The Bolivian Socialist Falange

"The Bolivian Socialist Falange" redirect(s) here.

Bolivia, officially the Bolivian Socialist Falange, is an authoritarian dictatorship currently under the leadership of its President, Klaus Altmann, and is located in western-central South America. It currently shares a close border with Patriums to the East, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. The seat of government is La Paz, which contains the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The largest and principal industrial center is Santa Cruz de la Sierra, located on the Llanos Orientales, a mostly flat tropical lowlands region in the east of the country.

Bolivia was originally a colonial holding within the Spanish Empire for hundreds of years. As a result of the Spanish-American wars of independence, Bolivia finally declared its independence on August 6, 1825, proclaiming the Republic of Bolivia. As Bolivia found itself highly unstable due to a long period of weak leadership, political turmoil began to grow each decade causing extremist parties to start forming. One of these political groups was the Bolivian Socialist Falange (FSB), which sought to create a powerful National Dictatorship under a strong leader. Following its failed coup attempt, the FSB eventually gained enough military support to overthrow the republic after the Bolivian Civil War, allowing the party to establish Klaus Altmann as President for life.

The Bolivian Socialist Falange has adopted the economic policy of State Capitalism, whereby the state directly partakes in business and commercial economic activity, and certain important economic sectors, most notably mining, have been nationalized under state-owned enterprises, along with a private sector of independent companies. Bolivian citizens enjoy great personal freedoms, as the government has little to no involvement in civilians' day-to-day life. Firearms are permitted for private ownership with very few restrictions. Despite this however, citizens are not allowed to vote for public office as positions are chosen by the FSB, and all political opposition is outlawed.

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Etymology
Main article: Bolivia
"Bolivia" orginates from the South American revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar, whose Spanish surname "Bolívar" descends from the Basque village of Bolibar in Álava. Bolibar is a conjunction of the Basque terms, "bolu" and "ibar", which mean 'windmill' and 'valley' in English, respectively.

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History

FSB Coup Attempt
Political strife had been growing over the last few decades within Bolivia, and many were discontent with the republican government’s lack of progress with the development of the country. With the growing levels of unrest, the FSB’s influence and popularity began to rise, particularly from the clergy and upper class aristocrats. The FSB became one of the most popular parties in Bolivia, but lacked the political support needed to gain a foothold in government. The party leader, Óscar Únzaga de la Vega, believing that an opportunity was available, began drafting plans for a loyal group of followers to ambush and kidnap the President in La Paz and force him to surrender his government to the FSB.

Despite keeping the plan within the party’s inner circle, one of the members of the inner circle was secretly an agent placed by the Bolivian government, who eventually forwarded the plans to the President. Three days later, a group of La Paz police officers stormed into Óscar Únzaga’s apartment room with pistols and assassinated him. The government issued a statement a few hours later claiming that Óscar Únzaga had committed suicide while resisting arrest. The rest of the FSB leadership was eventually tracked down and arrested. In order to retain stability, and from a perceived lack of threat, the FSB was allowed to continue its existence by the government under new leadership.

Bolivian Civil War
With the destruction of the FSB leadership, a major power vacuum had formed within the FSB party. A reformist faction, led by Klaus Altmann, began to gain large amounts of influence in the party due to his wealth and charisma. Eventually this culminated in him asserting himself as Chairman of the Party and the expulsion of previous party hardliners. With full support of the party, and a resurgence in popular support, the FSB was on the rise once again.

Klaus Altmann was initially opposed to initiating another coup, as he was content with cooperating with the national government and remaining as a peaceful participant in the congress. Altmann had also ordered FSB paramilitary units to support the Bolivian military during the Peruvian Confederation’s invasion from the west, resulting in the defeat of the Peruvian army and growing support for the FSB within the military. Despite this, several of Klaus Altmann’s allies and close friends within the party pressured him to rebel against the national government and take control of the country. Contacts were established in the military, and many of these contacts expressed disloyalty to the government, and a willingness to participate in a revolt against the government. With this information, Klaus Altmann finally caved to the pressure, and plans were eventually drafted for a revolution to seize control of the country.

