On November 1, 1979 Colonel Alberto Natusch seized power in Bolivia in a bloody coup that overthrew the interim civilian president Walter Guevara, but massive popular resistance forced Natusch out after about two weeks, in an episode remembered for the killing of scores of protesters. Guevara had been named interim president by Congress in August 1979 after the inconclusive elections, taking over from the caretaker military ruler Padilla. On November 1, 1979 Natusch and allied officers stormed the presidential palace, the Palacio Quemado, and Natusch proclaimed himself president.
Troops fired on crowds of protesters in La Paz; over the roughly two weeks of his rule, sources record that around 200 or more civilians were killed, many more wounded, and scores went missing, in what became known as the Todos Santos massacre. Facing nationwide strikes by the labor confederation, only limited military backing, and US pressure, Natusch resigned.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Interim President Walter Guevara, overthrown on November 1, 1979 by Colonel Natusch; Guevara himself was not physically harmed, though the coup's suppression of protest killed many civilians.
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Walter Guevara (interim president overthrown)
Alberto Natusch (colonel who seized power)
The Bolivian Workers Confederation (COB, which led resistance)
Sources
A military coup led by Bolivian Army Colonel Alberto Natusch overthrew the government of Bolivian President Walter Guevara, and soon after the takeover of the Palacio Quemado in La Paz, rebel soldiers fired into a crowd of protesters, killing six of them after Natusch proclaimed himself the new President of Bolivia.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, November 1979open source ↗
At the end of Colonel Natusch's roughly two weeks as President of Bolivia after the November 1 coup, 208 civilian protesters were killed, 207 were injured, and 124 were missing, and the coup and Natusch's presidency ended after 16 days with the Bolivian Congress selecting a new civilian president.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, November 1979open source ↗
General Padilla transferred power to Guevara on August 8, 1979, but Guevara was overthrown in a coup led by General Alberto Natusch on November 1, and Natusch was unable to consolidate power in the face of widespread uprisings and labor strikes.
SOURCE REVIEWEDCenter for Systemic Peace, Bolivia Polity reportopen source ↗
Guevara was overthrown after a few months by a bloody coup under Colonel Alberto Natusch Busch in November 1979, and Natusch stepped down after just two weeks because of intense civilian opposition, his limited military support, and diplomatic action by the United States to prevent recognition of his government.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, History of Bolivia (1964-1982)open source ↗
Editorial Note
Killings recorded carefully: this was a bloody coup; the suppression of protest during Natusch's roughly two-week rule is recorded with cited figures (six protesters shot at the palace initially, and totals over the period given as 208 killed, 207 injured, and 124 missing in one source, the events known as the Todos Santos massacre); figures are attributed rather than asserted as definitive. Fate coding: the deposed leader, interim president Walter Guevara, was himself not physically harmed, matching the dataset; the killings were of protesters, not the president. Paired context: this November 1 coup is the first of two Bolivia records in this batch; its companion is the 1979-11-16 record, when Congress replaced Natusch with Lidia Gueiler. Arc link: connects to the Padilla-to-Guevara handover of August 1979 (Padilla enriched in batch 30) and to the broader instability of nine presidents in about four years. Coding note: the dataset labels this a military coup; it was a violent seizure by Natusch and allied officers that failed to consolidate against popular resistance. Aftermath: the instability culminated in the July 1980 Garcia Meza cocaine coup, a separate later event.
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: Interim President Walter Guevara, overthrown on November 1, 1979 by Colonel Natusch; Guevara himself was not physically harmed, though the coup's suppression of protest killed many civilians..
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; 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
“A Bolivian Colonel Stages a Rebellion,” November 2, 1979
“Strike Paralyzes Cities in Bolivia; Rights Restricted,” November 3, 1979
“Bolivian Coup leader to Step Down Today, defense Chief Reports,” November 16, 1979
“U.S. Notes ‘Favorable’ Events,” November 17, 1979
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 →