ABSTRACT
Following a decisive patriot victory at Ayacucho in 1824, Simón Bolívar focused his attention on Upper Peru, the territorial basis of nineteenth century Bolivia. Arriving soon after Antonio José de Sucre had assumed control of Upper Peru, Bolívar proclaimed it a separate republic apart from the confederation of Gran Colombia. A few months later, a Constituent Assembly proclaimed Bolívar president of what became the Republic of Bolivia. After Bolívar departed in 1826, Sucre was elected president of Bolivia. In May 1828, a Peruvian army invaded Bolivia, and Andrés Santa Cruz replaced Sucre. In 1836, Santa Cruz invaded Peru and established the Bolivia-Peru Confederation. Opposition to the confederation was based largely on regional considerations. Lima and northern Peru feared they would lose their hegemony over Peru while the mining-bureaucratic oligarchy of Chuquisaca and southern Bolivia feared they would lose their leadership over Bolivia. Argentina and Chile also opposed the newly formed confederation. Following three years of war, Santa Cruz resigned and dissolved the confederation. In September 1841, General José Ballivián was proclaimed provisional president of Bolivia. Early Bolivian contacts with France, Great Britain, and the United States also are covered in this chapter.
