User:Krisgabwoosh/Víctor Paz Estenssoro

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Paz and the second or maternal family name is Estenssoro.

Víctor Paz Estenssoro
Official portrait, c. 1952
45th President of Bolivia
In office 6 August 1985 – 6 August 1989
Vice President	Julio Garrett
Preceded by	Hernán Siles Zuazo
Succeeded by	Jaime Paz Zamora
In office 6 August 1960 – 4 November 1964
Vice President	Juan Lechín (1960–1964) René Barrientos (1964)
Preceded by	Hernán Siles Zuazo
Succeeded by	René Barrientos
In office 15 April 1952 – 6 August 1956
Vice President	Hernán Siles Zuazo
Preceded by	Hugo Ballivián
Succeeded by	Hernán Siles Zuazo
Minister of Finance and Statistics
In office 31 December 1944 – 21 July 1946
President	Gualberto Villarroel
Preceded by	Jorge Zarco
Succeeded by	Luis Gonsálvez
In office 20 December 1943 – 5 April 1944
President	Gualberto Villarroel
Preceded by	Germán Chávez
Succeeded by	Jorge Zarco
Minister of Economy
In office 12 June 1941 – 17 June 1941
President	Enrique Peñaranda
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Alberto Crespo
Personal details
Born	Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro (1907-10-02)2 October 1907 Tarija, Bolivia
Died	7 June 2001(2001-06-07) (aged 93) Tarija, Bolivia
Political party	Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (1941–2001)
Other political affiliations	Independent Socialist (1938–1941)
Spouses	Domingo Paz Rojas Carlota Estenssoro Dávalos
Parents	Carmela Cerruto Ayoroa ​ ​ (m. 1935; died 1953)​ María Teresa Cortez Velasco ​ ​ (m. 1954)​
Alma mater	Higher University of San Andrés
Occupation	Economist lawyer politician
Signature
Website	victorpazestenssoro.com
Military service
Allegiance	Bolivia
Branch/service	Bolivian Army
Years of service	1934–1935
Rank	Seargant
Unit	Seleme Artillery Corps.
Battles/wars	Chaco War

Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro (2 October 1907 – 7 June 2001) was a Bolivian economist, lawyer, and statesman who served as the 45th president of Bolivia from 1952 to 1956, 1960 to 1964, and 1985 to 1989. The founder and principal leader of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, Paz led the Bolivian National Revolution, in which he implemented radical economic and social reforms. In his fourth term two decades later, he controversially reversed many of those policies, ushering in an era of neoliberal economics.

Born in Tarija to an upper-class family, Paz graduated as a lawyer from the Higher University of San Andrés and served in the Armed Forces during the Chaco War. Radicalized by his front-line experience, he helped found the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, which he led for the rest of his political career. From parliament, Paz established himself as one of the country's most prominent lawmakers and a vehement opponent of President Enrique Peñaranda, whose government he helped topple in 1943. He was appointed minister of finance by Gualberto Villarroel, and was a central pillar of the colonel's regime until its downfall forced him to flee the country in 1946.

From exile, Paz ran for president twice, in 1947 and 1951. In his second bid, he won a plurality of the vote but was blocked from taking office by the incumbent government. The National Revolution of 1952 placed Paz in power a year later. During his first term, Paz spearheaded a radical agenda aimed at combating inequality and poverty: a program of agrarian reform abolished the hacienda system, education was overhauled, and the country's mines were nationalized. Universal suffrage was extended to all Bolivians – including women and indigenous peoples – but elections remained marked by fraud, and opposition was suppressed. At the end of his term in 1956, Paz handed power to Hernán Siles Zuazo and was named ambassador to the United Kingdom. He returned in 1958 and was elected president again in 1960. Paz's second term focused on institutionalizing the revolution's reforms through the enactment of a new Constitution in 1961. His rightward drift and decision to seek a third term fractured Paz's party, and though he was reelected in 1964, he was overthrown by his own vice president, René Barrientos, months later.

Paz backed the coup that brought Hugo Banzer to power in 1971 and co-governed with the regime until 1973 when he was exiled again by the military. During the democratic transition, Paz ran for president again; he placed second in a virtual tie with Siles in 1979, forcing a rerun of the election. His role in another brief coup in 1979 reduced his popularity, and he lost resoundingly to Siles in 1980, though his party won control of Congress. From parliament, Paz led a hardline opposition that crippled Siles's government and forced early elections in 1985. Although he again placed second, Congress elected Paz president. In an about-face, Paz did away with many of his previous administrations' reforms during his fourth term: mines were privatized, the government suppressed trade unions, and the economy was reshaped into a neoliberal model by supreme decree to stabilize hyperinflation. At the end of his term, Paz ceded control of the party to Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada and retired to his residence in Tarija, where he died at 93 in 2001.

