The Bolivian Falange. The Story of the Collapse of a Right-Wing Utopia

Abstract

Since the 30s of the XX-th century. in Bolivia, there has been the formation of political forces that will become dominant in Bolivian politics throughout the XX-th century. we are talking about revolutionary nationalism, Indeanism, Marxism and right-wing radicalism of the Spanish type, represented by the Bolivian Socialist Falange party. This article is devoted to the study of the ideology and political practice of the Falange. A feature of the Bolivian phalanx was an attempt to apply right-wing radical views of the philo-fascist type in a country where the Indian population predominated, opposing hispanism and clericalism to Indian nationalism, painted in nationalist and anti-imperialist tones. In addition to putschist political practices, violence and anti-communism, the Bolivian phalanx was distinguished by anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist aspirations, building its own right-wing radical social utopia. This party played an important role in Bolivian politics in the 40-60s of the twentieth century, and then became the basis of both ultra-right marginal groups and part of the «new left» that arose in Bolivia in the 70-80s.

Keywords

• falange
• fascism
• hispanism
• nationalism
• revolution
• socialism
• bolivia