1938 Bolivian National Convention

February 2021 1938 National Convention of Bolivia Convención Nacional de Bolivia de 1938 Escudo de Bolivia.svg Unicameral 1931–36 Congress 1940–42 Congress Chamber of Senators,Chamber of Deputies President of the National Convention Renato Riverín FPP 23 May 1938 10318 Senators103 Deputies Chamber of Senators Chamber of Deputies File:Senado de Bolivia elecciones 1938.svg 250px Socialist Single Front silver FUS (18) Liberal Party (Bolivia) silver PL (8) Socialist Republican Party (Bolivia) silver PRS (4) darksalmon silver FPP (2) Socialist Single Front silver ??? (4) File:Cámara de Diputados de Bolivia elecciones 1938.svg 250px Socialist Single Front silver FUS (96) United Socialist Party (Bolivia) silver PSU (19) Revolutionary Nationalist Movement silver PSI (7) Socialist Republican Party (Bolivia) silver PRS (6) Liberal Party (Bolivia) silver PL (3) darksalmon silver FPP (2) Workers' Party (Bolivia) silver PO (1) Revolutionary Workers' Party (Bolivia) silver POR (1) #92B558 silver LEC (1) Socialist Single Front silver ??? (58) Independent politician silver Ind. (7) white silver Ind. clerics (2) Party-list proportional representation Additional Member System 13 March 1938 10 March 1940 13 March 1938 10 March 1940 Palacio Legislativo Boliviano.jpg Legislative Palace The 1938 Bolivian National Convention was a meeting of the unicameral Bolivian legislature composed of an elected constituent assembly made up of the Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies.Klein Herbert S. 1966-01-01 "Social Constitutionalism" in Latin America: The Bolivian Experience of 1938 The Americas 22 3 258–276 10.2307/979170 979170 147268955 0003-1615 It met in La Paz from 25 May to 30 October 1938 and was charged with rewriting the Constitution of Bolivia.Rossana Barragán, "Ciudadanía y elecciones, convenciones y debates" in Barragán R. Rossana Regiones y poder constituyente en Bolivia : una historia de pactos y disputas José Luis Roca PNUD 2005 978-99905-0-960-1 Cuaderno de futuro, 21 La Paz, Bolivia 336 President David Toro had called for the National Convention in 1937, but by the time it was held he had been forced to resign in a coup d'état which brought the young lieutenant colonel Germán Busch to power on 13 July 1937. The Congress was elected as part of that year's legislative election. Voter rolls for electing convention members were opened in August 1937 and the vote was held on 13 March 1938.Rossana Barragán, "Ciudadanía y elecciones, convenciones y debates" in Barragán R. Rossana Regiones y poder constituyente en Bolivia : una historia de pactos y disputas José Luis Roca PNUD 2005 978-99905-0-960-1 Cuaderno de futuro, 21 La Paz, Bolivia 361 Background President David Toro, who called the National Convention, had presided over a clearly left-wing ideology known as Military Socialism. His successor Germán Busch, however, was politically enigmatic with both the left and the right alike assuming he would reverse course from the leftist Toro back to the traditional conservatism of the pre-Chaco War establishment.Klein 1967 168–171 The coming assembly was the first national legislative body to meet in Bolivia in over three years.Gotkowitz Laura A revolution for our rights: Indigenous struggles for land and justice in Bolivia, 1880–1952 Duke University Press 2007 Durham 115 With it, the traditional establishment parties (The Liberals and the Genuine and Socialist Republicans) hoped to reassert themselves in national politics. However, the Busch regime soon took a left-wing political stance, implementing the Toro-era concept of union representation in government by allowing the Trade Union Confederation