Germán Busch | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Luigi Domenico Gismondi, c. 1937 | |
| 36th President of Bolivia | |
| In office 13 July 1937 – 23 August 1939 Junta: 13 July 1937 – 28 May 1938 | |
| Vice President |
|
| Preceded by | David Toro |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Quintanilla (prov.) |
| In office 17 May 1936 – 20 May 1936 Provisional | |
| Preceded by | José Luis Tejada Sorzano |
| Succeeded by | David Toro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Víctor Germán Busch Becerra 23 March 1903 El Carmen del Iténez, Beni, or San Javier, Santa Cruz, Bolivia |
| Died | 23 August 1939 (aged 36) La Paz, Bolivia |
| Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
| Spouse |
Matilde Carmona Rodó
(m. 1928) |
| Children |
|
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Alberto Natusch (nephew) |
| Alma mater | Military College of the Army |
| Signature | .svg){kind=small} |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Bolivia |
| Branch/service | Bolivian Army |
| Years of service | 1927–1937 |
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel[α] |
| Commands | Chief of the General Staff |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Order of the Condor of the Andes |
Víctor Germán Busch Becerra (23 March 1903 – 23 August 1939) was a Bolivian military officer and political leader who served as the 36th president of Bolivia from 1937 until his death in 1939.
Busch was born in either El Carmen del Iténez or San Javier and raised in Trinidad. He attended the Military College of the Army and served with distinction in the Chaco War, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He became the protégé of Colonel David Toro and took part in the military-led ousters of presidents Daniel Salamanca and José Luis Tejada Sorzano. In 1936, Busch handed power to a junta chaired by Toro, only to seize power himself just a year later.
A war hero, drawn in by the reformist social movements of the time, Busch developed upon Toro's military socialist ideology. He convened the 1938 National Convention and enacted a new progressive constitution, which formalized labor rights, recognized the communal lands of indigenous peoples, and established a national claim on the country's natural wealth. Pando was created as Bolivia's northernmost department, while in the south, a peace treaty ceded the Chaco Boreal to Paraguay.
Busch's erratic temperament and political inexperience made him unable to unite the disparate factions of the left. Dissatisfied with the slow pace of reforms and facing a resurgent right-wing backed by the mining oligarchy, he suspended democracy and declared a dictatorship in 1939. In the months that followed, Busch issued a slew of executive decrees, implemented a new labor and school code, and forced mining corporations to exchange their foreign export earnings for national currency. By late 1939, the pressures of governing and a deep personal depression led Busch to take his own life at his home in Miraflores.
An enigmatic figure who originated from outside the political realm, Busch's legacy is wrapped in legend and controversy, even about his birthplace. His sudden and unexpected demise is still disputed in the popular imagination as either suicide or an assassination. Busch upended the oligarchy's firm grip on power and laid the groundwork for many reforms later elaborated upon during the Bolivian National Revolution. Scholars often cite Busch as the most significant president of the immediate post-war period.
Background and early life: 1903–1922 edit
Birthplace and lineage edit
Germán Busch was born on 23 March 1903, the ... of ... children born to Pablo Busch ... and ...
... The backgrounds of Busch's parents siblings – as with his own – contain many unknowns.
Family and relations edit
Busch's sister, Elisa, married Alberto Natusch Velasco.[1] Their son – Busch's nephew – Alberto Natusch Busch,[2] pursued a career as an officer in the Army; he was minister of agriculture during the dictatorship of Hugo Banzer and led a quixotic coup d'état in 1979 that placed him as president for just sixteen days that November.[3]
Early life and education: 19xx–1922 edit
Military career: 1922–1932 edit
Marriage and in-laws edit
Shortly after the wedding, Busch was assigned to a garrison on the outskirts of Cochabamba, where his meager second lieutenant's salary placed him and Carmona in economic hardship. To get by, they relied on the generosity of Busch's friend, Ángel Jordán,[4] and were able to sublease two rooms in the apartment of Raquel Tejada Albornoz, a relative of Liberal politician José Luis Tejada Sorzano. The couple developed a friendly bond with Tejada, and with her daughter, Lidia Gueiler Tejada, whom Busch affectionately called "his little sister". Carmona was already pregnant when the two moved in,[5] and gave birth to Busch's first son and namesake, Juan Germán, on 28 December 1928. Their second child, Orlando, followed eleven months later.[4]
San Ignacio de Zamucos expeditions edit
Chaco War service: 1932–1935 edit
1934 coup d'état edit
Political rise: 1935–1937 edit
1936 coup d'état edit
La Calle 17 May 1937
Busch in the Toro government: 1936–1937 edit
La Calle 4 March 1937
Presidency: 1937–1939 edit
Coup d'état and assumption edit
Early acts: 1937–1938 edit
(Somewhere in this section) ...
