page_title: Bolivian Civil War
section_title: Ley Radicatoria of 1898
hierarchical_section_title: Bolivian Civil War / Ley Radicatoria of 1898
caption_attribution_description: English: Sucre, the office of prefecture
context_page_description: The Bolivian Civil War, also known as the Federal War was a civil war in Bolivia fought from 1898 to 1899. The war saw two factions, a conservative side supported by the political, economic and religious elite of the country with control of the armed forces and who defended a unitary state, and a liberal faction opposed to the policies set by the state and that intended to transform the country into a federation, with support of the peasantry, the indigenous peoples and small Catholic businesses.
  The conflict was ultimately won by the liberal side, putting an end to decades-long political rule by the Bolivian conservatives and leading to a time of political change called the federal revolution. The outcome included the attempted move of the country's capital city from Sucre to La Paz, however subsequent political conflicts challenged this process eventually frustrating a complete move and also hindering the transformation into a federal republic. In consequence Sucre remained the constitutional capital, whereas La Paz became the de facto seat of government, a situation that remains in present time.
  During the war, both sides committed atrocities against the civilian populace.
context_section_description: Severo Fernández was a conservative who had been elected president of Bolivia after the general elections of 1896. During his mandate, Fernández intended to put an end of "problem of the capital": until 1880 the seat of the executive and legislative power was located wherever the president resided. In consequence, since achieving independence in 1825 and until 1898 Congress had met 29 times in Sucre, 20 in La Paz, 7 in Oruro, 2 in Cochabamba and once in Tapacarí. Officially, the capital city was set in the city of Sucre, which had also been the capital of the Real Audiencia of Charcas during colonial times. The capital had not been moved due to a combination of financial challenges involved and the influence of the local aristocracy. Starting in 1880, the conservative governments started to reside permanently in Sucre, making it the de facto capital.
  On the 31st of October, 1898 the members of Congress in Sucre proposed a bill named ley radicatoria that effectively set the executive power in Sucre. The congress members from La Paz, however, proposed moving to the city of Cochabamba instead, as it was a more neutral choice, but the government rejected the idea. The liberals had decided to seemingly support Sucre as the capital city with the aim of provoking the La Paz elites to rebel against the conservative government. On 6 November there is a big demonstration in La Paz demanding both federalism and the definitive move of all branches of government to the city. On the 14th a Federal Committee is created, presided by the army colonel José Manuel Pando, while the liberals took advantage of the upheaval to propose full economic and political autonomy for all departments. Three days later however, the ley radicatoria was approved and Sucre was set as the only capital city of Bolivia, that was to remain a centralist, unitary state.
  In response, on the 12th of December, supported by the local population of La Paz, a Federal Junta made of members of the liberal party is created, effectively setting a scenario where two active governments existed in the country, one in Sucre and another in La Paz. Some political authorities recognised the political authority of the Junta, like La Paz governor Serapio Reyes Ortiz and the minister Macario Pinilla. The liberals were led by Pando, who received support from the Altiplano indigenous communities, led by the cacique Pablo Zárate Willka, giving way to an unprecedented situation in which a federal revolution led by criollos happened simultaneously and in alliance with an indigenous revolt.
caption: Palace of Government in Sucre.
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