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