Agustín Morales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Agustín Morales
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| 16th President of Bolivia | |
| In office 15 January 1871 – 27 November 1872 Provisional: 21 January 1871 – 25 August 1872 |
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| Preceded by | Mariano Melgarejo |
| Succeeded by | Tomás Frías |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pedro Agustín Morales Hernández
11 March 1808 La Paz, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (now Bolivia) |
| Died | 27 November 1872 (aged 64) La Paz, Bolivia |
| Cause of death | Physical quarrel |
| Spouse | Petrona López |
| Parents | Pedro Morales Antonia Hernández |
| Signature | .svg){kind=small} |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Bolivia |
| Branch/service | Bolivian Army |
| Rank | General |
Pedro Agustín Morales Hernández (11 March 1808 – 27 November 1872) was a Bolivian military officer who served as the 16th president of Bolivia from 1871 and 1872.
Early years
Morales was born in La Paz. Originally a supporter of President José Ballivián (1841–1847), Morales became a sworn enemy of General Manuel Isidoro Belzu, who had overthrown Ballivián in 1847. A Colonel in 1850, Morales orchestrated an assassination attempt on the life of President Belzu. The assassination attempt failed and Morales was forced to flee the country, heading to Peru and remaining there until the overthrow of Jorge Córdova.
Career
Following many years combatting Belzu, Morales came to power with President José Maria Linares (1857–1861). Opposed to the government of General José Maria de Achá, who had overthrown Linares, Morales supported the 1864 coup that brought to power the notorious General Mariano Melgarejo, who rewarded him with the generalship and (importantly) command of the Bolivian Army. Melgarejo's six-year regime had been controversial and brutal, and opposition to it became widespread. Eventually, General Morales changed sides and, after uniting all the factions fighting against the President, deposed Melgarejo via coup d'état in January, 1871.
Author Moisés Alcázar describes the jubilant sentiment of the Bolivian people after Melgarejo's overthrow:
Melgarejo's star had definitively died out. Bolivia jubilantly celebrated its liberation, taking in happily the awakening from a terrible nightmare, determined to return to normality, and to reverse the values invested in the dark and mournful times [of Melgarejo's regime] because the world has to regain its balance. In the history of humanity, power is nothing more than frequent alternative. Life is stronger than despotism and errors, and sometimes, gently or painfully, order and progress are restored, without which the existence of peoples would be impossible. Because good is imperative for superior souls, dignifying the human species. The malignant ends by being irretrievably defeated and devastated, although the brutality is supported by force, which is also transitory and variable. And there will be jubilant mornings like that of January 15, 1871, as there will be Melgarejos and crime and barbarism blocks, although only for a short time, the sun of Liberty.
Soon after ousting Melgarejo, Morales reverted the reforms and decrees of the previous regime. However, he was as much a despot as his predecessor, shutting the national congress down in 1872.
See also
In Spanish: Agustín Morales para niños
