Communist Party of Bolivia

The Communist Party of Bolivia (Spanish: Partido Comunista de Bolivia) is a communist party in Bolivia. It was founded in 1950 by Raúl Ruiz González and other former members of the Revolutionary Left Party (PIR). It remained small and did not hold its first national party congress until 1959.

Communist Party of Bolivia
Partido Comunista de Bolivia
Founded27 January 1950
Split fromRevolutionary Left Party
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism
Political positionFar-left
Regional affiliationSão Paulo Forum
International affiliationIMCWP[1]
World Anti-Imperialist Platform[2]
Chamber of Deputies
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Senate
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It soon entered the labor movement and was included in the leadership of the Central Obrera Boliviana and the FSTMB during the 1960s. However, it remained a minority force in most unions. The Sino-Soviet split further weakened the PCB. In 1964, Ruiz González and others broke away to form the pro-China Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist–Leninist).

At the time, the U.S. State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 6,500.[3]

In 1966, the Cuban-based revolutionary Che Guevara planned to initiate a guerrilla war against René Barrientos, Bolivia's military dictator. The PCB initially pledged its support, but became suspicious of Guevara when he arrived. The party did not participate in Guevara's campaign. Instead, Guevara formed a separate organization, the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional).

When democracy was restored in Bolivia in the 1980s, the PCB remained a minor party. In 2003 it lost its designation as a recognized political party.[citation needed]

The PCB publishes Unidad (Unity).

As of 2019, Ignacio Mendoza served as the first secretary of the party.[4]

General Secretaries

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  • Simón Reyes Rivera (1950–c. 1967)
  • Mario Monje Molina, nicknamed "Estanislao" (c. 1967–c. 1970)
  • Jorge Kolle Cueto (c. 1970–1981)
  • Marcos Domich Ruiz (1985–2003)
  • Ignacio Mendoza Pizarro (2003–2008)

References

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  1. ^ "20 IMCWP, Participants List". SolidNet. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Palestine Declaration: From the river, to the sea, Palestine will be free!". World Anti-Imperialist Platform. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  3. ^ Benjamin, Roger W.; Kautsky, John H.. Communism and Economic Development, in The American Political Science Review, Vol. 62, No. 1. (Mar., 1968), pp. 122.
  4. ^ Agencia Cubana de Noticias. Partido Comunista de Bolivia rechaza acciones de EE.UU. contra Cuba