History of Ecuador (1960–1979) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Republic of Ecuador República del Ecuador
1960–1979
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Dios, patria y libertad"
Anthem: Salve, Oh Patria
Ecuador in 1989
Capital	Quito
Government	Presidential republic under a military dictatorship
President
• 1960–1961	José María Velasco Ibarra
• 1961-1963	Carlos Julio Arosemena Tola
• 1963-1966	Ramón Castro Jijón
Vice President
• See list	See list (from Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy to Osvaldo Hurtado)
Legislature	National Congress
History
• Established	1 September 1960
• Disestablished	10 August 1979
Preceded by Succeeded by Ecuador Ecuador
Today part of	Ecuador

The history of Ecuador from 1960 to 1990 was a time of big changes for the country. During these years, Ecuador saw different types of governments, including military rule. There were also many social movements and economic challenges. This period shaped modern Ecuador.

Ecuador's Political Changes (1960-1990)

This section explores the leaders and major events that shaped Ecuador during these important decades.

President Velasco Ibarra's Time (1960–1961)

The period began with José María Velasco Ibarra becoming president for the fifth time. He was very popular, especially among the poor people in cities. He promised to help them find jobs and homes.

Velasco Ibarra also spoke out against the 1942 Rio Protocol, a treaty that set Ecuador's border with Peru. This upset some neighboring countries. He also included left-leaning people in his government. This was a time when many countries were worried about the spread of communism.

• Growing Problems:
• The economy started to struggle.
• Velasco Ibarra's promises to the poor were expensive.
• There were arguments between different political groups.
• In July 1961, his own Vice President, Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy, openly disagreed with him.
• To raise money, new sales taxes were added. This caused strikes and protests in cities.
• Velasco Ibarra ordered the arrest of his Vice President.
• On November 8, 1961, after only 14 months, the military removed Velasco Ibarra from power. His Vice President, Arosemena, took over.

President Arosemena Monroy's Rule (1961–1963)

When Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy became president, he wanted to keep relations with Cuba. This was a big issue in Ecuador. Many political opponents called him a communist.

• Challenges for Arosemena:
• Some parts of the military rebelled in March 1962.
• Ecuador eventually broke off diplomatic ties with Cuba and other communist countries.
• Arosemena lost a lot of political support.
• Small groups of rebels appeared, and there were minor acts of violence. Some of these were later found to be staged by right-wing groups to make Arosemena look bad.
• By mid-1963, the military decided to remove him.
• On July 11, the armed forces took control of the government.

Military Junta Takes Control (1963–1967)

A group of four military leaders, called a junta, took power. They said they would not return the country to civilian rule until major social and economic changes were made. They believed that previous civilian leaders had failed to make these changes, which made people frustrated.

• Junta's Goals and Actions:
• They wanted to stop communism.
• They arrested or sent away communist leaders.
• They tried to control universities, which were seen as places of left-wing activity.
• In July 1964, they passed the Agrarian Reform Law. This law aimed to change how land was owned, especially ending the "huasipungo" system. This system was like a feudal arrangement where peasants worked on land owned by others.
• However, this reform didn't help the peasants much because it lacked funding.
• The junta faced internal disagreements. One member was dismissed and arrested in 1965.
• In 1965, Ecuador's income from banana exports dropped sharply.
• The country faced a major economic crisis.
• New taxes on imports caused strong protests from businesses, students, and workers.
• On March 29, 1966, after a protest at a university, the military leaders stepped down.

Transition to Civilian Rule (1966–1967)

After the military junta stepped down, a group of civilian leaders chose Clemente Yerovi Indaburu to be the temporary president. He was a banana grower and not tied to any political party.

• Steps Towards New Elections:
• In October, a new group of elected representatives wrote a new constitution.
• They then elected Otto Arosemena Gómez (a cousin of Carlos Julio Arosemena) as a second temporary president.
• The new constitution became active in May 1967.
• In June 1968, new presidential elections were held.
• Surprisingly, José María Velasco Ibarra, at 75 years old, was elected president for the fifth time!

Velasco Ibarra's Final Term (1968–1972)

Velasco Ibarra's fifth term was difficult. He won with only about one-third of the votes, meaning many people didn't support him strongly. His political party didn't have enough members in Congress to pass laws easily.

• Challenges and Dictatorial Powers:
• His own Vice President became a strong critic.
• Government officials changed jobs very often.
• The country faced money problems and a financial crisis.
• On June 22, 1970, Velasco Ibarra took extreme action. In an event called an autogolpe (meaning "self-coup"), he dismissed Congress and the Supreme Court. He then took on dictatorial powers.
• He made unpopular economic changes, like lowering the value of the national currency (the sucre) and raising taxes on imported goods.
• To gain popularity, he challenged the United States by seizing and fining U.S. fishing boats near Ecuador's coast. This led to tensions between the two countries.
• In 1971, he had to cancel a planned vote to replace the constitution because of public unrest. He believed the 1967 constitution made the president too weak.
• Velasco Ibarra stayed in power because the armed forces supported him, especially his nephew, General Jorge Acosta Velasco.
• However, General Acosta Velasco was later forced to resign, leaving Velasco Ibarra without his key military supporter.

