In 1952 Bolivia was transformed by revolution. With the army destroyed from only a few days of fighting, workers and peasants took up arms to claim the country as their own. Overnight, the electorate expanded five-fold. Industries were turned over to worker organizations to manage, and land was distributed to peasant communities. Education became universal and free for the first time in the country's history.

This volume, the result of a conference organized by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies of Harvard University and the Institute for Latin American Studies at the University of London, presents new interpretations of the causes of the events of 1952 and compares them to the great social transformations that occurred in France, Mexico, Russia, China, and Cuba. It also considers the consequences of the revolution by examining the political, social, and economic development of the country, as well as adding important insights to the analysis of revolution and the understanding of this fascinating Andean country.

Merilee S. Grindle is Edward S. Mason Professor of International Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.

Pilar Domingo is Lecturer in Politics, Queen Mary College, University of London.

Read More by Merilee S. Grindle:

• Getting Good Government: Capacity Building in the Public Sectors of Developing Countries
• Globalization and the Rural Environment
• Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua, With New Afterword