Enrique Gorriarán Merlo

Enrique Gorriarán Merlo was an Argentine revolutionary, a founder of the People’s Revolutionary Army, and leader of the 1989 attack on the La Tablada barracks.

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Mario Roberto Santucho: Mario Roberto Santucho was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary who led the People’s Revolutionary Army. Santucho co-founded the ERP with Gorriarán Merlo and led it during its early campaigns.
La Tablada barracks attack: The La Tablada barracks attack was a 1989 armed assault on an Argentine military base by members of the Movement All for the Fatherland. Gorriarán Merlo organized and led the assault, which ended with dozens dead and his arrest.
Cordobazo: The Cordobazo was a 1969 uprising by workers and students in Córdoba against Argentina’s military government. The uprising marked the period in which Gorriarán Merlo’s generation turned toward armed politics.
Argentine democracy: Argentine democracy is the constitutional political system restored after the military dictatorship ended in 1983. The La Tablada assault tested a fragile democracy still confronting military threats and political violence.
People’s Revolutionary Army: The People’s Revolutionary Army was an Argentine Marxist guerrilla organization active from the 1970s into the 1980s. Gorriarán Merlo helped found this organization and became one of its leading figures.
Assassination of Anastasio Somoza Debayle: The assassination of Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a 1980 attack in Asunción, Paraguay, that killed Nicaragua’s former dictator. Gorriarán Merlo commanded the Argentine group responsible for the operation.
Revolutionary Peronism: Revolutionary Peronism was a left-wing current that sought social transformation through Peronist politics and, in some groups, armed struggle. The ERP and Gorriarán Merlo operated amid debates over Peronism, socialism, and armed revolution.
Carapintadas: The Carapintadas were Argentine army officers who staged rebellions against civilian authority in the late 1980s and early 1990s. MTP leaders claimed the 1989 assault was meant to preempt a Carapintada coup.
Sandinista National Liberation Front: The Sandinista National Liberation Front was the Nicaraguan revolutionary movement that overthrew the Somoza dictatorship in 1979. Gorriarán Merlo and other ERP members fought alongside the Sandinistas in Nicaragua.
Argentine Revolution: The Argentine Revolution was the military dictatorship that governed Argentina from 1966 to 1973. The ERP emerged amid the political repression and upheaval of this period.