User:Krisgabwoosh/Víctor Paz Estenssoro
Víctor Paz Estenssoro | |
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45th President of Bolivia | |
In office 6 August 1985 – 6 August 1989 | |
Vice President | Julio Garrett |
Preceded by | Hernán Siles Zuazo |
Succeeded by | Jaime Paz Zamora |
In office 6 August 1960 – 4 November 1964 | |
Vice President |
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Preceded by | Hernán Siles Zuazo |
Succeeded by | René Barrientos |
In office 15 April 1952 – 6 August 1956 | |
Vice President | Hernán Siles Zuazo |
Preceded by | Hugo Ballivián[α] |
Succeeded by | Hernán Siles Zuazo |
Minister of Finance and Statistics | |
In office 31 December 1944 – 21 July 1946 | |
President | Gualberto Villarroel |
Preceded by | Jorge Zarco |
Succeeded by | Luis Gonsálvez |
In office 20 December 1943 – 5 April 1944 | |
President | Gualberto Villarroel |
Preceded by | Germán Chávez |
Succeeded by | Jorge Zarco |
Minister of Economy | |
In office 12 June 1941 – 17 June 1941 | |
President | Enrique Peñaranda |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Alberto Crespo |
Personal details | |
Born | Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro 2 October 1907 Tarija, Bolivia |
Died | 7 June 2001 Tarija, Bolivia | (aged 93)
Political party | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (1941–2001) |
Other political affiliations | Independent Socialist (1938–1941) |
Spouses |
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Parents |
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Alma mater | Higher University of San Andrés |
Occupation |
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Signature | |
Website | victorpazestenssoro |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Bolivia |
Branch/service | Bolivian Army |
Years of service | 1934–1935 |
Rank | Seargant |
Unit | Seleme Artillery Corps. |
Battles/wars | Chaco War |
Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro (2 October 1907 – 7 June 2001) was a Bolivian economist, lawyer, and statesman who served as the 45th president of Bolivia from 1952 to 1956, 1960 to 1964, and 1985 to 1989. The founder and principal leader of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, Paz led the Bolivian National Revolution, in which he implemented radical economic and social reforms. In his fourth term two decades later, he controversially reversed many of those policies, ushering in an era of neoliberal economics.
Born in Tarija to an upper-class family, Paz graduated as a lawyer from the Higher University of San Andrés and served in the Armed Forces during the Chaco War. Radicalized by his front-line experience, he helped found the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, which he led throughout his political career. From parliament, Paz established himself as one of the country's most prominent lawmakers and a vehement opponent of President Enrique Peñaranda, whose government he helped topple in 1943. He was appointed minister of finance by Gualberto Villarroel, and was a central pillar of the colonel's regime until its downfall forced him to flee the country in 1946.
From exile, Paz ran for president twice, in 1947 and 1951. In his second bid, he won a plurality of the vote but was blocked from taking office by the incumbent government. The National Revolution of 1952 placed Paz in power a year later. During his first term, Paz spearheaded a radical agenda aimed at combating inequality and poverty: a program of agrarian reform abolished the hacienda system, education was overhauled, and the country's mines were nationalized. Universal suffrage was extended to all Bolivians – including women and indigenous peoples – but elections remained marked by fraud, and opposition was suppressed. At the end of his term in 1956, Paz handed power to Hernán Siles Zuazo and was named ambassador to the United Kingdom. He returned in 1958 and was elected president again in 1960. Paz's second term focused on institutionalizing the revolution's reforms through the enactment of a new Constitution in 1961. His rightward drift and decision to seek a third term fractured Paz's party, and though he was reelected in 1964, he was overthrown by his own vice president, René Barrientos, months later.
Paz backed the coup that brought Hugo Banzer to power in 1971 and co-governed with the regime until 1973 when he was exiled again by the military. During the democratic transition, Paz ran for president again. He placed second in a virtual tie with Siles in 1979 and lost resoundingly to Siles in the 1980 rerun. Through his majority in Congress, Paz led a hardline opposition that crippled Siles's government and forced early elections in 1985. Although he again placed second, Congress elected Paz president. In an about-face, Paz did away with many of his previous administrations' reforms during his fourth term: mines were privatized, the government suppressed trade unions, and the economy was reshaped into a neoliberal model by supreme decree to stabilize hyperinflation. At the end of his term, Paz ceded control of the party to Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada and retired to his residence in Tarija, where he died at 93 in 2001.
Often considered the most significant figure of twentieth-century Bolivia, historical assessments of Paz praise him for introducing the most transformative societal changes in the nation's history, and he has been credited with pulling the country from the brink of financial collapse during his fourth term. At the same time, Paz's anti-democratic tendencies sullied his populist credentials; the economic ramifications of his early reforms remain hotly debated, while the neoliberal legacy left by his fourth administration is looked on negatively by economists, historians, and much of the populace. Despite these grievances, scholars consistently rank Paz as one of the greatest presidents in Bolivian history.
