Víctor Paz Estenssoro 883075 219512850 2008-06-15T16:11:39Z Plrk 181834 [[WP:AWB/T|Typo fixing]], typos fixed: coup d'etat → coup d'état using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{Infobox_President | name=Víctor Paz Estenssoro | nationality=bolivian | image=Víctor_Paz_Estenssoro.jpg | order=50th [[President of Bolivia]] | term_start=[[15 April]], [[1952]] | term_end=[[6 August]], [[1956]] | predecessor=[[Hugo Ballivián]] | successor=[[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] | birth_date={{birth date|1907|10|2|mf=y}} | birth_place=[[Bolivia]] | death_date={{death date and age|2001|6|7|1907|10|2|mf=y}} | death_place=[[Bolivia]] | spouse= | party=[[Revolutionary Nationalist Movement|MNR]] | vicepresident= | religion= | order2=52nd & 53rd [[President of Bolivia]] | term_start2=[[6 August]], [[1960]] | term_end2= [[4 November]], [[1964]] | predecessor2=[[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] | successor2=[[René Barrientos]] | order3=72nd [[President of Bolivia]] | term_start3=[[August 6]], [[1985]] | term_end3=[[August 6]], [[1989]] | predecessor3=[[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] | successor3=[[Jaime Paz Zamora|Jaime Paz]] |}} '''Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro''' ([[October 2]], [[1907]] - [[June 7]], [[2001]]) was a politician and former president of [[Bolivia]]. He ran for president 8 times (1947, 1951, 1960, 1964, 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1985), winning in 1951, 1960, 1964, and 1985. ==Founding of the MNR and early political years (1941-52)== In 1941 '''Víctor Paz Estenssoro''' co-founded (along with [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] and others) the [[Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario]] (English: [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement]], MNR), originally a reformist revolutionary movement and later a [[centrist]] party. Paz became an influential member in the cabinet of Colonel [[Gualberto Villarroel]] (1943-46), but was forced out of that government as a result of pressure emanating from Washington. The United States was at the time involved in World War II, and suspected some members of the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] leadership of harboring pro-fascist sympathies. Paz Estenssoro nonetheless ran for president in 1947, earning 3rd place, and again in 1951, when the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] surprisingly won the electoral contest, despite the fact that the laws of that time confined the vote to a small, propertied stratum of the citizenry. The elections, however, were unilaterally annulled by the ultra-conservative government of [[Mamerto Urriolagoitia]], and the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] at that point went underground. ==The 1952 Revolution== In April 1952, the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] led a revolution which toppled the conservative (indeed, oligarchic) order that had prevailed practically since the country's inception. This "National Revolution" [http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/bolivian-revolution.htm] (considered one of the most far-reaching in the history of Latin America) is seen as the single most important political event in 20th century [[Bolivia]]. Paz became the first President in the new government (in recognition of his 1951 electoral victory) and served his first four-year term from 1952 until 1956. ==First Paz Estenssoro government (1952-56)== Among the many important structural reforms adopted by the popular Paz Estenssoro government was the extension of universal suffrage to all adult citizens (natives and illiterates included), the nationalization of the largest tin-mining concerns, and an extensive program of land distribution (agrarian reform). Much of the military, which had served so well the interests of the economic elites prior to the Revolution, was dismantled and re-organized as a virtual arm of the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] party. Its members were forced to swear allegiance to the Revolution, for example. Clearly, the idea was to fashion a hegemonic party in the image of Mexico's [[Partido Revolucionario Institucional]] (English: [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]], PRI). ==Paz Estenssoro's temporary retirement and polarization of the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] (1956-60)== Paz was not allowed to run for another consecutive term, and [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] was elected, serving as President from 1956 until 1960. During the [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] administration, the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] began to polarize and fragment, with a conservative wing led by [[Wálter Guevara]] and an increasingly assertive left-leaning faction commanded by the charismatic leader of the [[Central Obrera Boliviana]] (English: [[Bolivian Workers' Center]], COB), [[Juan Lechín]] . To prevent the fracturing of his party, Paz returned from London (where he had been serving as Bolivian ambassador) and ran for re-election in 1960, winning with an ample majority of the