The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of the left-wing organization Sendero Luminoso. An integrated analysis and comprehensive review of the works presented by monographs, essays, materials of specially created commissions, where the formation of political, social, economic and spiritual foundations necessary for the Genesis of this group are considered. Significant attention is paid to the discourse that has emerged in the Peruvian academic space on the issue of social support for Senderists. The author analyzes the concepts put forward and presented by Peruvian researchers regarding the nature of the occurrence of large-scale violence in Peru in the 80s of the twentieth century. The conclusion emphasizes the role of the state as an institution designed to prevent social contradictions that take place in society from escalating into a full-scale bloody conflict.