Palm Sunday Coup
Part of World War II

Soldiers in San Salvador during the coup attempt
Date2–3 April 1944
Location
El Salvador
Result Coup suppressed
Belligerents
 Rebel armed forces
Commanders and leaders
 Unknown
Units involved
Salvadoran Army

The Palm Sunday Coup (Spanish: golpe de estado del Domingo de Ramos) was an attempted military coup d'état in El Salvador which occurred in early-April 1944. The coup was staged by pro-Axis sympathizers in the Salvadoran Army against President General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez.

Background

General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez became president of El Salvador following a military coup d'état on 4 December 1931 against President Arturo Araujo and the dissolution of the Civic Directory.[1] During the lead up to World War II, Hernández Martínez heavily sympathized with Germany and Italy. However, under pressure from the United States, the primary coffee buyer of El Salvador, he was forced to abandon his sympathies and agreed to align himself alongside the Allies after the attack on Pearl Harbor.[2] Likewise, German and Italian residents in El Salvador were expropriated of their lands and sent to internment camps in the United States.[3][4][5]

Coup

Hernández Martínez held an election in January 1944 and was reelected to a third term as President.[6] His action angered many businessmen, politicians, and military officer since he blatantly violated the Constitution.[7]

On 2 April 1944, military officers who had pro-Axis sympathies from the 1st Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Artillery Regiment initiated a coup against Hernández Martínez.[7] The coup started on Palm Sunday and most senior military and government officials were either at home or attending church.[7][8] The rebels rose up in the departments of San Salvador and Santa Ana.[8] They took control of the national radio station and the police headquarters of Santa Ana during the coup.[8] The Salvadoran Air Force joined the conspirators and bombed the city of Santa Ana while the army attacked civilians and overthrew the local government.[8]

By the end of the day, Hernández Martínez ordered military units still loyal to him to crush the revolt.[8] The coup was suppressed on 3 April, martial law was declared, and a national curfew was put in place.[8]

Aftermath

Following the coup attempt, Hernández Martínez initiated reprisals that lasted for two weeks.[8] Civilian protestors eventually forced Hernández Martínez to resign on 9 May in the Strike of Fallen Arms.[8][9]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Grieb 1971, pp. 154–155.
  2. ^ Ministerio de Educación de la República de El Salvador (1994). Historia de El Salvador, tomo II.
  3. ^ Mario Nevas (2006). "El Salvador en los años 1920?1932".
  4. ^ Astilla 1976, p. 184.
  5. ^ Armstrong & Shenk 1982, p. 34.
  6. ^ Nohlen 2005, p. 287.
  7. ^ a b c Haggerty 1990, p. 18.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Zunes, Stephen (October 2010). "Movements and Campaigns - El Salvador: 1944". Nonviolent Conflict. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  9. ^ Ackerman, Peter; DuVall, Jack (2015). A Force More Powerful: A Century of Non-violent Conflict. St. Martin's Press. pp. 256–263.

Bibliography

Categories