Casebook on Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare Volume I
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Assessing Revolutionary and Insurgent Strategies CASEBOOK ON INSURGENCY AND Revolutionary WARFARE VOLUME I: 1933–1962 REVISED EDITION 25 JANUARY 2013 United States Army Special Operations Command Assessing Revolutionary and Insurgent Strategies CS A EBOOK ON INSURGENCY AND REVOLUTIONARY WARFARE: VOLUME I: 1933–1962 REVS I ED EDITION Paul J. Tompkins Jr., Project Lead United States Army Special Operations Command Layout by The Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory This publication is a work of the United States Government in accordance with Title 17, United States Code, sections 101 and 105. Published by: The United States Army Special Operations Command Fort Bragg, North Carolina 25 January 2013 Revised Edition First Edition published by Special Operations Research Office, American University, December 1962 Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the US government. Nonmateriel research on special warfare is performed in support of the requirements stated by the US Army Special Operations Com- mand, Department of the Army. Comments correcting errors of fact and opinion, filling or indicat- ing gaps of information, and suggesting other changes that may be appropriate should be addressed to: United States Army Special Operations Command G-3X, Special Programs Division 2929 Desert Storm Drive Fort Bragg, NC 28310 When citing this book, please refer to the version available at www.soc.mil. All ARIS products are available from USASOC at www.soc.mil under the ARIS link. ASSESSING REVOLUTIONARY AND INSURgent StRATEGIES The Assessing Revolutionary and Insurgent Strategies (ARIS) series consists of a set of case studies and research conducted for the US Army Special Operations Command by the National Security Analysis Depart- ment of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The purpose of the ARIS series is to produce a collection of aca- demically rigorous yet operationally relevant research materials to develop and illustrate a common understanding of insurgency and revolution. This research, intended to form a bedrock body of knowl- edge for members of the Special Forces, will allow users to distill vast amounts of material from a wide array of campaigns and extract rel- evant lessons, thereby enabling the development of future doctrine, professional education, and training. From its inception, ARIS has been focused on exploring histori- cal and current revolutions and insurgencies for the purpose of iden- tifying emerging trends in operational designs and patterns. ARIS encompasses research and studies on the general characteristics of revolutionary movements and insurgencies and examines unique adaptations by specific organizations or groups to overcome various environmental and contextual challenges. The ARIS series follows in the tradition of research conducted by the Special Operations Research Office (SORO) of American University in the 1950s and 1960s, by adding new research to that body of work and in several instances releasing updated editions of original SORO studies. VOLUMES IN THE ARIS SERIES Casebook on Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare, Volume I: 1933–1962 (Rev. Ed.) Casebook on Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare, Volume II: 1962–2009 Undergrounds in Insurgent, Revolutionary, and Resistance Warfare (2nd Ed.) Human Factors Considerations of Undergrounds in Insurgencies (2nd Ed.) Irregular Warfare Annotated Bibliography FUTURE STUDIES The Legal Status of Participants in Irregular Warfare Case Studies in Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare—Colombia (1964–2009) Case Studies in Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare—Sri Lanka (1976–2009) SORO STUDIES Case Study in Guerrilla War: Greece During World War II (pub.1961) Case Studies in Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare: Algeria 1954–1962 (pub. 1963) Case Studies in Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare: Cuba 1953–1959 (pub. 1963) Case Study in Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare: Guatemala 1944–1954 (pub. 1964) Case Studies in Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare: Vietnam 1941–1954 (pub. 1964) INTRODUCTION TO REVISED EDITION This Casebook was originally published by the US Army Special Operations Research Office in December 1962. As we developed the Assessing Resistance and Insurgent Strategies (ARIS) project and work began on the new Casebook, we determined that the studies within this volume are still important and relevant and thus this first volume should be republished. This volume covers roughly the first half of the nineteenth century through 1962; Volume II covers 1962 through 2009. Each book addresses twenty-three insurgencies. The majority of the book was