interests of the country.

goals

The Inca Plan set a term of 20 years to achieve "the integration of the population, its distribution throughout the economic space of the country and ensure that the per capita income is no less than the current one." Ideologically, its authors declared themselves "neither capitalists, nor Marxist-Leninists."

In its first paragraphs, the Inca Plan had a declaration of intent on its global objective:

“The Revolution of the Armed Forces will carry out a process of transformation of the economic, social, political and cultural structures, in order to achieve a new society, in which Peruvian men and women live with freedom and justice.

This revolution will be nationalistic, independent and humanistic. It will not obey schemes or dogmas. It will only respond to the Peruvian reality ”.

Oil and mining

As mentioned, most of the farms are in foreign hands. For this reason, the Inca Plan indicated the need for them to pass into the hands of the State.

To do this, they wanted to annul the Talara Act and other similar agreements. Likewise, the Plan promised to expropriate all the assets of the IPC to collect what it owed to Peru.

Planning

The military government favored comprehensive and mandatory planning for the public sector. In the private sphere, this planning would be indicative.

The objective was to improve the country's development indices, creating a short, medium and long-term plan.

International policy

At the time the Plan Inca was drawn up, Peru maintained an independent policy closely linked to the interests of the United States. The new rulers set out to change that situation, developing a nationalist and independent foreign policy.

Rest of economic areas

Within the Inca Plan, the situation of agriculture occupied a very relevant space. Land ownership in Peru was concentrated in very few hands and the plan set the objective of carrying out an agrarian reform that would change that situation.

The reform, as planned, should benefit the small tenants who already worked the land. These would take precedence when adjudicating the land expropriated by law.

On the other hand, the plan also pointed out the need to carry out a reform of the business fabric. This would give workers a share in management and ownership. In addition, state companies were to be strengthened.

Social aspects

The equality of women also appeared as one of the most important objectives within the Inca Plan. The document set the objective of ending any type of legal and social discrimination, in addition to promoting women's access to education and jobs.

On the other hand, the Plan pointed out the need for there to be real freedom of the press. For the signatories, at that time, the press was in the hands of the Peruvian oligarchy, which controlled what could be published. The objective was to end this concentration of media and ensure the free expression of ideas.

government

The Velasco government also designed changes in the three branches of the State. In the case of the Judicial, the Inca Plan set itself the objective of increasing its independence, as well as the training of judges. Likewise, it announced new legislation, promulgated in accordance with the principles of the revolution.

Together with the above, the Inca Plan announced that a new constitution was going to be drawn up to accommodate all the transformations that were to be carried out.

References

1. Subdirectorate of Publications and Educational Material of the National Institute for Research and Development of Education. The Inca Plan. Recovered from peru.elmilitante.org
2. Steinsleger, José. Peru, 1968: revolution in the Andes. Obtained from día.com.mx
3. Contreras, Carlos; Cueto, Marcos. X-ray of the Inca Plan. Obtained from historiadelperu.carpetapedagogica.com
4. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Inca Plan. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
5. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Juan Velasco Alvarado. Retrieved from britannica.com
6. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada. Peru: Agrarian reform under the military regime of Juan Velasco Alvarado, including what the program entailed and its impact on Peruvian society (1968-1975). Retrieved from refworld.org
7. Niedergang, Marcel. Revolutionary Nationalism in Peru. Retrieved from foreignaffairs.com