Coup Atlas Research Database
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10103181958ConspiracyDissident coup

Venezuela, 1958 — dissident coup conspiracy

Venezuela (VEN)South America, AmericasMarch 18, 1958

Event Summary

The dataset records an event coded as a dissident conspiracy in Venezuela on 18 March 1958, during the fragile provisional junta of Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal, which took power after dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez was overthrown on 23 January 1958. The transition was marked by recurring plots: officers who felt cheated by the outcome staged various insurrections, and at one point the Larrazabal government was in real danger of being toppled, though all these conspiracies were contained. No discrete named plot precisely on 18 March 1958 appears in accessible sources; the well-documented named coup attempts against the junta came slightly later, notably Defense Minister Jesus Maria Castro Leon's attempt in July 1958 and another in September 1958.

The relevant context is the recurrent military plotting against the Larrazabal junta during the 1958 democratic transition that led to the December 1958 elections and Romulo Betancourt's presidency.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: The Larrazabal junta contained the plots and handed power to the elected Betancourt in early 1959
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal (provisional junta president, target)
Dissident military officers (plotters)
Jesus Maria Castro Leon (later coup leader, July 1958)

Sources

The officers who felt they had been cheated staged various insurrections; all these conspiracies were contained although some required drastic means, and at one point the Larrazabal government was in real danger of being toppled.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Military dictatorship in Venezuela open source ↗
The 1958 Venezuelan coup overthrew dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez on 23 January 1958, installing a provisional junta under Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, 1958 Venezuelan coup d'etat open source ↗
A transition government under first Larrazabal and then Edgar Sanabria held until December 1958 elections saw Romulo Betancourt elected, taking office on 13 February 1959.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, 1958 Venezuelan coup d'etat open source ↗

Editorial Note

No discrete plot precisely on 18 March 1958 was found in accessible sources this session; the entry records the dataset's coding and the context of recurrent military plotting against the Larrazabal junta during the 1958 transition. Flagged as context. Distinct from the January 1958 coup that ousted Perez Jimenez and the later July 1958 Castro Leon attempt. First Venezuela record in the dataset run; pairs with the 18 January 1960 Venezuela record in this batch.

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
10103181958

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: The Larrazabal junta contained the plots and handed power to the elected Betancourt in early 1959.

Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. 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

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
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

New York Times

“VENEZUELA EXPELS 5 ON PLOTTING CHARGE,” March 19, 1958
“Venezuela Expels Two More,” March 21, 1958

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 →

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