of Bolivian Workers (CSTB) and the Legion of Veterans (LEC) to present candidates in the legislative elections. Soon, the CSTB and LEC joined with multiple left-wing parties, from the moderate socialist United Socialist Party (PSU) to the more radical Independent Socialist Party (PSI), and formed the Socialist Single Front (FUS), a united electoral alliance backed by the Busch government. Faced with a unified left-wing coalition, the traditional parties withdrew from the elections, save for the Socialist Republicans who joined with the FUS and certain dissident Liberals who chose to collaborate with the new regime. With the path to victory cleared, the FUS won the 1938 legislative election in a landslide, winning all 18 seats in the Chamber of Senators and 96 of the 103 seats in the Chamber of Deputies with just 7 seats going to independents and 2 being won by independent clerics from La Paz.Political handbook of the world 1940. New York, 1940. P. 12. Thus, when the convention finally opened in May 1938, the so-called Generación del Chaco (Chaco Generation) finally and for the first time found itself with a national platform from which to constitute its ideas into law. The Convention The National Convention opened on 25 May 1938, electing Renato Riverín of the Popular Front of Potosí (FPP) as its president. It was the first time workers were included in a Bolivian constituent assembly.Rossana Barragán, "Ciudadanía y elecciones, convenciones y debates" in Barragán R. Rossana Regiones y poder constituyente en Bolivia : una historia de pactos y disputas José Luis Roca PNUD 2005 978-99905-0-960-1 Cuaderno de futuro, 21 La Paz, Bolivia 279 The convention dominated the political scene nationwide, becoming the debate grounds of ideologues and thinkers of the entire left-wing spectrum, from moderate socialists to economic nationalists and hard line Marxist labor leaders.Klein 1967 171–172 Presidential election One of the first acts of the new assembly was to formally elect Germán Busch constitutional president on 27 May. Enrique Baldivieso, a deputy for Potosí and the leader of the United Socialist Party, was elected vice president. The pair were formally inaugurated as part of a national holiday the following day with terms set to last until 6 August 1942.Bolivia: Ley de 27 de mayo de 1938 https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-L-19380527-2.xhtml 2021-02-26 www.lexivox.org 1938 Constitution With its dominant position in the assembly, the left-wing quickly overpowered more conservative elements, rejecting liberal concepts of limited government and laissez-faire which had shaped the entire constitutional history of Bolivia. The classical Constitution of 1880 would be thrown out and the new one written under the guidelines of a revolutionary concept known as "social constitutionalism" in which the State was given the expanded role of providing for the economic and social needs of the population. At the same time, the concept of private property was reworded, limiting it from a natural right to a government-given right which was granted only so long as it fulfilled a "social function".Querejazu Calvo 1977 163 The new constitution also provided for many benefits and securities for organized labor which would now enjoy the direct protection of the State. Annual paid leave, a minimum wage, insurance for accidents and disability, and guarantees for unions were all included. The legal existence of indigenous communities was also recognized.Constitución social de Bolivia de 1938 https://jorgemachicado.blogspot.com/2010/05/cpe1938.html 2021-02-26 APUNTES JURIDICOS The so-called "Labor Sector" which represented the most extreme