The Socialist Republican Party ( es, Partido Republicano Socialista, PRS), whose members were also known as "Saavedristas", was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. The Socialist Republican Party emerged on January 28, 1921, as the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

was bifurcated on the same day

Bautista Saavedra Bautista Saavedra Mallea (30 August 1870 in Sorata – 1 May 1939) was a Bolivian lawyer and politician who served as the 29th president of Bolivia from 1921 to 1925. Prior to that, he was part of a governing junta from 1920 to 1921. As le ...

took office as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the country. The Socialist Republican Party was formed by Saavedra's followers. The Republican Socialist Party was formed by a reformist sector.

, a populist, represented middle-class and resented the old party's close ties to the powerful tin barons. His appeal to urban middle-class artisans, small merchants, and laborers generated a nonestablishment political base and a new class consciousness. The Republican Government of

enacted progressive social and labor codes and doubled government taxes on mining. Though more concerned for the underprivileged classes,

blatantly manipulated his populist support. In the 1925 elections the PRS's presidential candidate was

Hernando Siles Reyes Hernando Siles Reyes (5 August 1882 – 23 November 1942) was a Bolivian politician who served as the 31st president of Bolivia from 1926 to 1930. The founder of the Nationalist Party, he soon gravitated toward the Saavedrista faction of th ...

. He was elected president and took office on 10 January 1926. During the rule of

and

, the Bolivian economy underwent a profound change. Tin prices started to decline in the 1920s. After peaking in 1929, tin production declined dramatically as the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

nearly destroyed the international tin market. During the 1920s, Bolivia faced growing social turmoil. Labor unrest, such as the miners' strike in Uncia in 1923, was brutally suppressed. But the unrest reached new heights of violence after the drastic reduction of the work force during the

. The social legislation of the Republican Socialist Governments was weak.

's 4 years of inconsistent rule and unfulfilled promises of radical changes frustrated workers and students. In 1930 he was overthrown when he tried to bypass the constitutional provision forbidding reelection by resigning in order to run again. Shortly before the

Chaco War The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõsocialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

(and less personalistic) party. A fifty-member National Council was formed as the new leading body of the party.Lora, Guillermo, and Laurence Whitehead.
A history of the Bolivian labour movement 1848–1971
'. Cambridge Latin American studies, 27. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. p. 173 After the Chaco War, the Socialist Republican Party charged the traditional elites with being responsible for the failures of the war. This discourse struck a chord with the radicalized

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

of the country. The party was joined by a number of middle class intellectuals, as well as some

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ists and

Marxists Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectic ...

. This development worried the Socialist Party, which charged that Saavedra was not without responsibility for the war nor was he innocent of the killings of miners and peasants in Uncía, Llallagua, Catavi and Jesús de Machaca. However, both parties supported the military government of Colonel

David Toro José David Toro Ruilova (June 24, 1898 – July 25, 1977) was a colonel in the Bolivian army and member of the High Command during the Chaco War (1932–35) who served as the de facto 35th president of Bolivia from 1936 to 1937. He was on ...

in 1936–1937.
Chronology of Presidents
' In a bloodless revolution on 17 May 1936, the government of Liberals and Genuine Republicans was overthrown. The coup was led by Colonel Germán Busch Becerra, and he was supported by the Republican Socialist Party. For the 1938 elections, the Republican Socialist Party was the component of the

Socialist Single Front Socialist Single Front (Spanish: ''Frente Único Socialista'', FUS) was a Bolivian electoral political alliance of left-wing and socialist political parties and organizations. The Socialist Single Front was established on 18 February 1938, for the ...

. As a part of the Concordancia-Democratic Alliance formed in March 1939 (along with the

Genuine Republican Party The Genuine Republican Party ( es, Partido Republicano Genuino, PRG) was founded in Bolivia in 1921 by José María Escalier and Daniel Domingo Salamanca Urey following a split in the Republican Party. Genuine Republican Party was formed by a ...

and the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

), the Socialist Republican Party supported the military governments of General

Carlos Quintanilla Carlos Quintanilla Quiroga (22 January 1888 – 8 June 1964) was a Bolivian general who served as the 37th president of Bolivia on a provisional basis from 1939 to 1940. Quintanilla saw action in the initial stages of the Chaco War (1932–1 ...

1939–1940 and General

Enrique Peñaranda Enrique Peñaranda del Castillo (15 November 1892 – 22 December 1969) was a Bolivian general who served as the 38th president of Bolivia from 1940 until his overthrow in 1943. He previously served as commander-in-chief of the country's armed ...

1940–1943.Lorini, Irma.
El nacionalismo en Bolivia de la pre y posguerra del Chaco (1910–1945)
'. La Paz: Plural Editores, 2006. pp. 182–183 In February 1943 the Socialist Republican Party, Socialist Party, Genuine Republican Party and the Liberal Party signed a pact ahead of the upcoming presidential elections. In 1943 after

Gualberto Villarroel Gualberto Villarroel López (15 December 1908 – 21 July 1946) was a Bolivian military officer who served as the 39th president of Bolivia from 1943 to 1946. A reformist, sometimes compared with Argentina's Juan Perón, he is nonetheless ...

’s revolution, the Republican Socialist Party, the

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and

Revolutionary Left Party The Revolutionary Left Party ( es, Partido de la Izquierda Revolucionaria, PIR) was a communist party in Bolivia. It was founded by Dr. José Antonio Arze and other Bolivian intellectuals on 26 July 1940 during a left-wing congress held in Oru ...

formed the opposition Antifascist Democratic Front. On 10 November 1946, the Republican Socialist Party merged with the

, the United Socialist Party and Independent Socialist Party to form the new

Republican Socialist Unity Party The Republican Socialist Unity Party ( Spanish: ''Partido de la Unión Republicana Socialista'', PURS) was a political party founded on 10 November 1946 in Bolivia as the fusion of the Republican Socialist Party, the Genuine Republican Party, the ...

. Political handbook of the world 1950. New York, 1950. P. 16.

References

{{reflist Defunct political parties in Bolivia Political parties established in 1921