Rethinking 1968: Bolivia’s overlooked student movement Charlie H. Parker University of Barcelona Abstract Nineteen sixty-eight was a legendary year for protest and has been studied extensively world-wide. Bolivia was left out of this global history, des

Abstract

Nineteen sixty-eight was a legendary year for protest and has been studied extensively worldwide. Bolivia was left out of this global history, despite experiencing its own months-long protest movement. University students fought for university autonomy and against authoritarianism and repression. Spreading out from La Paz, students across the country erected barricades, led lightning protests, and fought against police. Security forces took on familiar militaristic tactics such as bombarding protestors with tear gas and employing sieges and raids on university buildings. The university movement dominated the press for months but was ultimately worn down by repressive brute force. This research presents the first and only academic study of the Bolivian 1968 university movement and argues that it constitutes a novel facet of the 1968 protest movements, sharing many characteristics with other student movements of that year while also manifesting according to local idiosyncrasies.