left of the convention also called for full-scale land reform. The leader of the Independent Socialists, the Tarijeño deputy Víctor Paz Estenssoro, also called for complete government control of the country's expansive tin industry, which up until then had been dominated by the tin barons of the mining oligarchy. While these more radical reforms were shot down, they received a voice on the national stage for the very first time. Finally, after months of deliberation and debate, the Political Constitution of 1938 was promulgated on 30 October. Aftermath For all its successes and contributions, one notable absence from the Convention was President Germán Busch himself. Politically naïve, Busch contributed little to the writing of the new Constitution. The Socialist Single Front, which created a united front of the left-wing parties, only lasted through the legislative elections. From there, the different factions of the left remained in a state of instability, forming and breaking apart from one another in their attempts to create a viable political coalition. Despite attempts by Renato Riverín and Busch's advisor Gabriel Gosálvez to form a government-backed Socialist Party, it suffered from a lack of commitment on the part of Busch and collapsed entirely when Vicente Leyton, his own Minister of Government, refused to join it.Klein 1967 176 Further fracturing occurred on 19 January 1939 when nine deputies and three senators announced the formation of the Eastern Socialist Party (PSO), also known as the Orientalist Party. The new party was aligned with the traditional liberalism of the pre-Chaco War parties and its political program expressed its intent to "proclaim the intangibility of the Eastern territory" and "to accept as a basic principle the integrity of each of the eastern departments, leaving established their historical and racial identity." For these reasons it was described by its critics as both "regionalist" and "racist" and was condemned by various social and cultural institutions, regional centers, trade union organizations, veterans, journalists, and even the Liberal Party.Busch y la efímera existencia del partido orientalista en Bolivia https://www.paginasiete.bo/gente/2019/7/27/busch-la-efimera-existencia-del-partido-orientalista-en-bolivia-225490.html 2021-04-28 www.paginasiete.bo spanish Nevertheless, the PSO on 1 February appealed for President Busch to join. However, on 14 February Busch warned that the "founding [of] a regionalist party [...] constitutes an attack against national unity." Busch's harsh condemnation came amidst calls that the members of the PSO be expelled from the legislature. Given the weight of the pressure and "In compliance with the order of His Excellency Mr. President," the PSO was dissolved on 18 February, less than a month after its formation. The PSO was the last attempt made by the more traditionally-oriented parties to ally themselves with the Busch government. Just a month later on 22 March, the Liberals and both Republican parties broke with their previous policy of interacting with the fringes of the moderate left and formed the Concordance coalition in direct opposition to the government.Fredrick B. Pike. The United States and the Andean republics: Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Harvard University Press, 1977. p. 255. The Concordance came forth demanding the end of military involvement in government and announced their intent to present candidates for the May legislative elections.Klein 1967 175 As a result, the left-wing stood without a united front against the resurgent and combined traditional parties, resulting in a bleak outlook on the coming