Daniel Salamanca facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniel Salamanca
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| 33rd President of Bolivia | |
| In office 5 March 1931 – 1 December 1934 |
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| Vice President | José Luis Tejada Sorzano |
| Preceded by | Carlos Blanco Galindo |
| Succeeded by | José Luis Tejada Sorzano |
| Minister of Finance and Industry | |
| In office 27 October 1903 – 15 April 1904 |
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| President | José Manuel Pando |
| Preceded by | Ignacio Calderón |
| Succeeded by | Fidel Valdez |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Daniel Domingo Salamanca Urey
8 July 1869 Cochabamba, Bolivia |
| Died | 17 July 1935 (aged 66) Cochabamba, Bolivia |
| Cause of death | Stomach cancer |
| Political party | Liberal (before 1914) Republican (1914–1921) Genuine Republican (1921–1935) |
| Spouse | Sara Ugarte |
| Parents | José Domingo Salamanca Manuela Urey |
| Signature | .svg){kind=small} |
Daniel Domingo Salamanca Urey (born July 8, 1869 – died July 17, 1935) was an important Bolivian politician. He served as the 33rd president of Bolivia from 1931 to 1934. His time as president ended when he was removed from office in a special event called a coup d'état. This happened on November 27, 1934, during the difficult Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay.
Daniel Salamanca's Political Journey
Daniel Salamanca was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He studied law before starting his political career. In 1899, he was elected to Bolivia's Chamber of Deputies. He was part of the Liberal Party at that time.
Just two years later, in 1901, President José Manuel Pando chose him to be the Minister of Finance. Over time, Salamanca disagreed with the Liberal Party. He then helped create a new group called the Republican Party. He tried to become Vice-President in 1917 but was not successful.
Later, a part of the Republican Party disagreed with its leader, Bautista Saavedra. Salamanca, who was known for being serious and smart, then helped start the Genuine Republican Party (Partido Republicano Genuino). He ran for president with this new party in 1925 but lost to Hernando Siles, who was supported by Saavedra.
After these losses, Salamanca stepped away from politics for a while. He focused on teaching law. In 1930, the military removed President Hernando Siles from power. This happened partly because of the Great Depression, which caused many economic problems. After this, Salamanca was asked to lead a group of parties, including his Genuine Republican Party and the Liberal Party. He ran for president with Liberal leader José Luis Tejada as his vice-presidential partner. Salamanca won the election and became president in March 1931.
His Time as President
As soon as Daniel Salamanca became president, he started a strict plan to save money. This plan was not very popular. He also took strong actions against people who opposed his government. To take people's minds off the country's money problems, he also focused on an old disagreement with Paraguay. This disagreement was about a region called the Gran Chaco.
Salamanca had always believed Bolivia should be firm about its claim to the Chaco region. When he became president, his main idea was "We must stand firm in the Chaco." The Gran Chaco is a dry, mostly empty area that both Bolivia and Paraguay had claimed since they became independent countries. Both nations had built small military outposts, called fortines, in the area to show their presence. Sometimes, small fights would happen, but usually, things calmed down. Neither country could really afford a big war over the Chaco.
Things changed when oil was discovered near the Andes mountains, in Bolivian territory. Many people then thought that the nearby Chaco region might also have a lot of oil. Also, Bolivia was facing big economic and political problems. President Salamanca decided to use the Chaco disagreement to unite the country and distract from his government's issues.
He ordered more fortines to be built in areas where Paraguay was not already present. In early 1932, a Bolivian army group went deep into the Chaco. They found a large lake in the middle of the desert-like land. It was a perfect spot for a permanent military base. However, the lake, which Paraguayans called Pitiantuta, was already occupied by the Paraguayan military. When the Bolivian group arrived, a battle started, and the Paraguayan troops left. This event basically started the terrible Chaco War (1932–1935).
The war quickly grew bigger, making Bolivia's economic problems even worse. Thousands of soldiers were hurt or died. President Salamanca also had a difficult relationship with his military leaders. Early in the war, he replaced a Bolivian general and put a German officer named Hans Kundt in charge of the army. Kundt had worked with the Bolivian military before World War I.
Bolivia suffered many defeats in the southern part of the war. The Paraguayan soldiers knew the land much better than the Bolivians, most of whom were from the high Altiplano region. Because of these losses, Kundt was replaced by General Enrique Peñaranda at the end of 1933. Salamanca's relationship with the new general also became strained. The president, who was in his mid-60s, often blamed the military leaders for the ongoing problems in the war. The situation became very tense when Salamanca decided to replace Peñaranda and some of his other commanders.
The Coup
On November 27, 1934, the Bolivian generals removed Salamanca from power. This happened when he was visiting their headquarters in Villamontes to explain his reasons for changing commanders. General Peñaranda and his fellow officers, including Colonel Toro and Major Busch, decided to make it look like a smooth change. They replaced Salamanca with his Vice President, José Luis Tejada Sorzano, who was from the Liberal Party and was easier to work with. Some people believe that Tejada was involved in the plan to remove Salamanca.
After being removed from office, the older and unwell Salamanca was allowed to go back to his hometown of Cochabamba. He died there from stomach cancer less than a year later, in July 1935. This was just a few days after the war's fighting stopped.
Daniel Salamanca is a figure people still discuss. Many blamed him for the war. However, others greatly respected him. They saw him as someone who tried his best to keep Bolivia's claim to the Chaco without war, but was let down by his military leaders. Salamanca was known for being serious and thoughtful. He is remembered for two famous things he said:
- After one of his army's big losses, he reportedly said, "I gave them everything they asked for – weapons, trucks, whatever they wanted; the one and only thing I could not give them was brains."
- When the house where he was staying in Villamontes was surrounded during the coup, he supposedly told General Peñaranda, "Congratulations General; you just completed your first and only successful military siege of the entire war."
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Salamanca para niños
