La Matanza
The Beginnings of a Civil War: 1932
Tensions began to strengthen as only 2% of the population shared the wealth created by the labor of the native peoples.In January of 1932, Augustín Farabundo Marti, a laborer, led a revolt against the dictatorship, one that largely favored european elites.
The government's response was to create "military death squads" (1). This began several weeks of massacre. These military groups would kill any one who appeared to look indigenous, or who supported the uprising. Some 30,000 indigenous were massacred, and Marti, the initial leader of the uprising was arrested and put to death.
This event, known as La Matanza or The Massacre, highlighted the extreme levels the military was willing to go to smother any idea of native uprising, but also began a severe anti-government push from the indigenous laborers which eventually lead to a gruesome civil war.
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