Paraguay, 1959 — dissident coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an attempted dissident coup against Paraguay on 12 December 1959, during the consolidation of General Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship, at the end of a year in which the regime crushed a wave of armed exile incursions and internal opposition. In 1959 Stroessner faced guerrilla columns mounted by exiled opponents, including forces linked to the Movimiento 14 de Mayo and other groups operating from Argentina, part of the post-Cuban Revolution ferment that swept armed challenges across the region. He also purged the Colorado Party and dissolved a Congress that had called for liberalization.
Any coup attempt in December 1959 came within that turbulence and did not dislodge Stroessner, who tightened his repressive grip and ruled Paraguay until he was finally overthrown by General Andres Rodriguez in February 1989.
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
15012121959
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Alfredo Stroessner survived and ruled Paraguay until his overthrow in 1989.
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
New York Times
The Observer
Baltimore Sun
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 →