Civil War in Bolivia 1949

The Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario -- MNR) emerged as the dominant opposition group in Bolivia during the sexenio (1946-1952). Meanwhile, miners had endorsed the Thesis of Pulacayo, in which the workers called for permanent revolution and violent armed struggle for the working class, in 1946. In May 1949 the growing social unrest erupted into open warfare. Under the leadership of Paz Estenssoro, living in exile in Argentina since 1946, the MNR unsuccessfully attempted to gain power during the unrest in the tin mines. With the support of the workers and some military officers, the MNR succeeded in gaining control of most major cities except La Paz. The Bolivian army ultimately defeated the rebels in September 1949. However, the dismissal of 7,000 miners and the brutal suppression of the uprising in Catavi made any cooperation between the conservative government and the militant workers impossible. At the end of the brief civil war Bolivia was on the verge of bankruptcy.

References

Military History, 1464; Bolivia - A Country Study.

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