votes. His choice as vice-presidential running mate was the increasingly hard to manage [[Juan Lechín]], an action that prompted the defection from the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] of [[Walter Guevara]], who felt he had been stepped over. ==Second and third Paz Estenssoro governments, 1960-64== The second Paz Estenssoro administration was plagued by violence, dissent, and continued hemorraghing of the original leadership. Of great importance during this period was the thorny issue of disarming the miners and workers' militias who had combatted in the 1952 Revolution and who had been for the most allowed to keep their weapons since. They had served as a useful counterbalance to the possibility of a conservative or military reassertion against the Revolution, but by 1960 were serving the interests of the party's radical left vice-president [[Juan Lechín|Lechín]]. Of Marxist political persuasion, the latter opposed the disarming of the militias and the reconstitution of the traditional military, urged the passing of more far-reaching reforms, and obviously harbored ambitions of his own. Paz Estenssoro disagreed and, continuing the policies started by [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Siles]], increasingly leaned on the "new" armed forces for support. This produced the inevitable final rift, and [[Juan Lechín|Lechín]] was expelled from the party prior to the 1964 elections. Increasingly unable to control events, and considering himself the only man who could keep the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] coalition together, in 1964 Paz decided to amend the constitution to allow himself to run for re-election. Traditionally, attempts such as these (known as "prorroguismo") have been strongly condemned by the Bolivian political elites, many of whose members may have been waiting for their turn to occupy the presidential palace for years. This was no exception, and Paz's move ended up being his undoing. To symbolize Paz's steady rightward drift, he chose the charismatic commander of the Bolivian Air Force, General [[René Barrientos]], as his running mate. To be fair, Paz's increased reliance on the armed forces was to some extent influenced by Washington's constant demands that the military be fully reconstituted and equipped to fight possible Cuban-style Communist insurgencies. In any case, the [[René Barrientos]] choice was a final act of folly, as Paz did not seem to have noticed the deep resentment of the outwardly loyal commanders of the "new, revolutionary" military toward the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]]'s manipulation of the armed forces for political ends. ==The 1964 coup d'etat and exile== On November 4, 1964, the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]] government was overthrown in a military coup led by vice-president [[René Barrientos]] and [[Alfredo Ovando]], commander of the army. Paz flew to a long exile abroad, bitter toward [[René Barrientos]]' betrayal and unhappy that the "Revolution" had taken such a sad turn. It was not until 1982 (with minor and very temporary exceptions) that military rule ended. By this time Paz and [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Siles]] had split, with [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Siles]] supporting more leftist policies. [[Walter Guevara|Guevara]], for his part, had supported [[René Barrientos]] and served in his administration. In 1969 [[René Barrientos]] died and new, populist military governments of progressive bend gained power in Bolivia (1971-72). ==Support for Banzer and erosion of support (1971-78)== When the "excesses" of the left-leaning [[Juan José Torres|Torres]] military government (1970-71) became unbearable to most civilian elites of centrist and conservative persuasion, Torres was overthrown in a bloody coup d'état led by then-Colonel [[Hugo Banzer]] with full support of the largest political party in the country, Paz's [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]]. This too was a move that would cost Paz and his party dearly in the years to come, especially in future elections. Paz was apparently under the impression that [[Hugo Banzer]] would rule for a year or two and then call elections (which he, of course, would win); none of this happened, as in 1974 the wily general broke with the [[Nationalist Revolutionary Movement|MNR]], exiled Paz, and proceeded to rule only with military support until 1978. ==The turmoil of 1978-85== While Paz had tarnished his image by associating himself with the reviled [[Hugo Banzer]] dictatorship, [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] was turning steadily to the left and gaining adherents at Paz's expense. When at long last elections were called in 1978, it was apparently [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] who won it (there were vast irregularities and the elections were annulled), with Paz getting only third place. It was a major decline from what the [[Revolutionary Nationalist Movement|MNR]] had been used to obtaining in the 1950s and early 1960s. Elections were re-scheduled for 1979, and when they took place [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] won