History of Bolivia (1982–present) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Republic of Bolivia
República de Bolivia
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| 1982–2010 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms
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Motto: "¡La unión es la fuerza!" (Spanish)
"Unity is Strength!" |
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Anthem: Himno Nacional de Bolivia (Spanish)
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| Capital | Sucre, La Paz | ||||||||
| Common languages | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní, others | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism (official) | ||||||||
| Government | Presidential republic | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
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• 1982-1985
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Hernán Siles Zuazo (first) | ||||||||
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• 1985-1989
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Víctor Paz Estenssoro | ||||||||
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• 1989-1993
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Jaime Paz Zamora | ||||||||
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• List
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List | ||||||||
| Legislature | National Congress | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
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• Established
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October 10 1982 | ||||||||
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• Disestablished
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22 January 2010 | ||||||||
| Currency | Bolivian peso | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | BO | ||||||||
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The recent history of Bolivia began in 1982. This was when the country returned to being a democracy after a period of military rule. Evo Morales was president from 2006 to 2019. A new constitution was put in place in 2009. Bolivia's population has grown a lot during this time. It went from about 5 million people in 1980 to 10 million by 2012.
Contents
- Bolivia's Return to Democracy: 1982-2019
- Hernán Siles Zuazo: A Challenging Start (1982–1985)
- Víctor Paz Estenssoro: Fixing the Economy (1985–1989)
- Jaime Paz Zamora: Continuing Reforms (1989–1993)
- Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada: Big Changes and Indigenous Rights (1993–1997)
- Hugo Banzer Suárez and Jorge Quiroga Ramírez (1997–2002)
- MNR Presidencies: More Challenges (2002–2005)
- Evo Morales: First Indigenous President (2006–2019)
- See also
Bolivia's Return to Democracy: 1982-2019
This period saw Bolivia move from military rule back to a democratic government. Several presidents worked to improve the country's economy and social life.
Hernán Siles Zuazo: A Challenging Start (1982–1985)
Hernán Siles Zuazo became president of Bolivia on October 10, 1982. He took office after a big workers' strike that almost led to a civil war. The country faced many social problems and a difficult economy. Because of these challenges, Siles Zuazo decided to hold elections early. He left office a year before his term was supposed to end.
Víctor Paz Estenssoro: Fixing the Economy (1985–1989)
In the 1985 elections, Hugo Banzer Suárez's party won the most votes. But when it was time for Congress to choose the president, another party teamed up with Víctor Paz Estenssoro's party. This led to Paz Estenssoro being chosen as president for the fourth time.
When he took office, Bolivia was in a huge economic crisis. The country was producing and exporting less. Prices were rising incredibly fast, sometimes by 24% a year (this is called hyperinflation). There were also many strikes and social problems.
Over four years, Paz Estenssoro's government brought back stability to the economy and society. The military stayed out of politics, and major political parties supported democracy. Problems with fairness and human rights, which had been an issue before, improved. However, these changes came with some difficulties. When tin prices dropped in 1985, the government had to let go of over 20,000 miners.
The government also passed a law to control the growth of coca plants. This led to protests by coca farmers in the Chapare region.
Jaime Paz Zamora: Continuing Reforms (1989–1993)
In the 1989 elections, Jaime Paz Zamora's party joined forces with Hugo Banzer's party. Paz Zamora became president. His party and Banzer's party shared control of the government.
Soon after taking office, the government started a "New Economic Policy." This plan aimed to stabilize the economy, control prices, and make trade easier. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund helped with loans.
Paz Zamora was a moderate leader. He continued the economic changes started by Paz Estenssoro. He also took a strong stance against local terrorism.
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada: Big Changes and Indigenous Rights (1993–1997)
The 1993 elections were fair and peaceful. An alliance led by Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada won. He became president, and Víctor Hugo Cárdenas became the first Indigenous vice-president in South America.
Sánchez de Lozada pushed for major economic and social reforms. One big change was the "capitalization program." This meant that private investors bought 50% ownership and control of state-owned companies. These included the national oil company, phone systems, and electricity companies. Some people strongly opposed these changes. This led to protests and unrest, especially in La Paz and the Chapare region, from 1994 to 1996.
During his time, the Bolivian Constitution of 1967 was changed twice. Bolivia was recognized as a nation with many different ethnic groups and cultures. Some Indigenous rights were also made legal.
Hugo Banzer Suárez and Jorge Quiroga Ramírez (1997–2002)
In the 1997 elections, Hugo Banzer, a former military leader, was elected president at age 71. He led a group of different political parties.
Between January and April 2000, there were protests in Cochabamba. People were against the government selling off the city's water supply. The government declared a state of emergency, and some people died. After more protests, the government stopped the sale of the water company on April 10, 2000.
Banzer resigned in August 2001 because he was sick with lung cancer. His vice-president, Jorge Quiroga, took over as president.
MNR Presidencies: More Challenges (2002–2005)
In the 2002 elections, Sánchez de Lozada ran again and won by a small margin. He beat Manfred Reyes Villa and Evo Morales, an Indigenous leader.
Before the election, the U.S. ambassador warned Bolivians that if they voted for Morales, the U.S. might cut off aid. This made many people angry, and Morales gained more support.
During this time, a conflict called the Bolivian Gas War started. It was about how Bolivia's large natural gas reserves should be used. Protests and blockades began in September 2003. There were clashes with the armed forces, leading to some deaths. President Sánchez de Lozada resigned because of the protests. His vice-president, Carlos Mesa, became president to keep the government stable.
Mesa promised to address the protesters' demands. However, facing more protests, he resigned in March 2005. He later withdrew his resignation but resigned again in May–June 2005. Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé, the head of the Supreme Court, became president on June 9, 2005. New elections were planned for December.
Evo Morales: First Indigenous President (2006–2019)
The political problems in Bolivia helped a group of Indigenous social movements and parties grow. Evo Morales, a former coca farmer, became their leader. In the elections of December 2005, Evo Morales won with 54% of the votes. He became the first Indigenous president in Bolivia's history.
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In March 2006, Morales announced a 50% increase in the minimum wage. However, many Bolivian workers are in the informal economy, so this change didn't affect everyone.
On May 1, 2006, Evo Morales took control of most of Bolivia's natural gas fields for the government. Many Indigenous Bolivians had wanted this for years. Troops were sent to occupy the gas fields and take them back from foreign companies. By October 2006, the government signed agreements with foreign gas companies. This gave the Bolivian national gas company a majority share in the gas fields, completing the nationalization.
In May 2008, four eastern regions of Bolivia held votes to declare themselves independent from the central government. All four votes passed, but Evo Morales said these votes were illegal.
In February 2009, a new constitution was put in place by Evo Morales. This constitution gave Bolivians of Indigenous background more economic and political rights.
Morales won a third term in 2014, becoming the longest-serving president in Bolivia. In 2016, he tried to change the constitution to run for a fourth term, but people voted against it. However, the Constitutional Court later said he could run again. In 2019, Morales claimed victory in the presidential election. But there were claims of election problems, which led to protests across the country. He was forced to step down. Jeanine Áñez, an opposition lawmaker, took his place. New elections were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2020, Luis Arce, who had worked with Morales, won the election by a large margin. This ended Morales' time away from the country.
See also