Preparations were made in the form of arms purchasing and the establishment of hidden bases within the outskirts of major cities. A main assault consisting of military and FSB-aligned forces was planned on the capital city of La Paz in order to seize control of major government buildings and other strategic areas. Once the preparations were ready, Klaus Altmann sent a telegram to the President demanding his immediate surrender of the country to the FSB. Upon receiving the telegram, the President, unwilling to give up power, contacted the communist Revolutionary Left Party (PIR) requesting support. The PIR sent requests out to its neighboring communist allies to send armed volunteers as assistance. Citizen militia’s were also established within the city of La Paz, and loyalist forces of the military and police reinforced the defense at La Paz.

After three days had passed and no word had been received from the President, Klaus Altmann went ahead and ordered the assault of La Paz to commence. An initial artillery bombardment commenced which targeted the outer defense of the city square. Following the bombardment, FSB forces stormed into the city from all sides on trucks, then proceeded to dismount and clash into the loyalist defenses. Despite fierce resistance, the loyalist forces and communist militias stood little chance against the FSB’s superior training, arms, and superior numbers. The FSB forces broke through the loyalist defenses, eventually penetrating into the city square, and began to storm into the Capitol building. Close-quarters combat ensued, and eventually the FSB forces were able to clear the building of loyalist forces. The President, found in his office, was dragged outside into the city square and executed, marking the end of the Battle of La Paz. The loyalists lost approximately 4,300 men, with the FSB-aligned forces losing only 2,239 men.

The remainder of the loyalist forces either fled into the countryside or were captured. Most of the communist militia forces were killed during the Battle of La Paz, with the rest being captured and executed. The FSB, with the help of the military, was able to secure the rest of the major cities with comparatively little resistance, and eventually the rest of the country, within two weeks. Upon Bolivia being secured, the National Dictatorship of the Bolivian Socialist Falange was proclaimed, and all opposition to the newly established regime was rooted out and destroyed. A period of stability for Bolivia followed, and the FSB’s new economic plan was established, bringing new economic prosperity to the nation.

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Geography
Bolivia extends from the Central Andes through part of the Gran Ghaco, Pantanal, and as far as the Amazon. The geographic center of the country is the Puerto Estrella. The geography of Bolivia exhibits a great variety of terrain and climates. Bolivia has a high level of biodiversity, as well as several ecoregions with ecological sub-units such as the Altiplano, tropical rainforests, dry valets, and a tropical savanna known as the Chiquitania. These regions feature large variations in altitude.

Bolivia consists of three physiographic regions, including the Andean region, the Sub-Andean region, and the Llanos region.

- The Andean region in the southwest consists of some of the highest spots on the continent, located 3,000 meters above sea level, and is an important source of lithium.

- The Sub-Andean region is located in the center and south of Bolivia, and is an intermediate region between plateau and Llanos plains. It is distinguished by its suitable farmland and temperate climate.

- The Llanos region is located in the northeast and is a region of flat land and small plateaus, covered by extensive rain forests which contain extensive biodiversity.

Climate
Bolivia’s climate varies from each region to the other, ranging from tropics in the eastern llanos to a polar climate in the western Andes. Summers tend to be warm, being humid in the east and dry in the west, along with rains that often affect temperatures, humidity, and winds. Winters are very cold in the west, and snow is often present in the mountain regions.

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Demographics
The population of Bolivia is currently approximately 5.5 billion, with a majority of Bolivia’s citizens living in urban areas. Approximately 70% of the population is concentrated within the cities of La Paz, Santa Cruz, and Cochabamba.
Ethnic Groups
The vast majority of Bolivians are mestizo, with the indigenous component higher than the European one. A significant portion of the Bolivian population consists of indigenous peoples, while white Bolivians comprise a small minority, primarily concentrated within major cities.

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References / Resources
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