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Naxalite
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Naxalism was the communist ideology of the Naxalites or Naxals, a grouping of political and insurgent groups from India. It was influenced by Maoist political sentiment and ideology.
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- Etymology
- History
- Causes
- Access to land and resources
- Rural development and protection
- Organisation
- Financing
- In popular culture
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Naxalism was the communist ideology of the Naxalites or Naxals, a grouping of political and insurgent groups from India. It was influenced by Maoist political sentiment and ideology.
Inspired by Maoism, Charu Majumdar wrote the Historic Eight Documents, which became the basis of Naxalism. Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal, and Jangal Santhal formed a faction of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) that called for a protracted people's war. The Naxalite–Maoist insurgency started after a 1967 uprising in the village of Naxalbari, West Bengal. The ideology takes its name from the village. After the uprising, Sanyal established the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist). Majumdar's writings became popular in urban areas. As students in Kolkata began to join the Naxalite movement, Majumdar shifted the ideology's focus beyond rural areas. The Naxalites splintered into various groups supportive of Maoist ideology. Under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of India (1967), some Naxalite organisations are designated as terrorist groups.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Naxalite” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.