Hugo BalliviánMamerto Urriolagoitía Víctor Paz EstenssoroHernán Siles Zuazo Juan Lechín OquendoWálter Guevara ArzeÑuflo Chávez OrtizCarlos Montenegro The Bolivian Revolution of 1952 (Spanish: Revolución boliviana), also known as the Revolution of '52, was a series of political demonstrations led by the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), which, in alliance with liberals and communists, sought to overthrow the ruling Bolivian oligarchy and implement a new socioeconomic model in Bolivia.

[3] The Revolution of 1952 sought to implement the rights to vote in Bolivia, the distribution of land and State control over natural resources and the Bolivian economy.

The Great Depression weakened the mining industry, sponsored the entry of the State into the economy through foreign exchange control and the allocation of tin export quotas among the different producers.

[8] In May 1949, after a general strike, a severe conflict broke out in the Siglo XX mines, owned by Simón Iturri Patiño, in the department of Potosí.

[9] After a few days, a revolutionary government emerged in the department of Santa Cruz in the east of the country, led by Edmundo Roca, a member of the Acción Obrera group, who joined the MNR.

In May 1951, Victor Paz Estenssoro of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR) won the presidential election, gaining large support of labor workers due to his anti-imperialist and anti-government sentiment.

Given this reaction by the army, a year later, a coup d'état led by police general Antonio Seleme [es] took place on April 9 with the civilian support of Hernán Siles Suazo and the mining leader Juan Lechin Oquendo, both from the MNR.

The Police Corps had large involvement in initiating the revolt that later had the support of the population, the workers of Villa Victoria and the miners who arrived from the Milluni mine.

Arms and ammunition were distributed to the civilians of the MNR who attended, as well as to the many volunteers, workers,[14] above all, coming from the Departmental Brigade, the General Directorate and the Carabineros regiments.

Lechín Oquendo, top leader of the Miners' Federation, remained, directing the uprising in the streets with the slogans "Agrarian reform" and "Nationalization of mines.

Lechin Oquendo, leading the Milluni miners, took the Hunting Air Group and from there sent planes to drop pamphlets over the Miraflores Great Barracks, urging them to surrender.

In the end, Dr. Siles Suazo relented because Lechín argued that those slogans led people to offer his life, and it was the immense crowd that was, at that very moment, outside, in the plaza, chanting the revolutionary victory hymn.

Hernán Siles Zuazo and Lechin Oquendo assumed command of the government until Víctor Paz Estenssoro, who had been in exile in Buenos Aires, returned a few days later.

Among the main objectives of the COB was to fight for the nationalization of the mines and railways, for the agrarian revolution and the repeal of anti-worker measures dictated by previous governments.

[18] It is estimated that an average of 350 strikes were carried out per year between 1952 and 1958 with a negative effect on production, making Bolivia amongst the highest in terms 'ghost worker' rates.

[23] In January 1953, an Agrarian Reform Commission was organized, chaired by Vice President Hernán Siles Zuazo with members of opposition parties.

[citation needed] The MNR installed concentration camps in rural towns in the Bolivian Andes, such as Catavi, Uncía, Corocoro and Curahuara de Carangas.

Commenting on the failure of other revolutions, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wálter Guevara Arze said "Liberalism liquidated conservatism politically but not economically.

"[citation needed] It was in the mid-sixties, after the coup d'état led by General René Barrientos, that the extent of the human rights violations perpetrated by the MNR regime began to be revealed.

The historian Alberto Crespo Rodas, Marshal Bernardino Bilbao Rioja, several journalists from the newspaper La Razón and members of the opposition parties were also imprisoned.