Why Velasco Was Overthrown Again

Two main reasons led the military to remove Velasco Ibarra before his term ended in 1972:

• Ecuador was about to start making a lot of money from oil. The military wanted to control this new wealth.
• The likely winner of the 1972 election was Asaad Bucaram Elmhalim, a very popular former mayor of Guayaquil. Both the military and business leaders thought Bucaram was too unpredictable to be president, especially with the new oil money coming in.

On February 15, 1972, the military, led by General Jorge Queirolo G., overthrew Velasco Ibarra for the last time. He was sent into exile. A new military junta, led by General Guillermo Rodríguez Lara, took his place.

Military Rule Continues (1972–1979)

The new military government, led by General Guillermo Rodríguez Lara, called itself "nationalist and revolutionary." However, some people were disappointed because Rodríguez Lara had ties to the business community. The government aimed to make big changes to help Ecuador develop.

• Early Actions and Challenges:
• The regime focused on controlling Ecuador's oil resources.
• They tried former political leaders for corruption related to oil deals.
• Many officials from Velasco's government were accused of corruption.
• Despite these actions, the military government didn't build strong support among civilians.
• Promises of "meaningful agrarian reform" (land reform) were not successful. Powerful land owners opposed them.
• Less than 1% of Ecuador's farming land changed hands during Rodríguez Lara's four years.

Oil and National Pride

The military government's biggest success was in managing oil.

• In 1973, Ecuador joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). This gave Ecuador more power and economic benefits.
• The government renegotiated oil agreements with foreign companies, getting more money for the state.
• However, the oil companies became upset when Ecuador wanted to increase its share in a major oil company from 25% to 51%.
• The companies reduced their oil exports, costing Ecuador hundreds of millions of dollars.
• In July 1975, the government had to lower taxes on oil exports. This showed that Ecuador, as a smaller oil producer, couldn't push too hard within OPEC.

Economic Problems and Another Coup

Even with changes in oil policy, economic problems continued.

• Oil exports didn't increase much, but imports of luxury goods soared.
• Inflation (prices rising) was over 22% in 1974, making life harder for the middle class.
• In August, the government put a 60% tax on imported luxury items to fix money problems.
• This angered businesses. A week later, in September 1975, there was a violent attempt to overthrow Rodríguez Lara. It failed, but 22 people died.
• On January 11, 1976, a second, bloodless coup was successful. Rodríguez Lara was removed.
• He was replaced by the Supreme Council of Government, made up of the commanders of the Navy, Air Force, and Army.

Return to Civilian Rule (1976–1979)

The new military leaders had one main goal: to return the government to civilian, constitutional rule. They hoped this would heal divisions within the military.

• The Transition Process:
• The original plan was to hold presidential elections by February 1978.
• First, new government rules and election laws had to be written.
• Then, people would vote in a referendum to choose between two proposed constitutions.
• However, the process was much slower than planned. It took three years and eight months instead of less than two.
• Reasons for the delay included disagreements within the military and attempts by the government to control the election outcome. They especially wanted to prevent Asaad Bucaram from winning.
• The national vote to choose the constitution finally happened on January 15, 1978.
• 44% of voters chose a new, more progressive constitution. This new constitution gave the state a role in economic development, allowed worker-managed businesses, created a single legislative body, and for the first time, allowed people who couldn't read or write to vote.

The 1978-1979 Elections

Five candidates ran for president.

• Rodrigo Borja was a favorite.
• Since Bucaram was barred from running, his party chose Jaime Roldós Aguilera as their candidate.
• Osvaldo Hurtado was chosen as Roldós's running mate (Vice President).
• The first round of elections was on July 16, 1978. Roldós surprisingly won with 27% of the vote. Sixto Durán Ballén came in second with 24%.
• Because no candidate won a majority, a second-round election was required between Roldós and Durán.

Delays and Doubts

The second round of elections was delayed for over nine months. This caused a lot of tension and doubt about whether the military would allow the transition to happen.

• Problems with the first election's organization and vote count led to a complete reorganization of the election authority.
• The government was worried about Roldós winning, especially with Bucaram's influence. They tried to delay the election to help Durán.
• A populist candidate, Abdón Calderón Múñoz, who had done well in the first round, died under suspicious circumstances.
• Velasco Ibarra returned from exile to bury his wife and died in March 1979.

The second round was finally held on April 29, 1979. Roldós and Hurtado won by a huge margin, with 68.5% of the vote. Even then, there were doubts if the military would let them take office.

• Return to Democracy:
• The large number of votes for Roldós and pressure from the U.S. government made it hard for the military to stop the process.
• The military did demand some powers, like naming representatives to state companies and having a say in choosing the defense minister.
• They also made it clear that Roldós should not investigate past human rights issues by the military.
• On August 10, 1979, Jaime Roldós Aguilera finally became president. Ecuador returned to civilian, constitutional rule after nearly a decade of military dictatorship.