1931 Salvadoran coup d'état

1931 Salvadoran coup d'état

The military leaders of the coup
Date2 December 1931
Location
Result

Coup successful

Belligerents
Commanders and leaders
Arturo Araujo
Casualties and losses
At least 1 killed Unknown

The 1931 Salvadoran coup d'état occurred on 2 December 1931 when the Armed Forces of El Salvador overthrew President Arturo Araujo. The Civic Directory (a military junta) ruled El Salvador for two days after the coup until it relinquished power to Brigadier General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, Araujo's vice president and minister of war, the navy, and aviation.

Economic troubles resulting from the Great Depression weakened Araujo's government and forced it to take out loans to finance itself. When Araujo's government suspended all military payments in August 1931, the armed forces began plotting to overthrow Araujo. The military moved to overthrow Araujo on 2 December 1931, and Araujo was forced to flee the country two days later after failing to launch a countercoup. The coup led to almost five decades of military rule in El Salvador that lasted until the 1979 Salvadoran coup d'état.