again but this time Paz got second place. The elections again proved inconclusive, however, in as much as none of the candidates polled the required 50% of the vote to win direct election, and thus the outcome was to be decided by Congress. Partisan intransigences prevailed and the latter could not agree on any of the candidates, eventually settling on naming as provisionl President the head of the senate, [[Wálter Guevara]], then in alliance with Paz's [[Revolutionary Nationalist Movement|MNR]]. He was charged with calling elections again in 1980. Those elections reconfirmed [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]]' victory and Paz's second place, but the military intervened rather than allow [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] (now associated with parties deemed to be from the "far left") to take office. General [[Luis García Meza]] grabbed the reins of power in the bloody coup d'état of July 17, 1980, and Paz once more flew to exile. In 1982, the beleaguered military finally left the [[Palacio Quemado]] and confirmed the results of the 1980 elections, making [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] president. Paz's [[Revolutionary Nationalist Movement|MNR]] opposed [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] on every front, as his administration plunged the country into a hyperinflationary spiral. In fact, this was [[Bolivia]]'s most serious economic crisis in its history, one largely prompted by the collapse of international tin prices and the onset of the Latin American debt crisis. The gravity of the situation prompted ''Congreso Nacional'' ([[National Congress of Bolivia|National Congress]]) to prevail upon [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]] to call early elections in 1985. Paz again came second (this time to former dictator [[Hugo Banzer]]) but was elected president by ''Congreso Nacional'' ([[National Congress of Bolivia|National Congress]]) since, as usual, none of the parties had attained the 50% threshold for direct election. ==Fourth and last Paz Estenssoro presidency (1985-89)== The now-nearly octogenarian Paz began his fourth (and final) term as President in 1985. The economic situation was indeed dire, but Paz and his aides had a radical neo-liberal plan. Through [[Decree 21060]] important [[economic reform]]s designed to curb galloping [[hyperinflation]] (inherited from [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]]) were instituted, the troublesome [[labor union]]s were repressed in order to reestablish government authority, and 30,000 miners were expunged from state payrolls (read: fired) to reduce the size of the government. The painful readjustment policies -- conducted to a large extent by Paz Estenssoro's vigorous Minister of Planning, [[Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada]] -- came to be known as the New Economic Policy (NEP). The latter restructured the bulk of the hitherto-statist Bolivian economy and transformed it into a [[Neoliberalism|neo-liberal]], privatization-oriented one. However, [[Bolivia]] remained the poorest country in [[South America]] and anti [[Neoliberalism|neo-liberal]] forces began to grow as a result of his liberal economic policies leading to the election of socialist [[Evo Morales]] in 2005. Paz finished his term and finally retired from politics upon leaving office in 1989. He died on June 7, 2001 as his country's single most influential political figure in the 20th century, and perhaps ever. ==External links== *{{es icon}} [http://www.presidencia.gov.bo/Presidentes_Bolivia/pr45.htm Bolivian government profile of Paz Estenssoro] *{{CIDOB|america_del_sur/bolivia/victor_paz_estenssoro}} {{start box}} {{succession box | before = [[Hugo Ballivián]]| title = [[List of presidents of Bolivia|President of Bolivia]]|years=[[1952]]–[[1956]]| after = [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]]}} {{succession box | before = [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]]| title = [[List of presidents of Bolivia|President of Bolivia]]|years=[[1960]]–[[1964]]| after = [[Alfredo Ovando]]}} {{succession box | before = [[Hernán Siles Zuazo|Hernán Siles]]| title = [[List of presidents of Bolivia|President of Bolivia]]|years=[[1985]]–[[1989]]| after = [[Jaime Paz Zamora|Jaime Paz]]}} {{end box}} {{Presidents of Bolivia}} Estenssoro, along with Villarroel and Siles appear together on postage stamps of Bolivia {{DEFAULTSORT:Paz Estenssoro, Victor}} [[Category:Bolivian politicians]] [[Category:1907 births]] [[Category:2001 deaths]] [[Category:History of Bolivia]] [[Category:Presidents of Bolivia]] [[de:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]] [[es:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]] [[fr:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]] [[gl:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]] [[io:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]] [[id:Victor Paz Estenssoro]] [[ja:ビクトル・パス・エステンソロ]] [[oc:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]] [[pt:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]] [[ru:Пас Эстенсоро, Виктор]] [[fi:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]] [[sv:Víctor Paz Estenssoro]]