legislative elections. Finally, tired of political manoeuvring and disappointed with the lack of results his regime had produced, Busch took matters into his own hands. On 24 April 1939, Busch declared totalitarian rule in a self-coup to the shock of the nation. The May legislative elections were cancelled and the assembly was permanently adjourned, bringing an end to the only legislature of the military socialist era.25 April 1939 TOTALITARIAN RULE DECREED IN BOLIVIA BY PRESIDENT, 35; Busch Assumes Dictatorial Powers, Doing Away With Congress and Basic Law (Published 1939) en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/25/archives/totalitarian-rule-decreed-in-bolivia-by-president-35-busch-assumes.html 24 October 2020 0362-4331 Leadership National Convention President: Renato Riverín (FPP), from 25 May 1938 First Vice President: Alfredo Mollinedo (PRS) Secretary: Agustín Landívar Zambrana Secretary: Augusto Guzmán (PSU) Secretary: Roberto Jordán Cuéllar (PRS) Secretary: Jesús Lijerón Rodríguez (Ind.) Composition center center Vice President Enrique Baldivieso - 2.jpg 165 Enrique Baldivieso Enrique Baldivieso (PSU) center center National Convention President Renato Riverín.jpg 165 Renato Riverín Renato Riverín (FPP) Chamber of Senators 1938 members of the Chamber of Senators:Valentín Abecia López. Montenegro: homenaje del Honorable Senado Nacional, a los 44 años de su muerte. Honorable Senado Nacional, 1997. Pp. 138.Bolivia: Constitución política de 1938, 30 de octubre de 1938 https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-CPE-19381020.xhtml 2021-02-26 www.lexivox.org Senator DepartmentParty Gregorio Mendizábal Chuquisaca PRS Sebastián García Agreda Chuquisaca ??? Eduardo Rodríguez Vásquez La Paz PL José P. Bilbao Llano La Paz ??? José Antezana Cochabamba PL Otoniel Quiroga Cochabamba PRS Luis Herrero Oruro PRS Ricardo Rivera Oruro ??? Carlos Medinaceli Potosí FPP Renato Riverín Potosí FPP Bernardo Navajas Trigo Tarija PL Julio Pantoja Estenssoro Tarija PRS Germán Chávez Santa Cruz PL PSOfn1 From 19 January – 18 February 1939 Julio Salmón Santa Cruz PL Napoleón Solares Arias Beni PL PSOfn1 Sócrates Parada Suárez Beni PL PSOfn1 Gregorio Balcázar Pando ??? Pablo Saucedo Barbery Pando PL Chamber of Deputies 1938 members of the Chamber of Deputies:Valentín Abecia López. Montenegro: homenaje del Honorable Senado Nacional, a los 44 años de su muerte. Honorable Senado Nacional, 1997. Pp. 139-143. Deputy Department ConstituencyParty Adrián Camacho Porcel Chuquisaca Oropeza PSU Alberto Berdeja Chuquisaca Sucre ??? Alberto Echazú Chuquisaca Sucre ??? Alberto Zelada Chuquisaca Sucre ??? Desiderio M. Rivera Chuquisaca Nor Cinti PSU Enrique Reyes Barrón Chuquisaca Tomina ??? Esteban Durán Chuquisaca Sucre ??? Germán Pareja Chuquisaca Sud Cinti ??? Jorge Arana Urioste Chuquisaca Yamparáez ??? José Romero Loza Chuquisaca Azurduy PSU Óscar Emilio Arauz Chuquisaca Zudáñez LEC Ricardo Gambarte Chuquisaca El Azero ??? Adolfo Paco Careaga La Paz Sica Sica ??? Adrián Oblitas La Paz Muñecas ??? Alfredo Mollinedo La Paz La Paz PRS Carlos Gómez Cornejo La Paz Loayza PRS Carlos Machicao La Paz Ingavi PRS Federico Román La Paz Sud Yungas LEC Félix Eguino Zaballa La Paz Omasuyos PSU Félix Vargas Soto La Paz Inquisivi PRS Humberto del Solar La Paz Los Andes ??? Jorge Ballón Saravia La Paz Murillo PSU José Bascón La Paz Larecaja ??? Luis Alberto Tapia La Paz La Paz ??? Luis Barbery La Paz Iturralde ??? Nazario Pardo Valle La Paz Caupolicán PSU Rigoberto Villarroel Claure La Paz Pacajes ??? Rufino Saldaña La Paz Nor Yungas ??? Tomás Chávez Lobatón La Paz La Paz Ind. Waldo Álvarez La Paz La Paz PO Wálter Portillo La Paz Camacho ??? Ángel Jordán