History

    Bolivia was not declared independent until 1825, however the history of Bolivia and its colonization dates back much further. From the seventh century the Tiwanaku Empire had its center in what is now referred to as the Altiplano region of Bolivia. The Tiwanaku’s reign did not last for long though, and in the 11th century the Tiwanaku Empire reached its apogee and was replaced by simpler regional states. By the 15th century, the region that was once under Tiwanaku rule, was largely controlled by twelve independent groups of Aymara speaking indigenous which in turn fell under the control of the rapidly expanding Inca Empire. Soon after the colonization of the Inca Empire by the Spaniards, much of the indigenous population was suppressed and forced to labor in the newly established mines. In 1809, Chuquisaca and La Paz become two of the earliest cities to rebel against the colonial government, inspiring more uprisings, and eventually leading to the liberation of Upper Peru with an army under the leadership of Marshal Antonio Jose de Sucre and support from defecting royalist, who were mostly creole elites. Prior to the liberation of Upper Peru from Colonial Spanish rule, defectors convinced Simón Bolívar and Sucre to allow autonomy for Upper Peru, rather than union with Peru or Argentina, and on August 6th, 1825, an Upper Peruvian congress declared the country independent. In recognition of Bolívar’s support, congressional leaders named the country Bolivia in his honor, and invited Sucre, his chief aide, to be the first president. Post Bolivia declaring independence, Bolivia went through many changes in leadership and had numerous disputes with other countries, one of the most influential being the Chaco War. The Chaco War was three painstakingly devastating years of bitter fighting against Paraguay on Bolivia’s southeastern frontiers. During it, Bolivia sustained some 57,000 deaths and lost far more territory than Paraguay claimed even its most extreme pre-war demands. In the end, the Chaco War resulted in the overthrow of civilian rule, and the first military government in Bolivia since the 1880s. Today Bolivia is a presidential republic, which is defined as a representative democracy in which the executive branch exists separately from a legislature and where the people's elected deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on legislation. In conclusion, Bolivia’s history was both extensive and engrossing for all those who lived through it.