FREE ESSAY ON BOLIVIA RESEARCH PAPER

BOLIVIA RESEARCH PAPER

Outline Bolivia
Introduction: 
I. The History of Bolivia
A. Independence 
1. Revolution
B. Political Instability
1. The Regime of Paz Estenssoro
2. Rule by the Army
II. The Economy
A. Resources
1. Mining, Manufacture, and Trade
2. Agriculture, Fishing, and Forestry
B. Strengths and Weaknesses
1. Currency and Banking
2. Labor
III. The Culture
A. Location
1. Terrain
2. Climate
B. Cocaine
1. Effects
2. War on Drugs
Bolivia
In this report I will give a brief overview of the history, economy and culture of
Bolivia. Bolivia was one of the first countries in the Spanish Empire to attempt a break
from Spain, but it was one of the last to succeed. The Spanish suppressed the first
critical rebellion in May 1809. Bolivia declared its independence from Spain on August 6,
1825, and took the name Bolivia in honor of South American independence leader Simon
Bolivar. In 1826 a congress adopted a constitution drafted by Bolivar. It vested supreme
authority in a president, who was chosen for a life term.
In May 1951 Paz Estenssoro won nearly half the presidential election vote while in exile.
In order to prevent the election of Paz Estenssoro, the incumbent president, placed the
government under the control of the military and resigned. General Hugo Ballivian was
appointed president. General Rene Barrientos Ortuno, a member of the government by the
army, was elected president in July 1966. In July 1980 General Luis Garcia Meza seized
power, suspended the constitution, and instituted a repressive regime. Many politicians,
labor leaders, and military men who opposed Garcia Meza were arrested and killed, and
many more fled abroad. 
Jaime Paz Zamora became president in May 1989 of Bolivia. Mining entrepreneur Gonzalo
Sanchez de Lozada won the next presidential elections, held in June 1993. In June 1997
former dictator and retired general Hugo Banzer Suarez finished first in Bolivia's
presidential election but did not capture enough votes to win the presidency outright. In
August members of Bolivia's congress elected Banzer president.
Since early colonial times, mining for precious minerals and metal ores has played an
important role in Bolivia's economy. Mining is a major industry in Bolivia; it was
hampered in the late 1980's by weak prices on world markets. Bolivia has long been one of
the world's leading producers of tin. Petroleum and natural gas production increased in
importance in the 1960's and early 1970's; by the early 1990's Bolivia was
self-sufficient in petroleum and was exporting significant amounts of natural gas to
Argentina. Although Bolivia has long been dependent on mineral exports, declining tin
prices and increased petroleum and natural gas production changed the nature of the
country's economy in the 1980's. By the early 1990's, natural gas accounted for 27
percent of export earnings while tin provided just 12 percent. Bolivia's imports consist
mainly of machinery, motor vehicles, electric equipment, and manufactured goods. 
Agriculture is extremely important to the Bolivian economy, employing two percent of the
labor force. Bolivia's agriculture suffers from antiquated farming methods, uneven
population distribution, and inadequate transportation. Although now self-sufficient in
the production of sugar, rice, and meat, Bolivia must still import certain foodstuffs.
The main Bolivian crops are soybeans, sugar, chestnuts, potatoes, cassava, bananas,
maize, rice, plantains, and citrus fruits. Fishing is a relatively unimportant industry
in landlocked Bolivia. The basic unit of currency is the boliviano, equivalent to 1
million old Bolivian pesos. Banking is very limited because the majority of the country
is impoverished. Bolivia's labor force was 3.2 million in 1998. Nearly the entire
non-farming labor force is organized, most of it in unions belonging to the Central
Obrera Boliviana, the central labor federation.
Structurally and climatically, Bolivia consists of two main regions: the highlands and
the eastern lowlands, divided between the Amazon and Parana basins. The highlands of
Bolivia consist of three distinct parts: the Cordillera Occidental; the Altiplano, and
the Cordillera Oriental. The Cordillera Occidental is part of the Andean range that
extends along the western fringe of South America. It features many active volcanoes.
There is a distinct climatic difference between the northern and southern parts of the
Cordillera Occidental. With peaks of more than 20,000 feet, steep slopes, and much
volcanic activity, in the north the Cordillera Occidental is the least inhabited part of
Bolivian Highlands. In the eastern lowlands, there are distinct differences between the
natural features of the northeast and those of the southeast. In the northeast the Llanos
de Mamore, which slopes gently to the Amazon Basin, is well watered by rain and rivers
and has rich natural vegetation, while the southeast the Gran Chaco, which slopes toward
the Pilcomayo and Paraguay rivers, is semiarid, with dry scrub and savanna and occasional
gallery forests along the rivers.
The effect of coca in the Bolivian culture goes back to the native Indians. The native
people have used the coca leafs as a medicinal drug up until the present day. Until the
early 1950's the coca leaf was readily used in soft drinks and was considered socially
excitable in the United States. In the early 1960's the United States made cocaine
illegal and created a large underworld in most Latin America countries. By the mid 1960's
over sixty five percent of Bolivia's workers made their livelihood off the coca plant.
The Bolivian government had no reason to try to stop the drug trade in their country;
cartel leaders were paying huge payments to government officials. During the 1980's
Ronald Regan attempted to curve the in flux of cocaine in to the United States with no
real results. During 1990's the United States started to send large amounts of funding
and training for Latin America's military to combat the cartels.