Cochabamba Cliza ??? Augusto Céspedes Cochabamba Cochabamba PSI Augusto Guzmán Cochabamba Cochabamba PSU David Ardaya Cochabamba Punata ??? Felipe Ayala Gamboa Cochabamba Cochabamba PSU Humberto Montaño Cochabamba Cochabamba ??? Jorge Mercado Rosales Cochabamba Quillacollo PSU José Anaya Cochabamba Tarata ??? José Antonio Camacho Cochabamba Campero POR José Antonio Zegada Cochabamba Mizque ??? José Enrique Peña Cochabamba Chapare ??? Julio Espinoza Cochabamba Ayopaya PSI Lucio Vargas Díaz Cochabamba Arque PRS Luis Felipe Guzmán Cochabamba Capinota PL Rodolfo Costas Cochabamba Carrasco PSI Rodolfo Soriano Cochabamba Tapacarí PSU Wálter Guevara Cochabamba Aran PSI Abel Leyes Oruro Abaroa PSU Ángel Mendizábal Oruro Oruro PL Armando Renjel Oruro Poopó ??? Eduardo Fajardo Oruro Oruro ??? Enrique Liendo Oruro Oruro ??? Julián Montellano Oruro Carangas PSI Telesforo Morales Oruro Oruro ??? Trifonio Delgado Oruro Huanuni PRS Alfredo Arratia Potosí Potosí FPP Carlos Cortez Potosí Quijarro ??? Carlos Gregorio Taborga Potosí Chayanta ??? Corsino Rodríguez Quiroga Potosí Potosí ??? Emilio Sejas Potosí Bustillo ??? Enrique Baldivieso Potosí Sud Chichas PSU Eustaquio Bilbao Rioja Potosí Alonso de Ibáñez ??? Fernando Siñani Potosí Sud Lípez FPP Gastón Pacheco Potosí Potosí ??? Guillermo Rivero Potosí Potosí PSU José María Cortez Potosí Nor Chichas ??? Julio Velasco G. Potosí Nor Lípez ??? Lucio Lanza Solares Potosí Potosí PRS Luis Ossio Ruiz Potosí Linares PSU Severo Clavijo Suárez Potosí Cornelio Saavedra ??? Abel Márquez Tarija Tarija ??? Antonio Campero Arce Tarija Méndez PSU Antonio Mogro Moreno Tarija Avilés ??? Gustavo Auzza Tarija Tarija PRS Hugo Pizarro Aráoz Tarija O'Connor ??? Jorge Aráoz Campero Tarija Tarija PSI Víctor Paz Estenssoro Tarija Tarija PSI Adolfo Román Santa Cruz Santa Cruz ??? Agustín Landívar Zambrana Santa Cruz Warnes ??? Aquino Ibáñez Coruco Santa Cruz Chiquitos ??? Facundo Flores Jiménez Santa Cruz Velasco PSU PSOfn1 Fernando Justiniano Santa Cruz Ñuflo de Chávez ??? Francisco Hurtado Santa Cruz Cordillera ??? PSOfn1 José Daniel Antelo Santa Cruz Sara ??? PSOfn1 José Serrate Santa Cruz Ichilo ??? Mario Ortiz Suárez Santa Cruz Santa Cruz ??? PSOfn1 Roberto Prado Santa Cruz Vallegrande ??? Sixto Montero Hoyos Santa Cruz Florida ??? PSOfn1 Wálter Suárez Landívar Santa Cruz Santa Cruz ??? PSOfn1 Adolfo Aponte Beni Yacuma Ind. Antonio Munguía Beni Trinidad PSU Augusto Chávez C. Beni Trinidad ??? Gonzalo Cuéllar Jiménez Beni Iténez ??? Gonzalo Suárez Dorado Beni Trinidad ??? PSOfn1 Jesús Lijerón Rodríguez Beni Trinidad Ind. Jesús Rioja Aponte Beni Marbán ??? PSOfn1 Juan Manuel Suárez Beni Ballivián Ind. Nataniel García Chávez Beni Vaca Díez ??? Adolfo Leigue Pando Puerto Rico ??? Ismael Zuazo Pando Porvenir ??? PSOfn1 José Chávez Suárez Pando Cobija PL Roberto Jordán Cuéllar Pando Cobija PRS References Notes Footnotes Bibliography Klein Herbert S. Germán Busch and the Era of "Military Socialism" in Bolivia https://www.academia.edu/3087282 The Hispanic American Historical Review XLVII 2 May 1967 166–184 en 7 October 2021 26 February 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211007025203/https://www.academia.edu/3087282 dead Querejazu Calvo Roberto Llallagua: historia de una montaña http://www.librosmaravillosos.com/llallagua/pdf/Llallagua%20Historia%20de%20una%20Montana%20-%20Roberto%20Querejazu%20Calvo.pdf 1977 Category:Political history of Bolivia Category:La Paz Category:1938 in Bolivia Category:Defunct unicameral legislatures Category:Constitutional conventions (political meeting) Category:Constitution of Bolivia Category:20th century in La Paz Category:1930s political conferences Category:1938 conferences