Arguedas had been a vocal detractor of Busch's regime and had, since 1937, taken to penning a series of "open letters" in the liberal newspaper El Diario, in which he criticized the president's handling of policy. In his second letter, published 4 August 1938, Arguedas issued "derogatory" remarks toward the "caste of ex-combatants of the Chaco" and made vague allusions to acts of corruption among cabinet ministers.[β] The note incensed Busch, who had the writer brought to his office that same day.
Arguedas arrived at the Palacio Quemado at around four in the afternoon. The writer Augusto Guzmán states that Busch demanded Arguedas retract his allegations but was denied. The two men then irrupted into an argument: "you are a scoundrel!", Busch remarked, and Arguedas responded in kind. At that point, the president grabbed Arguedas by his lapel and struck him twice in the face, leaving the 59-year-old writer bloodied and bruised. To avoid public scandal, the Propaganda Department was forced to issue an edict ordering outlets to censor "publications that affect the prestige of the government [and] the honorability of its representatives".
Despite these measures, word of the incident soon spread, sparking a wave of indignation among the public.[8] Scattered protests took place in major cities, and foreign press outlets carried the story across the continent; "it was the international infamy of the year", states Brockmann. (B) In one instance, it took the first lady's personal intervention to prevent the palace guard from firing on students demonstrating outside government headquarters.[9]
In his biography of Busch, Augusto Céspedes states that Busch later expressed "sincere regret" over what transpired and recognized the "indignity of his act".[10]
Administration and cabinet edit
1938 National Convention edit
Constitutional term: 1938–1939 edit
Domestic affairs edit
Foreign policy edit
Dictatorship declared: 1939 edit
Executive reforms edit
A definition of Rosca is contained at the beginning of Cespedes's book.
Death and controversy edit
Apparent suicide edit
Fallout and controversy edit
Aftermath and intrigue edit
Investigation and theories edit
Contemporary analysis edit
Augusto Céspedes, in the opening of his book, El presidente colgado, states that "Busch's suicide was so opportune for the large miners that even today it makes one presume a strategic assassination".[11]
Busch had a seeming fixation with suicide.
— Antonio Paredes[12]
In his tome of historical anecdotes, writer Antonio Paredes relates that during the few months of his dictatorship, it was not uncommon for Busch to draw a pistol to his temple and exclaim to those present: "What would the people say if I pulled the trigger?".[13] According to Brockmann, between 1938 and 1939 alone, Busch attempted to take his own life at least six times. "So when you add up the police records, the testimony of the witnesses, you realize that he had a significant tendency toward suicide".[14]
Personality and personal life edit
Ideology and personality edit
Historian Carlos Mesa describes Busch as "an impulsive president, with personal outbursts of great generosity and great intransigence".[15]
Family and personal life edit
Legacy and memory edit
Historical evaluations edit
"above all, obsessed with the destiny of the country" (B15)
Regional identity edit
Places, namesakes, and monuments edit
Currency and postage edit
https://www.la-razon.com/politico/2019/10/02/dos-nuevos-disparos-sobre-la-historia-de-german-busch/
http://www.gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo/normas/verGratis_gob/45904
References edit
Notes edit
- ^ After his death, Busch was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
- ^ The contents of this note are contained, alongside letters to other presidents, in Argueda's work Cartas a los presidentes de Bolivia (1979).[6] It was republished by historian Mariano Baptista Gumucio in his book Cartas para comprender la historia de Bolivia.[7] In both titles, the letter is dated to September 1937.
Footnotes edit
- ^ Mesa Gisbert 2003, p. 249.
- ^ Mesa Gisbert 2003, p. 49.
