The political behavior of peasants in four Paraguayan communities is studied in monographic detail. The communities were selected to measure the influence of two variables on political behavior--economic location and the history of elite-peasant relationships. This arrangement permits me to make conclusions concerning the impact of capitalist development and local history on community political responses The study analyzes peasant efforts to obtain and secure access to land, favorable agricultural policies, defense from abuse, and respect for the peasant ideal of social relationships. Some communities are able to achieve relatively greater success in forcing state agents to recognize the peasants' claims and demands The study concludes that the local history is the stronger determining variable for discerning which communities are more likely to achieve relative political efficacy. There seems to be little correlation between capitalist development and communal patterns of political behavior. However, capitalist development is the stronger determining variable in predicting what issues are central to peasant demands and what survival strategies individuals use
