Coup Atlas Research Database
← Back to explorer
14512161951ConspiracyDissident coup

Bolivia, 1951 — dissident coup conspiracy

Bolivia (BOL)South America, AmericasDecember 16, 1951

Event Summary

The dataset records an event coded as a dissident coup conspiracy in Bolivia on 16 December 1951, during the same eleven-month rule of the anti-MNR military junta of General Hugo Ballivian that produced the recurring plots noted in the 3 September 1951 record. After annulling the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement's May 1951 electoral victory, the junta faced a continuous series of plots and rumors of plots as the MNR and its allies maneuvered to reclaim the power they had won at the ballot box. The coded December 1951 conspiracy is one of that ongoing series, part of the buildup to the successful National Revolution of 9 April 1952, which the MNR launched in alliance with police general Antonio Seleme and armed miners and workers.

The junta collapsed after three days of fighting and Paz Estenssoro assumed the presidency.

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 was overthrown by the MNR revolution in April 1952
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
General Hugo Ballivian (junta president, target)
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR, plotters)
General Antonio Seleme (police commander who later joined the April 1952 revolt)

Sources

Throughout the eleven-month period that the Ballivian 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 ↗
By the beginning of 1952 the MNR again tried to gain power by force, plotting with General Antonio Seleme, the junta member in control of internal administration and the National Police.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, History of Bolivia (1920-1964) open source ↗
On 9 April 1952 the MNR launched the revolution in La Paz by seizing arsenals and distributing arms to civilians, backed by armed miners who blocked military reinforcements.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, History of Bolivia (1920-1964) open source ↗
After three days of fighting and the loss of some 600 lives, the army surrendered and Paz Estenssoro assumed the presidency on 16 April 1952.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, History of Bolivia (1920-1964) open source ↗

Editorial Note

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

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
14512161951

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 was overthrown by 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

Chicago Daily Tribune

“Bolivians Smash ‘Plot’; La Paz Reported Quiet,” December 19, 1951

New York Herald Tribune

“Bolivia Foils Revolt Plot: It is Reported as Extending to All Farts of Republic,”† December 19, 1951

New York Times

“Bolivia Crushes Rightist Plot,” December 18, 1951 † This is the actual headline for the story as published

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 →

Know something about this event?
Tips are reviewed against sources before anything is added.