Germán Busch Víctor Germán Busch Becerra (23 March 1903 – 23 August 1939) was a Bolivian military officer and statesman who served as the 36th president of Bolivia from 1937 until his death in 1939. Prior to his presidency, he served as the Chief of t ...

assumed office as the 36th

President of Bolivia The president of Bolivia (), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia (), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the captain general of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. According to the Bolivian C ...

on 13 July 1937, and his term was cut short by his death on 23 August 1939. A young military officer during the

Chaco War The Chaco War (, Military Socialism Bourgeois socialism or conservative socialism was a term used by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in various pieces, including in ''The Communist Manifesto''. ''Conservative socialism'' was used as a rebuke by Marx for certain strains of socialis ...

brought forth by his predecessor

David Toro José David Toro Ruilova (24 June 1898 – 25 July 1977) was a Bolivian military officer and politician who served as the 35th president of Bolivia from 1936 to 1937. He previously served as minister of development and minister of governme ...

but, unhappy with the results produced by his few reforms, opted to declare himself dictator in April 1939 before committing

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

four months later. Busch formed three cabinets during his 25-month presidency, constituting the 98th to 100th national cabinets of Bolivia as part of the 1936–1938 Government Junta.

Cabinet Ministers

Composition

First cabinet

Having secured the resignation of President David Toro on 13 July 1937, Germán Busch entered the

Palacio Quemado The Bolivian Palace of Government, better known as (, ''Burnt Palace''), was the official residence of the President of Bolivia from 1853 to 2018 and again briefly from 2019 to 2020. It is located in downtown La Paz on Plaza Murillo, next to ...

and established his first cabinet. The government was a mixture of leftist military officers and members of the United Socialist Party (PSU) which had collaborated with the Toro regime. The Council of Ministers formed by Germán Busch indicated a continued struggle his regime faced in pinpointing a clear ideology. Politically, Busch appointed ministers generally in line with the moderate socialism of Toro, choosing the head of the PSU

Enrique Baldivieso Enrique Baldivieso Aparicio (1902–1957) served as the 24th vice president of Bolivia from 1938 to 1939, during the presidency of Germán Busch. He was elected to the post for a four-year term by the National Convention of 1938, which was then s ...

as foreign minister and the moderate socialist Gabriel Gosálvez as secretary-general. However, at the same time, he appointed such figures as the right-wing Federico Gutiérrez Granier in the crucial office of Minister of Finance, a position the Liberal politician would use to undo many of the consumer goods subsidies of the Toro regime. Minister of Agriculture Julio Salmón and Minister of Education Bernardo Navajas Trigo were also Liberals.

Second cabinet

The cabinet was renewed on 23 November 1937. Three ministerial positions were changed: Federico Gutiérrez Granier with Eduardo Belmont Baldivia as Minister of Finance, Angel Ayoroa with Alfredo Peñaranda as Minister of Industry, with Peñaranda's former position as Minister of Education being filled by Héctor Ormachea Zalles. The following month on 14 December, Foreign Minister Enrique Baldivieso was exchanged with Eduardo Díez de Medina who had served in the position once before. During this period starting on 23 May, the National Convention of 1938 would be held and charged with rewriting the constitution.Rossana Barragán, "Ciudadanía y elecciones, convenciones y debates" in On 27 May, the National Convention would proclaim Busch constitutional president with Enrique Baldivieso as

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Third cabinet

Busch's third cabinet was formed on 12 August 1938. Gabriel Gosálvez would be appointed Minister of Government and Justice as well as Propaganda which had previously been under the purview of the Foreign Ministry. No Secretary-General was appointed to replace him. Multiple health related ministries would be established as part of this cabinet. Upon the formation of the cabinet on 12 August, the new Minister of Labor Alberto Zelada would also be appointed to the position of Minister of Sanitation. Ten days later on 22 August, a dedicated Ministry of Health and Hygiene would be established with Alfredo Mollinedo appointed to head the position. On 30 October, the National Convention would promulgate the new constitution. While the constitution would remain in effect until 1945, Busch would dismiss the

national assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

on 24 April 1939 and declare himself dictator. Busch's presidency would come to an end four months later when he committed suicide. General

Carlos Quintanilla Carlos Quintanilla Quiroga (22 January 1888 – 8 June 1964) was a Bolivian military officer who served as the 37th president of Bolivia from 1939 to 1940. Quintanilla saw action in the initial stages of the Chaco War (1932–1935) and man ...

would take hold of the presidency in the interim period and the majority of the Busch cabinet, save for Alfredo Mollinedo, Bernardo Navjas Trigo, Vicente Leyton, and Felipe Manuel Rivera, would be dismissed.

Established Ministries

* Office of Sanitation (under Work and Social Security): Alberto Zelada, first holder from 12 August 1938 * Ministry of Health and Hygiene: Alfredo Mollinedo ( PSU), first holder from 22 August 1938

Gallery

File:Enrique Baldivieso - 2.jpg,

–

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

and

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

( PSU) File:Eduardo Díez de Medina.jpg, Eduardo Díez de Medina –

File:Gabriel Gosálvez.jpg, Gabriel Gosálvez – Minister of Government and

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

( PSU) File:Felipe Manuel Rivera.jpg, Felipe Manuel Rivera –

Minister of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

and Minister of Mining File:Vicente Mendoza López.jpg, Vicente Mendoza López –

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

File:Angel Ayoroa Oporto.jpg, Angel Ayoroa – Minister of Industry File:Dionisio Foianini Banzer.png, Dionisio Foianini – Minister of Mining File:Héctor Ormachea Zalles.jpg, Héctor Ormachea Zalles –

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

File:Bernardo Navajas Trigo.jpg, Bernardo Navajas Trigo –

( PL) File:Daniel Sossa.jpg, Daniel Sossa – Minister of Work File:Julio Salmon.jpg, Julio Salmón –

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

( PL)

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Busch, Germán, Cabinet of Cabinets of Bolivia Cabinets established in 1937 Cabinets disestablished in 1939 1937 establishments in Bolivia