The 1972 Honduran coup d'état was the successful bloodless coup in Honduras of the Ramon Ernesto Cruz administration by the Honduran military.[1] Led by General Oswaldo López Arellano, the military overthrow marked the end of the brief interregnum of civilian rule (1971–1972) and continuation of military rule in the country.[2][3] Due to corruption scandals,[4] López Arellano was ousted from government, being replaced by Colonel Juan Alberto Melgar Castro.
| 1972 Honduran coup d'état | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Armed Forces of Honduras |
Dissenting faction of the armed forces | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Ramon Ernesto Cruz |
Oswaldo López Arellano | ||||||
Background
editThe primary stated motive behind the coup according to military officials, is President Cruz's rejection of the power-sharing agreement between the country's two major parties - the National Party of Honduras (PNH) and Liberal Party of Honduras (PLH)[5] - which "threatened" national stability, justifying the military to intervene and prevent potential political instability from occurring.[1]
Thus, on December 2, 1972, General López Arellano staged a second coup, placing President Cruz under house arrest and assuming leadership once again of the country.[1] In contrast to his previous conservative regime from 1963 to 1970, the new three-man military junta, named the Defense Council,[5] adopted populist policies, such as: agrarian reform which redistributed land to peasants, economic reforms which increased state intervention in the economy, and labor reforms which integrated labour unions into the state's development plans.[6] Political reforms were also implemented, permitting controlled democratization.[6] These reforms aimed to address the concerns of the rural poor and organized labor in order to prevent the rise of revolutionary movements in Honduras.[6]
In April 1975, the López regime was embroiled in a corruption scandal known as Bananagate, where the US multinational United Fruit Co allegedly bribed President Lopez with $1.25 million to reduce the banana export tax, which resulted in the formation of a seven-man commission to investigate the bribery charges.[7] When he was accused of refusing to cooperate with the investigative commission, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces overthrew him in a bloodless coup, replacing the general with Colonel Melgar Castro on April 22, 1975.[7]
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Armed Forces Commander Seizes Power in Honduras in a Bloodless Coup". The New York Times. 1972-12-05. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ↑ "Oswaldo López Arellano". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ↑ Coleman, Kevin (2025), "The Making of a Reformist Coup: General López Arellano and Land Reform in Honduras, 1972–1975", in Coleman, Kevin; Carassai, Sebastián (eds.), Coups d'État in Cold War Latin America, 1964–1982, Cambridge University Press, pp. 88–110, doi:10.1017/9781009344821.005, ISBN 978-1-009-34483-8
- ↑ "Honduras (12/05)".
- 1 2 "3. Honduras (1902-present)". uca.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- 1 2 3 "Honduras: The Politics of Exception and Military Reformism (1972-1978)" (PDF).
- 1 2 Times, Alan Riding Special to The New York (1975-04-23). "Honduran Army Ousts Leader Named in Bribery Case in U.S." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-25.