Evening star., 1949-09-02
Disordered BoIivio

The current uprising IN BOLIVIA Is not
only serious in itself But is the latest in
series of events indicating a chronically
unstable condition in the national life.
The country has been under virtual mar
tial law ever since the bloody strikes in
the tin mines last May, while behind them,
again, lie other disturbances and agita-
tons.
The present revolt appears to be COM
bination of two extremist elements. One
of these is the Communist-dominated labor
element which works the tin mines. The
other is political organization called
MNR, which are the initials of the Span
ish version of the National Revolutionary
Movement" This group, made up chiefly
of military officers and demagogic poll
ticians, was in power from 1943 through
successful revolution down to 1946, when
1t was overthrown by student-led popular
uprising which killed the brutal President
Dictator, Gualberto Villaroel, drove his
chief supporters into exile and installed
middle of -the-road government headed by
Enrique Hertzog, pledged to constitutional
methods and moderate reforms. Unfor-
tunately, Hertzog had to step down from
the presidency early last May because OF
Ill health, the executive functions being
taken over by the present incumbent, Ma
merto Urriolagoitia, as acting President.
This change in leadership apparently en-
couraged the extremist oppositions to revo-
lutionary action. At any rate, the tin-nine
strikes soon occurred, with MNR as well
as Communist instigation. And though tho
government restored order in the mining
region, it obviously did little more than
scotch the revolutionary trend, which has
now broken out in aggravated form, in
cluding not only the mining districts but
also most of the cities outside of the capital,
La Paz. There, the conspiracy was de-
tected in time and nipped in the bud. But
the chief revolutionary centers have not
been retaken by loyal government forces,
and an order for general mobilization in
dicaIes that severe and possibly pro-
longed struggle may be in prospect.
The natural question for outsiders is
Just what is behind this complex unrest.
And the basic answer involves the politi-
CAL economic and social unbalance which
has always characterized Bolivia's national
existence.
Bollvla 10 country whose chronic paek-
wardness Is due in part to nature itself.
APPLY called the. Tibet of South America,
1t consists largely of mountain-girt
plateau with an average elevation above
10000 feet. The result is that, though
lying within the tropics, it has SUBJ
Arctic climate the year around Yet this
bleak and infertile region supports most
Of Bolivia's population. Furthermore, the
mass of the people are Indians, poor,
illiterate and speaking in great part only
their native languages. They thus have
few cultural links with the relatively small
Spanish speaking upper class which really
runs the country and largely nonopolizes
both It's politics and Its economic advan-
tages. And those advantages are not many,
because Bolivia's developed natural re-
sources are limited. It's chief economic
asset is it's tin mines, exports Of tin ore
accounting for most Of It's revenues. Al
though the mines are predominantly ma
tive-owned, ownership is in relatively few
hands, so the profits are not widely dis
tributed. The only other big business IL