- ^ Mesa Gisbert 2003, p. 694.
- ^ a b Brockmann 2017.
- ^ Crespo 1999, pp. 33–36.
- ^ Arguedas, Alcides (1979). Cartas a los presidentes de Bolivia (in Spanish). La Paz: Biblioteca Popular Boliviana de Última Hora. OCLC 6709515.
- ^ Baptista Gumucio 2016, pp. 362–370.
- ^ Baptista Gumucio 2016, p. 362.
- ^ Crespo 1999, pp. 28–29.
- ^ Céspedes 1968, p. 205.
- ^ Céspedes 2001, p. 14.
- ^ Paredes Candia 2000, p. 41.
- ^ Paredes Candia 2000, p. 42.
- ^ El Deber 15 July 2017.
- ^ Mesa Gisbert 2007, p. 451.
Works cited edit
Digital and print publications
- Gonzales Oruño, Grecia (8 August 2018). "Dos puñetazos al liberalismo" [Two Blows to Liberalism]. La Razón (suppl.) (in Spanish). La Paz. p. E8. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018.
- Gonzales Oruño, Grecia (4 October 2018). "80 años de la muerte de Tejada Sorzano: El presidente que quiso prorrogarse y cayó" [80 Years Since the Death of Tejada Sorzano: The President Who Sought to Extend His Term and Fell]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. pp. 18–19.
- Gonzales Oruño, Grecia (14 May 2019). "La rebelión boliviana de mayo del 36" [The Bolivian Rebellion of May '36]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. pp. 16–17.
- Gonzales Oruño, Grecia (27 July 2019). "Busch y la efímera existencia del partido orientalista en Bolivia" [Busch and the Ephemeral Existence of the Orientalist Party in Bolivia]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. pp. 16–17.
- Gonzales Oruño, Grecia (8 October 2019). "Conmoción y duda: ¿Fue la muerte de Germán Busch un suicidio?" [Shock and Doubt: Was the Death of Germán Busch a Suicide?]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. pp. 14–15.
- Gonzales Oruño, Grecia (9 May 2021). "Busch: Dictador antiliberal" [Busch: Illiberal Dictator]. La Razón (suppl.) (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021.
- Herrera, Ricardo (15 July 2017). "Descendientes de Busch, contra el libro de Brockmann" [Descendants of Busch, Against Brockmann's Book]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021.
- Manjón, Adhemar (20 July 2017). "La vida y la muerte de Busch siguen generando disensos" [Busch’s Life and Death Continue to Generate Disagreements]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017.
- Pinto Parabá, Miguel (28 August 2019). "80 años de la muerte de Busch" [80 Years Since the Death of Busch]. La Razón (suppl.) (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019.
Academic journals
- Klein, Herbert S. (February 1965). "David Toro and the Establishment of 'Military Socialism' in Bolivia". The Hispanic American Historical Review. 45 (1): 25–52. doi:10.1215/00182168-45.1.25. ISSN 1527-1900. JSTOR 2510530 – via Duke University Press.
- Klein, Herbert S. (January 1966). "'Social Constitutionalism' in Latin America: The Bolivian Experience of 1938". The Americas. 22 (3): 258–276. doi:10.2307/979170. ISSN 1533-6247. JSTOR 979170 – via Cambridge University Press.
- Klein, Herbert S. (May 1967). "Germán Busch and the Era of 'Military Socialism' in Bolivia". The Hispanic American Historical Review. 47 (2): 166–184. doi:10.1215/00182168-47.2.166. ISSN 1527-1900. JSTOR 2511478 – via Duke University Press.
- Lijerón Casanovas, Arnaldo (June 2011). "Tte. Gral. Germán Busch Becerra: La estirpe beniana del héroe legendario" [Lt. Gen. Germán Busch Becerra: The Benian Lineage of the Legendary Hero]. Fuentes (in Spanish). 5 (14). La Paz: 19–30. ISSN 1997-4485 – via SciELO.
- Pinto Cascán, Darwin (June 2023). "El origen del héroe: Germán Busch y su fundamentado nacimiento en Santa Cruz" [Origin of the Hero: Germán Busch and His Well-Founded Birth in Santa Cruz]. Aportes (34). Santa Cruz de la Sierra: 101–116. doi:10.56992/a.v1i34.414. ISSN 2306-8671 – via SciELO.
