In this report I will give a brief overview of the history, economy and culture of Bolivia. Bolivia was one of the first countries in the Spanish Empire to attempt a break from Spain, but it was one of the last to succeed. The Spanish suppressed the first critical rebellion in May 1809. Bolivia declared its independence from Spain on August 6, 1825, and took the name Bolivia in honor of South American independence leader Simon Bolivar. In 1826 a congress adopted a constitution drafted by Bolivar. It vested supreme authority in a president, who was chosen for a life term.

In May 1951 Paz Estenssoro won nearly half the presidential election vote while in exile. In order to prevent the election of Paz Estenssoro, the incumbent president, placed the government under the control of the m

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Zulawski, Ann. They eat from their labor. 16 March 1995.

Jorge, Hurtado. COCAINE: THE LEGEND. 1995

Yeager, Gertrude M. Bolivia. 27 July 1988.

The effect of coca in the Bolivian culture goes back to the native Indians. The native people have used the coca leafs as a medicinal drug up until the present day. Until the early 1950's the coca leaf was readily used in soft drinks and was considered socially excitable in the United States. In the early 1960's the United States made cocaine illegal and created a large underworld in most Latin America countries. By the mid 1960's over sixty five percent of Bolivia's workers made their livelihood off the coca plant. The Bolivian government had no reason to try to stop the drug trade in their country; cartel leaders were paying huge payments to government officials. During the 1980's Ronald Regan attempted to curve the in flux of cocaine in to the United States with no real results. During 1990's the United States started to send large amounts of funding and training for Latin America's military to combat the cartels.

Since early colonial times, mining for precious minerals and metal ores has played an important role in Bolivia's economy. Mining is a major industry in Bolivia; it was hampered in the late 1980's by weak prices on world markets. Bolivia has long b

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