David Toro

José David Toro Ruilova (24 June 1898 – 25 July 1977) was a Bolivian military officer and politician who served as the 35th president of Bolivia from 1936 to 1937. He previously served as minister of development and minister of government in 1930. Toro pursued military service in the Armed Forces and stood out for both his tactical skill and shrewd political instincts. He served as minister under Hernando Siles and led the cabinet as the sole executive authority after Siles resigned in a bid to extend his term. Toro and the other ministers were overthrown shortly thereafter in the 1930 coup. He was forced into exile. He spent a stint as military attaché in Argentina but returned to the general staff during the Chaco War. Toro's decision-making during the conflict, which Bolivia lost, generated controversy. In 1936, a coup d'état in La Paz installed Toro as president of a government junta. He presided over an experimental period of military socialism in Bolivia that introduced moderate socialist reforms. Toro instituted YPFB as the state-owned petroleum enterprise, established a state monopoly on the sale of hydrocarbons, and nationalized the holdings of Standard Oil in 1937. Toro's regime drew support from members of the veterans' movement. In 1937, dissatisfied with the slow pace of reforms, Toro was forced to resign in a soft coup.