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| 5. Bolivia |
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| Bolivia became an independent nation with the support of Bolívar's armies. Disputes among military leaders resulted in pronounced political instability. The majority of the population was made up of Indian peasants organized in hierarchical communities, which controlled land resources and maintained the native languages, Quechua and Aymara. | 1 |
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| 1825–28 |
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| Bolívar decreed the distribution of communal lands to individual Indians and the suppression of Indian tribute, but these measures were not enforced. Peru recognized Bolivian independence (1826). Antonio José de Sucre, president after the departure of Bolívar, resigned because of a rebellion of Colombian troops and an invasion by the Peruvian army. An 1828 constitution enfranchised the propertied and literate. | 2 |
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| 1829–39 |
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| Andrés Santa Cruz (1792–1865) became president and, with the collaboration of Orbegoso of Peru, formed the Peru-Bolivia Confederation (1835–39), which Argentina and Chile opposed. Chilean troops defeated Confederation forces at Yungay (Jan. 20) and brought the union to an end. | 3 |
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| 1841–47 |
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| Pres. Gamarra of Peru attempted to annex Bolivia to Peru; Pres. José Ballivián defeated the invaders at Ingavi (Nov. 20, 1841). Ballivián applied free trade policy. | 4 |
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| 1848–55 |
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| Manuel Belzú (1808–1865) led a rebellion against the government. He granted artisans protectionist measures. The 1851 constitution abolished slavery and presidential reelection. Belzú attracted support from rural and urban masses, who resisted efforts by liberals to depose him. Jorge Córdova assumed the presidency in 1855. | 5 |
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| 1857 |
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| José María Linares, with the backing of upper classes, deposed Córdova. Linares attempted an unpopular monetary reform. In 1861, José María de Achá deposed Linares. Achá decreed the privatization of communal lands, causing resistance. Massacre of imprisoned Belzú partisans unleashed a popular rebellion in La Paz, which Gen. Mariano Melgarejo (1864–70) used to assume the presidency. Melgarejo launched a campaign to expropriate Indian community lands, but an Indian uprising threw him out of power. | 6 |
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| 1870–74 |
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| Agustín Morales became president. He nullified land sales under Melgarejo. Morales was assassinated. Adolfo Ballivián took office (1873–74) and formed an alliance with Peru (Feb. 6, 1873). | 7 |
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| 1874–76 |
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| During the administration of Tomás Frías, Bolivia allowed Chileans to exploit Bolivian nitrates for 25 years without further taxation. A law dividing Indian communal lands into individual holdings led to their massive transference to mestizo and white landlords. | 8 |
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| 1876–80 |
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| Hilarión Daza became president after a coup d'état. He placed another tax on nitrates (1878), causing British and Chilean protests. | 9 |
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| 1879, Feb. 14 |
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| Chilean troops occupied Bolivian territory (Antofagasta), an act that initiated the WAR OF THE PACIFIC (1879–84) (See 1879–83). Peru allied itself with Bolivia. Chile declared war on the allies (April 5) and occupied all of Bolivia's coastline (1879). Daza was overthrown, and Narciso Campero took office (1880). | 10 |
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| 1884 |
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| By the Treaty of Valparaíso (April 4), Bolivia and Chile agreed to an indefinite truce. Bolivia lost its nitrate territories and access to the sea. | 11 |
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| 1888–92 |
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| During the administration of Aniceto Arce, a railway was opened, affording Bolivia access to the coast. Mining production grew with foreign and native investment. Many landless workers and peasants migrated to the mining zones. | 12 |
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