Think As Historian: THINK AS A HISTORIAN: POINT Of vIEW AND THE LIMITS Of SOURCES

The year 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the year—1968—that stands out most in the decade of the 1960s. At their annual meeting that year, members of the American Historical Association considered what made that year so remarkable and how historians answer questions like that. Dr. Alan Shane Dillingham spoke about using first-hand primary sources: “I think the limitations of historical narratives dominated by participants tell a kind of romantic story—obstacles overcome, that kind of stuff. That’s important, but it can also simplify these moments and prevent you from seeing important connections.”

Following are excerpts from an interview with a young guerrilla officer in the Peruvian terrorist group Shining Path. Explain how the point of view of this source could both illuminate and limit a histo- rian’s understanding of Shining Path’s rise to power.

• “All popular war is violent . . . We use selective annihilation of mayors and government officials, for example, to destroy the pres- ence of the state and create a vacuum. Then we fill that vacuum.’’

• “We are all prepared to die, and we fear nothing because the armed popular struggle will advance and triumph.’’

• “We are fighting against a neofeudal society where the state has almost no presence in many areas and the masses have long been exploited.’’

Chicago Tribune, July 9, 1989, “More War Will

Bring Peace,” Say Peru’s Maoists after 15,000 Die