Often considered the most significant figure of twentieth-century Bolivia, historical assessments of Paz praise him for introducing the most transformative societal changes in the nation's history, and he has been credited with pulling the country from the brink of financial collapse during his fourth term. At the same time, Paz's anti-democratic tendencies sullied his populist credentials; the economic ramifications of his early reforms remain hotly debated, while the neoliberal legacy left by his fourth administration is looked on negatively by economists, historians, and much of the populace. Despite these grievances, scholars consistently rank Paz as one of the greatest presidents in Bolivian history.

Early life and career: 1907–1938

Political rise: 1938–1952

Collaboration with Villarroel: 1943–1946

A funny quote about tin sales to Germany is found in the epilogue of Brockman's Busch biography.

First presidency: 1952–1956

Further information: Bolivian National Revolution

Second and third presidencies: 1960–1964

1960 election

Main article: 1960 Bolivian general election

1964 election

Main article: 1964 Bolivian general election

Exile and return: 1964–1985

Fourth presidency: 1985–1989

1985 election

Main article: 1985 Bolivian general election

Personal life

Cortez Velasco was a descendant of José Miguel de Velasco (Mesa 49)

Electoral history

Electoral history of Víctor Paz Estenssoro

Year	Office	Party		Alliance		Votes			Result	Ref.
						Total	%	P.
1938	Deputy		Independent Socialist		Socialist Single Front	[data missing]			Won
1940			Independent Socialist	Does not appear		[data missing]			Won
1942			Revolutionary Nationalist Movement	Does not appear		[data missing]			Won
1944	Senator		Revolutionary Nationalist Movement	Does not appear		[data missing]			Won
1947	President		Revolutionary Nationalist Movement		Mining Parliamentary Bloc	5,194	5.56%	3rd	Lost
1951			Revolutionary Nationalist Movement	Does not appear		54,129	42.91%	1st	Annulled
1960			Revolutionary Nationalist Movement	Does not appear		735,619	76.10%	1st	Won
1964			Revolutionary Nationalist Movement	Does not appear		1,114,717	97.89%	1st	Won
1978			Revolutionary Nationalist Movement		Democratic Alliance of the National Revolution	213,662	11.03%	3rd	Lost
1979			Revolutionary Nationalist Movement		MNR – Alliance	527,184	35.88%	2nd	Lost
1980			Revolutionary Nationalist Movement		MNR – Alliance	263,706	20.15%	2nd	Lost
1985			Revolutionary Nationalist Movement	Does not appear		458,950	30.17%	2nd	Won

References

Works cited

Online and list sources

Digital and print publications

Books and encyclopedias

• García Orellana, Alberto; García Yapur, Fernando L., eds. (2012). Atlas Electoral de Bolivia (in Spanish). Vol. I (2nd ed.). La Paz: Órgano Electoral Plurinacional. ISBN 978-99905-928-1-8. OCLC 931433259 – via the Internet Archive.
• 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.

External links

• Krisgabwoosh/Víctor Paz Estenssoro at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) (in Spanish)

Category:1907 births Category:2001 deaths Category:20th-century Bolivian lawyers Category:20th-century Bolivian politicians Category:Ambassadors of Bolivia to the United Kingdom Category:Bolivian economists Category:Bolivian exiles Category:Bolivian expatriates in Argentina Category:Bolivian expatriates in Peru Category:Bolivian diplomats Category:Bolivian people of Basque descent Category:Candidates in the 1947 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1951 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1960 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1964 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1978 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1979 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1980 Bolivian presidential election Category:Candidates in the 1985 Bolivian presidential election Category:Finance ministers of Bolivia Category:Hernán Siles administration personnel Category:Higher University of San Andrés alumni Category:Leaders who took power by coup Category:Leaders ousted by a coup Category:Members of the Bolivian Chamber of Deputies from Tarija Category:Paz family Category:People from Tarija Category:People of the Chaco War Category:Peñaranda administration cabinet members Category:Presidents of Bolivia Category:Revolutionary Nationalist Movement politicians Category:Villarroel administration cabinet members [[:Category:]]