Guión Rojo
The Guión Rojo (Red Banner) was a Paraguayan paramilitary organization of the 1930-1950s, which was formed in 1942 as the paramilitary wing of the Colorado Party. It united supporters of Colorado leader Juan Natalicio González, far-right nationalists, anti-communists and adherents of Falangist and pro-fascist ideas. It played a prominent role under the dictatorial regime of the 1940s, in the civil war of 1947, the subsequent political struggle and the establishment of Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship. Background Paramilitary formations have a long association with Paraguayan politics. A surge in their activity came in the 1930s. This was facilitated by the entry into politics of many veterans of the Chaco War and the political crisis of the February Revolution of 1936, described as "a joint Marxist - fascist coup against the liberal government". By the end of the decade, in general, two opposing blocs had formed: on the right the Colorado Party, and on the left the Liberal and Revolutionary Febrerista, with the Communist Party adjoining them. The Paraguayan army and state apparatus had their own goals, putting forward ambitious authoritarian politicians from their midst. In the countryside, the conservative Colorado Party relied on 15,000-strong Py Nandi peasant militia. These formations were recruited mainly from the rural poor (in the Guaraní language, py nandi means "barefoot ones") who held strongly conservative and anti-communist views. The Py Nandi militants were notable for their particular brutality in reprisals against left-wing activists. The Spanish Civil War, with its ideologically driven militias and foreign intervention, prompted the Paraguayan far right to strengthen the paramilitary force. Creation and ideology In 1938, Colorado leader Juan Natalicio González decided to reform the party's paramilitary structure. On the basis of the rural Py Nandi and the urban GACs (Grupos de Acción Colorada - Colorado Action Groups), another militia was created in 1942, called Guión Rojo (meaning Red Banner, as the color red is historically associated with Paraguayan conservatism). In this new organization, González saw an instrument to further his populist socio-economic doctrine, close to corporatism as well as his own ambitions for the presidency. Politically, Guión Rojo differed little from Py Nandi. However, there were noticeable differences in social composition and organizational structure. Guión Rojo included not only peasants, representatives of the low and middle bourgeoisie in the cities, and right-wing intellectuals. The structure was more strict, closer to the Colorado branches, with direct subordination to party functionaries and personally to Juan Natalicio González. González, a well-known intellectual, journalist, historian and writer, was inclined towards political romanticism. González combined national populist views with the idea of a Colorado corporate fraternity. Guión Rojo militants understood his slogan "Colorado will not be poor" as a sanction for permissiveness. "Army of Colorado" In 1940, the military dictatorship of Higinio Morínigo was established in Paraguay. His regime held strong nationalist and anti-communist beliefs and showed sympathy for the Axis Powers. Therefore, the Colorado Party, led by González, supported the Morínigo regime. Since 1942, the Guión Rojo acted as a pro-government power structure. The militants of