Information AboutHuk |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT HUKBALAHAP | |
| military history of the philippines during world war ii | |
| irregular military | |
| military history of the philippines | |
| world war ii resistance movements | |
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HISTORY The Hukbalahap started off as several groups of resistance against the Japanese Imperial army that occupied the Philippines after the defeat of the American-Filipino military in the early days of World War II. Its strength came from the mostly agrarian peasants of Central Luzon. The group's leaders, among them figure-head Luis Taruc , aimed at leading the Philippines toward Marxist ideals. The Hukbalahap Insurrection (1946-1954) is often inaccurately portrayed as an attempt by the group to take over the Philippine government. In actuality, their goals were far more understandable - recognition as WWII Freedom fighters and a share of war reparations. The group grew quickly and by late summer of 1943 claimed to have 20,000 active military fighters and 50,000 more in reserve, stealing most of their weaponry from battlefields and downed planes left behind by the Japanese and Americans. They fought both Japanese and American troops to rid the country of its imperialist occupation, but they also worked to subvert the Japanese tax-collection service, intercept food and supplies to the Japanese troops, and created a training school where they taught political theory and military tactics based on Marxist ideas. In areas that the group controlled they set up small governments and instituted land reforms, dividing up the largest estates equally between the peasants and often killing the landlords. After the war the Hukbalahaps remained active (although to a lesser extent and greatly subverted by the American guerilla troops), eventually renaming themselves in 1950 into the People's Liberation Army. The "Huk" resistance to the new Philippine government formed in 1946 was eventually defeated in 1954 with American help. SOURCES Bautista, Alberto Manuel. "The Hukbalahap Movement in the Philippines, 1942-1952". University of California: 1952. |
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