1968, June 2. 2001. The Encyclopedia of World History

The Encyclopedia of World History. 2001.


1968, June 2

In the elections, Dr. José Velasco Ibarra, four-time former president, led the field with about one-third of the popular vote. He assumed the presidency (Sept. 1).	1

1969, March

Establishment of trade relations with the USSR.	2

1970, Oct. 27

Kidnapping of Gen. César Rohan Sandoval, chief of the air force, by guerrillas. Martial law was proclaimed, and Gen. Rohan was released a few days later (Nov. 1).	3

1972, Feb. 15

Fearing that popular candidate Assad Bucaram would be elected president, the military installed Gen. Guillermo Rodríguez Lara as president. Rodríguez Lara then expelled the American military mission and initiated a minor agrarian reform.	4

1974, June 6

Rodríguez Lara expropriated 4 million hectares of oil holdings from Texaco and Gulf. Although initially these expropriations and Ecuador's membership in OPEC led to a jump in government revenue, the foreign companies retaliated and forced reductions in the price and taxes on oil.	5

July 11

All political parties and elections were suspended for a five-year period of “national development.”	6


The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth edition. Peter N. Stearns, general editor. Copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Maps by Mary Reilly, copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.