The "March for Life" in Bolivia

The "March for Life" took place in Bolivia in 1986, four years after the country's return to democracy. It was a response to the government's 21060 decree, which aimed to resolve hyperinflation and led to the dramatic reduction of Comibol, the state-owned mining corporation. Thousands of miners marched from Oruro to La Paz to protest the closures and job losses.

Since Patiño discovered the 'La Salvadora' mine in 1901, tin became the symbol of Bolivia's economic history. Three magnates, Patiño, Hochschild, and Aramayo, controlled 80% of the country's exports. In 1952, the revolutionary government nationalized the mines, creating Comibol to administer them. Despite challenges like outdated machinery and declining production, nationalization prevented capital flight and allowed investment in other sectors like oil.

By the 1980s, Comibol was suffering significant losses due to unsustainable production costs and plummeting international tin prices. The economic crisis intensified, leading to what was known as the 'relocation' plan, resulting in the brutal dismissal of 20,000 out of 27,000 workers. This marked a dramatic inflection point for Bolivia's economy and social movements.

Faced with job losses and dire poverty, miners and their families, especially the women, decided to resist. They converged in Oruro to plan their response, which culminated in the decision to march to La Paz. The march, though initially a protest for workers' rights, quickly transformed into a significant political movement.

The government viewed the march as a risk to national stability. While maintaining dialogue, authorities were prepared to prevent the marchers from reaching La Paz. There were accusations of political opportunism and that the march was being used as a tool against the government's economic model, which included privatization of state-owned mining.

On August 29, 1986, in Calamarca, military forces surrounded the 8,000 marching workers. Despite the tension, with both sides on the brink of violence, leaders from both the miners (Filemón Escobar, Simón Reyes) and the government acted with restraint. The church also intervened to provide humanitarian aid.

The leaders of the miners' federation made the difficult decision to avoid confrontation, recognizing the potential for bloodshed. The army did not use force, and the march was disbanded. This decision, though criticized by many miners as a betrayal, ultimately prevented a massacre. The "March for Life" marked the end of the miners' historical influence as a populist vanguard and paved the way for the rise of other social movements, such as the coca growers, who would eventually lead to the election of Bolivia's first indigenous president in 2006.