U.S. development assistance to rural Bolivia, 1941-1974 : the search for development strategy

assistance in support of rural development in Bolivia from 1941 to 1974 is described and assessed in this doctoral thesis, presented to the Department of History at American University in 1982. Divided into four sections, the thesis first looks at the ecological, historical, and rural situation in Bolivia when U.S. development policy emerged during the 1940"s. Considered next is A.I.D. support subsequent to the 1952 Bolivian revolution. In this period, A.I.D. assistance institutionalized a traditional "trickle down" approach to rural development, in which growth in the agriculture and mining sectors was promoted at the expense of economic and social equity for the campesino population. A more people-oriented approach, focusing on the rural population of the Altiplano and the Bolivian high valleys was developed from 1965 to 1974, the final period reviewed. A chapter synthesizing thesis findings leads to an epilogue which reexamines the current plight of the highland Bolivian, who, although faced with deteriorating nutrition and low life expectancy, takes pride in being a campesino and not an indio, because he controls his land and produces his own food. Appended is a 330-item bibliography (1919-82), some titles of which are in Spanish.