Early life and career: 1907–1938
[edit]Early life and education: 1907–1927
[edit]Career and military service: 1927–1938
[edit]Political rise: 1938–1952
[edit]In parliament: 1938–1943
[edit]Collaboration with Villarroel: 1943–1946
[edit]A funny quote about tin sales to Germany is found in the epilogue of Brockman's Busch biography.
Opposition years: 1946–1952
[edit]First presidency: 1952–1956
[edit]Revolution and assumption
[edit]Domestic affairs: 1952–1956
[edit]Foreign policy: 1952–1956
[edit]Second and third presidencies: 1960–1964
[edit]1960 election
[edit]Domestic affairs: 1960–1964
[edit]Foreign policy: 1960–1964
[edit]1964 election
[edit]Exile and return: 1964–1985
[edit]Collaboration with Banzer: 1971–1973
[edit]Democratic transition: 1979–1982
[edit]Opposition to Siles: 1982–1985
[edit]Fourth presidency: 1985–1989
[edit]1985 election
[edit]Domestic affairs: 1985–1989
[edit]Foreign policy: 1985–1989
[edit]Post-presidency: 1989–2001
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Cortez Velasco was a descendant of José Miguel de Velasco (Mesa 49)
Legacy and memory
[edit]Electoral history
[edit]Year | Office | Party | Alliance | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||||
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Total | % | P. | ||||||||
1938 | Deputy | Independent Socialist | Socialist Single Front | [data missing] | Won | |||||
1940 | Independent Socialist | [data missing] | Won | |||||||
1942 | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | [data missing] | Won | |||||||
1944 | Senator | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | [data missing] | Won | ||||||
1947 | President | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | Mining Parliamentary Bloc | 5,194 | 5.56% | 3rd | Lost | |||
1951 | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | 54,129 | 42.91% | 1st | Annulled | [1] | ||||
1960 | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | 735,619 | 76.10% | 1st | Won | [2] | ||||
1964 | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | 1,114,717 | 97.89% | 1st | Won | [3] | ||||
1978 | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | Democratic Alliance of the National Revolution | 213,662 | 11.03% | 3rd | Lost | [4] | |||
1979 | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | MNR – Alliance | 527,184 | 35.88% | 2nd | Lost | [5] | |||
1980 | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | MNR – Alliance | 263,706 | 20.15% | 2nd | Lost | [6] | |||
1985 | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | 458,950 | 30.17% | 2nd | Won | [β] | ||||
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Hernán Siles served as provisional president pending Paz's return from exile from 11–15 April 1952.
- ^ The results stored in the National Electoral Court's statistical database do not coincide with the official totals presented to Congress in 1985. The current Supreme Electoral Tribunal utilizes the database results in its historical assessment and not the tally submitted to parliament.[7] Under the antiquated count, the MNR won 456,704 votes (30.36%).[8]
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Mesa Gisbert 2003, p. 149.
- ^ Mesa Gisbert 2003, p. 153.
- ^ Mesa Gisbert 2003, p. 155.
- ^ Mesa Gisbert 2003, p. 159.
- ^ Atlas Electoral 2012, p. 29.
- ^ Atlas Electoral 2012, p. 39.
- ^ Atlas Electoral 2012, p. 55.
- ^ Atlas Electoral 2012, p. 527.
Works cited
[edit]Online and list sources
Digital and print publications
Books and encyclopedias
- García Orellana, Alberto; García Yapur, Fernando L., eds. (2012). Atlas Electoral de Bolivia (in Spanish). Vol. I (2nd ed.). La Paz: Órgano Electoral Plurinacional. ISBN 978-99905-928-1-8. OCLC 931433259 – via the Internet Archive.
- Mesa Gisbert, Carlos D. (2003). Presidentes de Bolivia: Entre urnas y fusiles. El poder ejecutivo: Los ministros de Estado (in Spanish) (3rd ed.). La Paz: Editorial Gisbert. OCLC 54027445 – via the Internet Archive.
External links
[edit]- Krisgabwoosh/Víctor Paz Estenssoro at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) (in Spanish)
Category:1907 births Category:2001 deaths Category:20th-century Bolivian lawyers Category:20th-century Bolivian politicians Category:Ambassadors of Bolivia to the United Kingdom Category:Bolivian economists Category:Bolivian exiles Category:Bolivian expatriates in Argentina Category:Bolivian expatriates in Peru Category:Bolivian diplomats Category:Bolivian people of Basque descent Category:Candidates in the 1947 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1951 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1960 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1964 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1978 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1979 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1980 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1985 Bolivian presidential election Category:Finance ministers of Bolivia Category:Hernán Siles administration personnel Category:Higher University of San Andrés alumni Category:Leaders who took power by coup Category:Leaders ousted by a coup Category:Members of the Bolivian Chamber of Deputies from Tarija Category:Paz family Category:People from Tarija Category:People of the Chaco War Category:Peñaranda administration cabinet members Category:Presidents of Bolivia Category:Revolutionary Nationalist Movement politicians Category:Villarroel administration cabinet members [[:Category:]]