Bolivia, 1984 — military coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an attempted military coup in Bolivia on 30 June 1984, when a group of security officers and paramilitaries briefly kidnapped President Hernan Siles Zuazo in a dramatic pre dawn action during one of the most chaotic periods of Bolivia's fragile restored democracy. Siles Zuazo, who had returned to the presidency in 1982 at the head of a leftist coalition after nearly two decades of military rule, governed amid hyperinflation, labor unrest, and constant plotting. In the early hours of 30 June 1984 armed men, reportedly including members of an elite anti narcotics police unit and figures linked to cocaine trafficking, seized the president from the palace and held him for about ten hours before he was freed and the attempt collapsed, having failed to win broader military or political backing.
Siles Zuazo survived but his authority was crippled; unable to govern effectively amid the economic catastrophe, he agreed to cut short his term and call early elections in 1985, which brought his rival Victor Paz Estenssoro to power to confront the crisis.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
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:
- Cline Center id
14506301984- Albrecht/Koehler/Schutz (CAM) id
CAM-145-1984-06-30
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Hernan Siles Zuazo was briefly kidnapped in the June 1984 attempt but freed after about ten hours.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. 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
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
New York Times
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 →