The 1952 Bolivian coup d'etat saw the Bolivian Army rebel against the democratic government following political upheaval and seize power on 18 April 1952. In a bloodless coup, Agnes Vermar seized power with the help of the military, and Bolivia became a dictatorship.
History[]
In the early stages of the Cold War, violent coups were a normal event in countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with a military government seizing power in Haiti. Political upheaval began in Bolivia as the Communist Party of Bolivia under Agnes Vermar began to gain influence due to opposition to the democratic government, which was neutral during the war. Vermar later gained the support of the Bolivian Army, and on 18 April 1952 the military launched a coup against the democratic government, taking advantage of the upheaval to seize power in the country. Agnes Vermar became the dictator of Bolivia, and the country aligned with the Warsaw Pact soon after. Vermar's government instituted communism as the state economic policy with a dictatorship ruling the country, and the country forged good relations with the USSR.
Reactions[]
Intergovernmental organizations[]
NATO - NATO condemned the Bolivian coup as a travesty of democracy, although NATO had given its support to Daniel Guay after the 1950 Haitian coup d'etat. Bolivia's separation from the Western Bloc was the cause of great concern among Western nations, as the coup led to a disturbance of order in the Americas at the backdoor of the USA.
Warsaw Pact - The Warsaw Pact welcomed the news of a communist military government taking power in Bolivia, and Warsaw Pact delegate Henryk Stepanow was sent to La Paz for a meeting with the new President of Bolivia. Bolivia was given the support of the Warsaw Pact in defending its status as a new communist goverment, and Bolivia gravitated towards joining the pact.
International reactions[]
United States - The United States government was opposed to the Bolivian coup d'etat, as it led to the overthrow of a democratic government that was drifting towards the United States. The result of the coup was the United States' relations with Bolivia suffering as Bolivia took steps to gravitate towards the Eastern Bloc.- Soviet Union - Immediately after the coup, Bolivia made it a point to align itself towards the USSR. The Soviet Union's relations with the Bolivian military government increased as a result of the coup, and the USSR established cordial relations with the Vermar government. Joseph Stalin was very pleased with the success of the coup.
- India - The Soviet-aligned country of India condemned the Bolivian military coup and decided to sever relations with the country, cancelling its existing treaties, including the presence of an embassy. The President of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was opposed to dictatorships taking power, even though the new government of Bolivia was a fellow Soviet-aligned nation.
