We Are The Initiators: Proto-Maoism and Peoples War in West Germany and Italy

The work intends to revisit the historical cases of New Left terrorism in West Germany and Italy by marking the most famous and functional groups (the Red Brigades and the Red Army Faction) as part of a proto-Maoist configuration of armed politics. From this, the work means to state that the actions and theory of both groups were guided by a thought process later to be fully realised from the synthesis of Maoist ideology by the Communist Party of Peru – Shining Path, their leader Chairman Gonzalo and their notions towards a "World People’s War". By analysing and dissecting both groups ideological debates surrounding the First World labour aristocracy, the economism of legalist leftists in the imperial core, the solidarity campaigns for Third World revolution and the need for political violence in the industrialised nations, a comparative case study shall be presented that puts the armed struggle groups of Italy and West Germany in line with Maoist thinking. The work intends to do this in order to grasp the means of conduct of left-wing violence and terrorism inside the imperial core. By looking towards the development and professionalisation of both groups in line with the birth of synthesised Maoism at the hands of the Shining Path, the tactics and targets of both groups can be examined under new light as part of a framework that includes the ongoing modern rebellions of armed communists. The work means to use the statements and tactics employed by Chairman Gonzalo and the Shining Path to reframe the earlier struggles of the European armed struggle groups. Gonzalo’s fiery declarations of sweeping violence and destruction are to be placed alongside the very same actions and statements of the European groups. The comparative nature of the work seeks to clarify the violence behind the statements by looking at how a Maoist ideology, informed by events such as the Cultural Revolution, created the impetus to form groups such as the Red Brigades and the Red Army Faction. In spite of the earlier formations than that of the Shining Path groups, their legacy and continuation showcase the ability of a People’s War group to function effectively as a combative group of political violence in modern Europe. The paper shall denote the series of debates surrounding the pot-war international communist movement namely consisting of the discussions encompassing revisionism, legalism and economism. By placing the Red Brigades and the Red Army Faction alongside the Shining Path and their affiliates in the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement, the political norms of violence in both groups can be brought up with more recent developments in the extra-parliamentary communist movement. The paper shall thus develop an exploration into how armed struggle may develop should further contradictions arise in Europe and the possibilities for extra-parliamentary leftists should the thought processes of the Red Amry Faction, the Red Army Faction and Chairman Gonzalo be paid attention to.