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Bolivia: The Evolution of a Multi-Ethnic Society
In its first edition, Herbert Klein's Bolivia won immediate acceptance even within Bolivia itself as the new standard history of this important nation. Surveying Bolivia's economic, social, cultural, and political evolution from the arrival of early man in the Andes to the present, the second edition also covers events of the last turbulent decade, including the economic collapse, the rise of an illegal economy based on cocaine, and the coming of middle-class Mestizos into social and political power. With a completely new final chapter and an updated bibliography, Bolivia remains an essential source for all those interested in Latin American history and politics.
- GenresBolivia
368 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 1982
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March 6, 2023
A rare national history in English
I’ve only ever met one person from Bolivia; there are not great swarms of Bolivians in small-town Massachusetts and it seems few Bolivians roam the world. You see Andean musicians on the streets of many cities in summer, but they are usually Peruvians or Ecuadorians. Unless there’s a major upheaval in the government or a large natural disaster, Bolivia doesn’t often appear in the news either. It’s an interesting country nevertheless. Though there are many anthropological studies of villages, tribes, or religious practice, I had never found a history. To fill this gap in my knowledge, I bought BOLIVIA back about 30 years ago, but only got around to reading it now. The edition I have is from 1982, thus missing the days of President Evo Morales, (2006-2019) the first indigenous person to be president of the country, and a man who wrought a great deal of change in Bolivia especially in terms of indigenous rights.
So, while Klein’s book is excellent in the beginning where he talks about the pre-Conquest civilizations and the Spanish conquest itself, and goes into great political detail over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the first edition necessarily falls short of a more up-to-date picture. There are some good maps and the descriptions of Bolivia’s losing wars with Chile and Paraguay are vivid. I think that at times the minutiae of political groups, counter-groups, and various changes of government are too detailed for a general reader, but still I have not come across a better book on Bolivian history. The author has not neglected to put in cultural and economic information as well. Silver mining, as well as tin, nitrates, and other minerals played a major role in Bolivia’s history, while coca farming has been problematic for some time too. Miners and their unions have been a major force in the past, replacing the earlier forced labor in the mines for pitiful wages (see information about the “mita”).
The real multi-ethnic society is still in formation, but Bolivia is far closer to such a society than it was even forty years ago. The mestizos (who often include those of almost totally Indian ancestry, living like other urban Latin Americans and speaking Spanish), the indigenous people who still form a large part of the population, the European-descendants, and Asians will hopefully travel far from the strictly-defined, closed society of the past. We’ll see in what direction Bolivia will go, but reading this book will help you understand the past.
I’ve only ever met one person from Bolivia; there are not great swarms of Bolivians in small-town Massachusetts and it seems few Bolivians roam the world. You see Andean musicians on the streets of many cities in summer, but they are usually Peruvians or Ecuadorians. Unless there’s a major upheaval in the government or a large natural disaster, Bolivia doesn’t often appear in the news either. It’s an interesting country nevertheless. Though there are many anthropological studies of villages, tribes, or religious practice, I had never found a history. To fill this gap in my knowledge, I bought BOLIVIA back about 30 years ago, but only got around to reading it now. The edition I have is from 1982, thus missing the days of President Evo Morales, (2006-2019) the first indigenous person to be president of the country, and a man who wrought a great deal of change in Bolivia especially in terms of indigenous rights.
So, while Klein’s book is excellent in the beginning where he talks about the pre-Conquest civilizations and the Spanish conquest itself, and goes into great political detail over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the first edition necessarily falls short of a more up-to-date picture. There are some good maps and the descriptions of Bolivia’s losing wars with Chile and Paraguay are vivid. I think that at times the minutiae of political groups, counter-groups, and various changes of government are too detailed for a general reader, but still I have not come across a better book on Bolivian history. The author has not neglected to put in cultural and economic information as well. Silver mining, as well as tin, nitrates, and other minerals played a major role in Bolivia’s history, while coca farming has been problematic for some time too. Miners and their unions have been a major force in the past, replacing the earlier forced labor in the mines for pitiful wages (see information about the “mita”).
The real multi-ethnic society is still in formation, but Bolivia is far closer to such a society than it was even forty years ago. The mestizos (who often include those of almost totally Indian ancestry, living like other urban Latin Americans and speaking Spanish), the indigenous people who still form a large part of the population, the European-descendants, and Asians will hopefully travel far from the strictly-defined, closed society of the past. We’ll see in what direction Bolivia will go, but reading this book will help you understand the past.
Displaying 1 of 1 review