Theses
Books and encyclopedias
- Brockmann, Robert (2017). Dos disparos al amanecer: Vida y muerte de Germán Busch (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). La Paz: Plural Editores. ISBN 978-99954-1-768-0.
- Álvarez, Waldo (2016). Memorias del primer ministro obrero: Historia del movimiento político sindical boliviano (1916–1952) (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). La Paz: Ministerio de Trabajo del Estado Plurinacional – via the Internet Archive.
- Baptista Gumucio, Mariano (2016). Cartas para comprender la historia de Bolivia (in Spanish) (3rd ed.). La Paz: Biblioteca del Bicentenario de Bolivia. ISBN 978-99974-893-7-1. OCLC 995850697 – via the Internet Archive.
- Céspedes, Augusto (1968). El dictador suicida: 40 años de historia de Bolivia (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). La Paz: Librería Editorial Juventud. OCLC 6955177 – via the Internet Archive.
- Céspedes, Augusto (2001). El presidente colgado: Historia boliviana (in Spanish) (6th ed.). La Paz: Librería Editorial Juventud – via the Internet Archive.
- Crespo, Alfonso (1999). Lidia: Una mujer en la historia (in Spanish). La Paz: Plural Editores. ISBN 84-89891-44-3. OCLC 253779502.
- De Mesa, José; Gisbert, Teresa; Mesa Gisbert, Carlos D. (2007). Historia de Bolivia (in Spanish) (6th ed.). La Paz: Editorial Gisbert. ISBN 978-999-05-833-1-1. OCLC 182540169 – via the Internet Archive.
- Díaz Machicao, Porfirio (1957). Historia de Bolivia: Toro, Busch, Quintanilla (1936–1940) (in Spanish). Vol. IV. La Paz: Librería Editorial Juventud. OCLC 13554472.
- Foianini Banzer, Dionisio (2002). Misión cumplida (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). La Paz: Fondo Editorial de los Diputados. ISBN 99905-0-222-6. OCLC 55204362 – via the Internet Archive.
- Gallego Margaleff, Ferran (1992). Ejército, nacionalismo y reformismo en América Latina: La gestión de Germán Busch en Bolivia (in Spanish). Barcelona: Promociones y Publicaciones Universitarias. OCLC 1025909577.
- 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.
- Montenegro, Carlos (2015). Baptista Gumucio, Mariano (ed.). Germán Busch y otras páginas de historia de Bolivia (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). La Paz: Librería Editorial LewyLibros – via the Internet Archive.
- Paredes Candia, Antonio (2000). Anécdotas de gobernantes y gobernados (in Spanish). La Paz: Ediciones Isla. OCLC 253273917 – via the Internet Archive.
- Schelchkov, Andrey (2018). Socialistas-militares: El laberinto boliviano de la experimentación social (1936–1939) (in Spanish). La Paz: Vicepresidencia del Estado Plurinacional. ISBN 978-99974-77-52-1. OCLC 1107322376 – via the Internet Archive.
Further reading
- Baptista Gumucio, Mariano (2011). Busch, la flecha incendiaria (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra: Editorial e Imprenta Universitaria. ISBN 978-99954-803-8-7. OCLC 769663410.
- Durán Saucedo, Juan Carlos (1997). Germán Busch y los orígenes de la Revolución Nacional: Fragmentos para una biografía (in Spanish). La Paz: Editorial del Honorable Senado Nacional. OCLC 39221150.
External links edit
- Profile of Germán Busch in the Bolivian government gazette (in Spanish).
- Germán Busch at Find a Grave (cenotaph).
- Text of the 1938 Constitution in the repository of the Higher University of San Andrés (in Spanish).
Category:1903 births Category:1939 deaths Category:1939 suicides Category:20th-century Bolivian politicians Category:Bolivian military personnel Category:Bolivian people of German descent Category:Bolivian people of Italian descent Category:Heads of state who died by suicide Category:Leaders who took power by coup Category:Military College of the Army alumni Category:People of the Chaco War Category:Presidents of Bolivia Category:Suicides by firearm in Bolivia [[:Category:]]