The historic election in 2005 of Evo Morales Ayma marked a radical and transformative moment in Bolivia’s history. It was the first time that a democratic election ushered in changer on the scale of the 1952 National Revolution that emancipated the indigenous population, abolished involuntary servitude, and extended voting and land ownership rights. A Brief History of Bolivia, Second Edition offers a concise yet comprehensive account of the history of Bolivia, from the ancient civilizations near the shores of Lake Titicaca to the efforts to quell the political and social turmoil Bolivia still endures today. This revised edition covers in detail the events leading to and following the historic election of 2005, the effects of neo-populism on Morales’s compaign and victory, and the introduction of the new National Constitution. Coverage includes The culture and history of the largely indigenous Indian population; Challenges to nationhood presented by Bolivia’s extreme landscape and climate; The age of caudillo rule; The 1952 National Revolution; Consequences of the Andean drug war and the rise of Morales’s cocalero movement; Attempts to address the racism that still plagues the country’s people; The impact Bolivia’s natural gas resource has on its global economic standing. Basic facts, a chronology, a bibliography, and a list of suggested reading make up the appendixes. — from back cover.