reproduced exactly as it appeared originally, with some minor spelling and punctuation corrections as well as changes in for- matting to allow for modern typesetting and to match the new sec- ond volume in presentation. In the original, some of the footnotes or endnotes have no corresponding reference in the text, and in some instances, a reference number exists but has no corresponding foot- note; these were left as is. This volume includes the following formats: a softbound book, a hardbound book, a PDF, and an EPUB. When citing this volume in scholarly work, please refer to the PDF version available at www.soc.mil. This volume along with the other products from the ARIS project are essential learning tools developed to enhance Special Operations personnel’s understanding of resistances and insurgencies. For more than fifty years, Special Operations has conducted missions to sup- port resistances or insurgencies (unconventional warfare); to coun- ter them (counterinsurgency operations); or to support a partner nation in eliminating them (foreign internal defense). These opera- tions are collectively referred to as special warfare. Special Operations doctrine gives general principles and strategies for accomplishing these operations but in most cases describes the resistance or insur- gency only in generalities. The ARIS project was designed to serve as an anatomy lesson. It provides the necessary foundational material for the special warfare practitioner to learn the elemental structure, form, and function of rebellions, thus enabling him or her to better adapt and apply the doctrine professionally. Additionally, these prod- ucts inform doctrine, ensuring that it is adapted to meet modern social and technological changes. Paul J. Tompkins Jr. USASOC Project Lead CASEBOOK ON INSURGENCY AND REVOLUTIONARY WARFARE: 23 SUMMARY ACCOUNTS Primary Research Responsibility: Paul A. Jureidini Norman A. La Charité Bert H. Cooper William A. Lybrand SPECIAL OPERATIONS RESEARCH OFFICE The American University Washington 16, D.C. December 1962 FOREWORD The United States of America, born of revolution, finds itself deeply interested to this day in revolutionary movements around the world. Vitally concerned with maintaining international tranquility, we seek to minimize internal unrest within the boundaries of other nations, while fostering orderly growth and change. At the same time that we seek to extend education and economic opportunities for many peoples of the world, we must accept the risk of causing aspira- tions and expectations to rise more rapidly than the means to meet them. We must accept the associated risk that the frustrations thus engendered could develop into forces of explosive proportions. Thus it behooves us to extend our understanding of those pro- cesses of violent social change usually called revolutions, whether we see them as Communist inspired or emerging from the clash of popu- lar hopes with a political system that resists change. The US Army’s concern with revolutions derives from two sources: First, the Army is a participant, through the many mutual security pacts between the United States and other countries, in the total United States effort to bring about change. Wisdom in the application of military means in the growth and development of nations is cer- tainly to be desired. Second, the Army may, despite our best national efforts, have to cope directly, or through assistance and advice, indi- rectly, with revolutionary actions. It need not be emphasized that here again a better understanding of the processes of revolution might well be of critical significance. Thus we perceive a requirement to extend our knowledge of how revolutions are born, grow, succeed, or fail. This book, prepared by the staff of the Special Operations Research Office, is the first part of an effort to so extend our knowledge. The book briefly describes 23 recent revolutions, using a standard outline to facilitate comparisons. Companion volumes will treat four of them in much greater detail. These volumes will comprise a good portion of the data for a further study of revolutions which will aim to specify the terms of a general model of violent political change. Hopefully this step would aid in the invention of a set of criteria for more accurately assessing unrest and revolutionary potential within a country. Readers are urged to at least skim the Introduction as the first step toward understanding the rationale of the standard outline and toward becoming familiar with the definition of revolution used in this study. Because of the Special Operation Research Office’s con- iii tinuing research interest in revolutionary processes, correspondence with readers will be welcomed. T. R. Vallance, Director. iv PREFACE This casebook has been developed as a “reader” in insurgency and revolutionary warfare. Its major functions are to provide a general introduction to