On April 9, 1952, the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), allied with the national police and armed miners and factory workers, launched an insurrection in La Paz that overthrew the military junta of General Hugo Ballivian, which had seized power the year before to block the MNR from taking office. After three days of intense street fighting that left hundreds dead, the army was defeated on April 11 and its remnants surrendered on April 12. This became the Bolivian National Revolution, one of the few genuine social revolutions in Latin American history.
Victor Paz Estenssoro, who had won the annulled 1951 election, returned from exile in Buenos Aires and assumed the presidency on April 16. His MNR government went on to nationalize the tin mines, enact sweeping agrarian reform, and introduce universal suffrage, and it held power until a 1964 coup.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Military junta of General Hugo Ballivian (overthrown; leaders fled and the army surrendered)
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Hugo Ballivian (junta president, overthrown)
Victor Paz Estenssoro (MNR leader who became president)
Hernan Siles Zuazo (MNR leader who led the uprising)
Juan Lechin Oquendo (miners' union leader)
Antonio Seleme (police general who joined the revolt)
Sources
On 9 April 1952 a coup led by police general Antonio Seleme, with civilian support from Hernan Siles Zuazo and mining leader Juan Lechin Oquendo of the MNR, mobilized the police and armed workers; after fighting that killed some 490 people the military surrendered on 12 April.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, "Bolivian National Revolution"open source ↗
A U.S. National Intelligence Estimate recorded that in April 1952 the military junta was overthrown by a revolution organized by the MNR with the support of the police and armed workers, and Paz Estenssoro was called from exile in Buenos Aires to assume the presidency.
SOURCE REVIEWEDU.S. Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952-1954, Vol. IV, Document 165 (National Intelligence Estimate)open source ↗
The revolution broke out on 9 April 1952 against the ruling junta that had taken power after the 1951 election in which Paz Estenssoro won a plurality but was denied office; armed MNR civilians defeated army forces in the La Paz area.
SOURCE REVIEWEDU.S. Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952-1954, Vol. IV, Document 136open source ↗
After three days of fighting the junta collapsed and Victor Paz Estenssoro assumed office on 16 April; the revolution went on to nationalize the tin mines, extend suffrage to women and indigenous people, and redistribute land, placing it among the great social revolutions of 20th-century Latin America.
SOURCE REVIEWEDEBSCO Research Starters, "Revolution Grips Bolivia"open source ↗
Editorial Note
Sources agree the uprising began 9 April 1952 (the Cline dataset date), lasted about three days, and defeated the Ballivian junta, bringing the MNR and Paz Estenssoro to power. Two Wikipedia-derived and two primary FRUS documents were read directly. This event is the direct sequel to the May 1951 mamertazo record, since the same junta that annulled the 1951 election was overthrown here.
Cross-Reference
Datasets agree. At least two of the three reference datasets we check against carry this event, and none of them disagrees about its date or its result.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Military junta of General Hugo Ballivian (overthrown; leaders fled and the army surrendered).
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; exiled. 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
“Bolivian Cabinet Is Out Ministers Quit On Completion Of’Revolutionary’Laws,” October 22, 1953
Chicago Tribune
“Bolivia Fights Revolt, 18 Die in La Paz Battle,” April 10, 1952
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 →