Coup Atlas Research Database
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14509031951ConspiracyDissident coup

Bolivia, 1951 — dissident coup conspiracy

Bolivia (BOL)South America, AmericasSeptember 3, 1951

Event Summary

The dataset records an event coded as a dissident coup conspiracy in Bolivia on 3 September 1951, during the eleven-month rule of the anti-MNR military junta of General Hugo Ballivian. After the 6 May 1951 election gave the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement candidate Victor Paz Estenssoro a plurality, President Urriolagoitia refused to let Congress confirm him and instead handed power on 16 May 1951 to the Ballivian junta in a self-coup known as the Mamertazo, which then annulled the election. According to United States diplomatic records, throughout the eleven-month period the junta was in power there was a continuous series of plots and rumors of plots, many driven by the conviction that the MNR, having won the election, should be allowed to govern.

The coded September 1951 conspiracy fits this pattern of MNR and pro-Paz plotting against the junta, which culminated in the successful National Revolution of April 1952.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: The Ballivian junta suppressed the plotting but fell to the MNR revolution in April 1952
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
General Hugo Ballivian (junta president, target)
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR, plotters)
Victor Paz Estenssoro (exiled president-elect)

Sources

Urriolagoitia refused to accept the MNR's 6 May 1951 election victory and enacted a self-coup, the Mamertazo, installing General Hugo Ballivian as president on 16 May 1951; the junta later annulled the election.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Coups d'etat in Bolivia open source ↗
Throughout the eleven-month period that the junta was in power there was a continuous series of plots and rumors of plots.
SOURCE REVIEWED U.S. State Department, FRUS 1952-54 vol. IV open source ↗
Under Ballivian, the government made a last futile attempt to suppress the growing unrest throughout the country.
SOURCE REVIEWED OnWar, Military Coup in Bolivia 1951 open source ↗
The junta was overthrown by the MNR revolution of April 1952, and Paz Estenssoro returned from exile to assume the presidency.
SOURCE REVIEWED U.S. State Department, FRUS 1952-54 vol. IV open source ↗

Editorial Note

No discrete plot precisely on 3 September 1951 was found in accessible English sources this session; the entry records the dataset's coding and the verified context of the continuous MNR plotting against the Ballivian junta, flagged as one of the recurring junta-era plots. Distinct from the 16 December 1951 Bolivia record in this batch and from the successful April 1952 revolution. Continues the long Bolivia coup run.

Cross-Reference

Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
14509031951

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: The Ballivian junta suppressed the plotting but fell to the MNR revolution in April 1952.

Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.

Baseline Dataset Citation

Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

Daily Boston Globe

“Bolivia Reports Plot Against State Quelled,” September 4, 1950

New York Times

“Bolivia Reports Plot Smashed,” September 4, 1950

The Sun

“Bolivia Quashes New Revolutionary Plot,” September 4, 1950

This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →

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