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AP News: History of Bolivia Up to 1971

1952 Bolivian Revolution - April 9 - 11, 1952

The Bolivian National Revolution’s origins can be found during the Great Depression, and the defeat of the nation’s military during the Chaco War. The Great Depression had greatly weakened not only the Bolivian mining industry.

Increased radicalism from the Revolutionary Left Party, and Socialist Falange Party ate away at the oligarchic control Bolivia’s elites had held over the economy, and political system for decades.

The most important of these parties would be the catch-all revolutionary nationalists, the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), led by Juan Lechin and his Bolivian Workers’ Union, Victor Paz Estenssoro, and Hernán Siles Zuazo.

Starting in the mines, the miners, and the MNR led a popular uprising with town after town falling. On April 12, 1952, the military surrendered to the miners, and the MNR.

Estenssoro Government 1952-1956

Following their victory in the Revolution, the MNR would quickly begin to fragment between the left wing Trotskyists under Juan Lechin, and the conservative Walter Guevara. Estenssoro trended towards the middle of his own party, but recognized the growing divide.

Opting for a decentralized armed forces, mostly made up of workers’ and peasants, the MNR would begin to be pulled to the left. The Army itself was reorganized as a tool of the party, rather than a proper army to oppose the new government.

Universal suffrage was extended to the entire populace, and most contentiously, Paz would abolish term limits allowing himself to continuously stand for elections. This controversial move almost immediately sparked an attempted coup against him by Rene Barrientos. Having instead chosen to empower the worker’s militias, Paz managed to quash the coup.

Nonetheless he was deeply unpopular, he would choose to not run as President for the MNR again. Instead he threw his support behind candidate Hernán Siles Zuazo.

Hernán Siles Zuazo - 1956 - 1965

Zuazo would become president during a tumultuous period within his party. With Juan Lechin and the left wing of the party growing louder, and more uncontrollable, Lechin would demand the role of the vice presidency. Instead, Zuazo would turn towards the right, taking on Walter Guevara as Vice President.

This shift to the right caused mass defections by those who supported Juan Lechin. This split would be felt not only within the party but within the Bolivian Workers’ Union would would be coerced into following Lechin, despite his controversial personality.

President Zuazo would attempt to win over favors with the workers’, nationalizing more foreign businesses, and adopting a neutral view on foreign policy. This would instead merely anger the right wing, many of whom were suspected of being on the United States’ payroll. With falling popularity, and dissent from all sides Zuazo would choose to resign in 1965, calling for emergency elections.

Walter Guevara 1965 -1970

Guevara would become leader of the MNR, and the nation as a whole. Benefitting from a fragmented left wing, Guevara would come into office almost unopposed. Coming into office as a staunch free market supporter, Guevara would cut taxes, and tariffs across the board.

More unrest would come in 1969 when Guevara attempted to privatize the various state conglomerates, including the mines of Bolivia. This move prompted the worker’s militias who had served as the brunt of the military forces to attempt a coup against Guevara led by Juan Jose Torres. Guevara would turn to the more right wing, and more party-aligned Bolivian Army to quash the coup.

With the coup quashed, the Bolivian Army, which had aligned itself with Victor Paz who had come out of retirement as the situation fell apart, demanded Guevara not stand for a second term, lest they be forced to launch a coup against him. President Guevara would decline to run, with Victor Paz winning an easy victory with no opposition.

Return of Victor Paz Estenssoro - 1971 - Onwards

Once the unpopular statesmen, now considered the last hope of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, Estenssoro has his work cut out for him. The MNR is fragmented between right and left, most of the original leadership has exited the party to form left wing splinter factions. The labor unions are at their most mutinous, and Guevara’s reforms lay unfinished, and unpopular.

Adopting the rhetoric of “free market, and state guidance”, Estenssoro seems to be attempting to bind the reforms of both the left, and right, in order to bring the party back together. While it will be difficult, Estenssoro has some advantages. The left wing is in a state of disarray. Even the popular Juan Lechin has been increasingly growing despised by the leadership of his splinter party, Revolutionary Party of the Nationalist Left, if Estenssoro were to extend his hand out to them they may be willing to remerge, leaving Lechin isolated.

Another positive, is both the army, and militia’s are in a weakened state, and Estenssoro may be able to use this to his advantage, bringing them both back under the state’s hand, and ending the numerous failed coups’ that have taken place since the 1952 National Revolution.

No matter what choice is made, Estenssoro will have to make difficult compromises, and may have to engage in brutal tactics to rebuild the MNR.