Bolivian Government and Civil Rights p.3 Flashcards
What was life like for the indigenous population in Bolivia under the ‘new republic’ in the nineteenth century?
Not good.
Whites denied non-whites any power.
Indigenous population was deprived of communal lands and the army killed thousands.
Indigenous population revolted in 1899 (they massacred and ate government soldiers). The government responded brutally.
What was established in Warisata?
A teacher training school in 1928. It encouraged the indigenous population to organise and fight for land reform.
in 1937 Colonel Busch’s military government had a constitutional convention, how did this impact the indigenous population?
Radical delegates proposed laws to protect indigenous communities and their lands. This gained little support
The convention approved an education reform law that provided rural education centers for the indigenous population.
What are examples of political parties in Bolivia which put indigenous rights on the agenda?
PIR (Party of the Revolutionary Left) → established by Communists in the 1940s
POR (Revolutionary Worker’s Party) → established in 1934.
Why did indigenous activism increase in Bolivia between 1945-1952?
New radical parties (PIR) were sympathetic to indigenous tribes
Teachers trained at schools like Warisata raised indigenous consciousness
Busch’s educational reforms
Indigenous peasants began to organise themselves
1943 → Quechua speaking Major Villarroel led reformist military officers in a coup. His government assembled over 100 indigenous leaders in Bolivia’s National Indigenous Congress
When was the first National Indigenous Congress?
1945
What were the successes of the National Indigenous Congress?
President Villarroel gave a sympathetic speech promising better education, abolition of labour service obligations, better housing and food etc.
Congress demonstrated rare indigenous unity - all demanded the end of compulsory labour service and discriminatory laws.
Large sense of unity - indigenous communities had organised mass meetings and regional conferences to prepare.
Raised indigenous consciousness
What were the negative results of the National Indigenous Congress?
Resolutions never put into force. Mobilisation of indigenous communities terrified conservatives. Villarroel was overthrown in 1946 and the army reintroduced forced indigenous labour.
When was the National Revolution?
1952
Who led the National Revolution?
MNR. Victor Paz Estenssoro became Bolivia’s first revolutionary president. MNR was supported by the workers and middle class.
What were the impacts of the National Revolution?
New electoral abolished literacy tests and property restrictions, which gave indigenous populations access to voting
Land reform, started by peasant initiative.
Agrarian reform Law 1953 legalised peasant land seizures. Confiscated and redistributed the largest estates and abolished compulsory labour.
Educational reform - indigenous could access education
Ministry of Peasant Affairs created.
What were the negatives of the Agrarian Reform Law?
Only larger estates were redistributed and there divided inefficiently
Productivity declined because of a lack of capital input.
When were the military governments in Bolivia?
1964-82
Why were military governments sometimes sympathetic to indigenous populations?
Under the MNR government, the army had been made to aid national development, including the incorporation of indigenous population into national life.
What was Barrientos’ (he was the head of the 1964 military junta) attitude to the peasants?
He was sympathetic to them. He promised aid, and visited remote villages where he won over local leaders. There was a strong sense of peasant loyalty to him.
