Nicaragua, 1978 — military coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as an attempted military coup in Nicaragua on 28 August 1978 during the escalating insurrection against the dictatorship of President Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the last of the Somoza dynasty that had ruled Nicaragua since the 1930s. The date falls amid the dramatic rise of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, the FSLN, and the collapse of Somoza's legitimacy following the assassination of the opposition journalist Pedro Joaquin Chamorro in January 1978. Just days before, on 22 August 1978, a Sandinista commando led by Eden Pastora, known as Comandante Cero, had seized the National Palace in Managua, taking hundreds of hostages and humiliating the regime.
The late August 1978 period, coded here as a coup attempt, saw spreading revolt and the beginning of a national uprising against Somoza. He clung to power through his brutal National Guard until the Sandinistas finally overthrew him in July 1979, ending the dynasty and bringing the FSLN to power.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
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
09308281978
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Anastasio Somoza survived the August 1978 revolt but was overthrown by the Sandinistas in July 1979.
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
Wikipedia
Los Angeles Times
Newsday
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 →