Unfortunately, the most conspicuous contrast in Bolivia is a source of suffering, conflict, danger and limitation. This is the contrast between the rich and the poor.

Bolivia is a landlocked country in west-central South America. It extends about 950 miles north to south, and 800 miles east to west. It is a land of contrasts and contradictions. Its western region extends high into the Andes, while its eastern area descends into tropical rain forests. With almost 50% of the people still living within the cultural forms of the indigenous people, one finds an interesting mixture of the modern and the traditional. Every shade of opinion is represented in political life of the country. As a general thing, diversity lends vividness and beauty to life, and is the optimal soil for creativity. Unfortunately, however, the most conspicuous contrast in Bolivia is a source of suffering, conflict, danger and limitation. This is the contrast between the rich and the poor.

In Pre Columbian times Bolivia was the home of the Tiahuanaco culture from 600 to 1200 AD and then formed a part of the vast Inca Empire. The Spanish conquest of the region began with Pizarro in 1531. Spain became interested in the extensive silver deposits in the Bolivian region, and made itself rich for more than two centuries by exploiting these resources with the use of Indian and African slaves who lived and died in appalling squaller. After a number of uprisings the country became independent of Spanish rule with the aid of Antonia Jose de Sucre, after whom the city of Sucre is named, and Simon Bolivar, for whom the country is named.

Since independence Bolivia has struggled with a number of its neighbors in a series of boarder disputes. In the War of the Pacific between Bolivia and Chili, from 1879 to 1884, Bolivia lost its access to the sea. In the disastrous Chaco War with Paraguay, from 1932 to 1935, Bolivia had a large number of causalities and lost a significant amount of its territory. There were also territorial disputes with Argentina, Peru and Brazil.

From the end of the Chaco war in 1935 until 1952 a number of factions vied for control of Peru. In 1952 a populist party, Movimiento Nacionalista Revoluciaonario (MNR) under the leadership of Victor Paz Estenssoro, came to power. They implemented a massive land reform, made suffrage universal by abolishing literary requirements, and nationalized the tin mining industries. However, inflation got out of control and in 1956 he was replaced by Siles Zuazo whose primary concern was to curb inflation. Unfortunately he also reversed most of the beneficial policies of the MNR. In 1964 a coup was staged that put General Barrientos in power. From then until 1982 the country was ruled by a succession of military regimes until the Marxist Dr. Hernan Siles Zuarez was elected in 1982. He was unable to bring economic order to the situation, but did return the rule of Bolivia to democratic control.

Since 1985 much of the development in Bolivia has been dictated by the forces of “global economics.” Imposed austerity measures have brought inflation under control, but the cost to the poor has been great. Foreign investment has been drawn to the area, and this has caused the economy to grow. However, this growth has led to little improvement in the lives of the poor. As the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, serious tensions in the society intensify.