coups

Who Poisoned Pablo Neruda?

by Ariel Dorfman

"In retrospect I wonder if perhaps I was so tired of tales of torture and disappearances, so full of death and grief, that I could not deal with one more affront. I preferred to shield the sacred figure of Neruda from the violence."

Forensic Experts: Chilean Poet and Pinochet Opponent Pablo Neruda Killed by Poison in 1973

The poet, a Communist and ally of democratically-elected President Salvador Allende, died shortly after the coup that installed General Augusto Pinochet as dictator. There had been longstanding suspicion of the official explanation of his death. 

The Common Evangelical Roots of Insurrection in America and Brazil

by Raimundo Barreto and João B. Chaves

A century of international evangelical network-building and theological development have brought militant Christian nationalism to the forefront of right-wing politics in both nations. 

Deport Bolsonaro

by Ben Burgis

The former Brazilian president has no right or entitlement to live in Florida while avoiding accountability for crimes in Brazil committed both before and after his losing campaign for reelection. 

Brazil Attack Latest Export of Far-Right Extremism from the US

by Jacob Ware

With direct support from figures like Steve Bannon and the use of social media to organize a mass attack on the institutions of government, the January 8 attack on the Brazilian government has been molded by the American far right.

Richard Evans on the Ideology of the German Coup Attempt

The historian of Nazism discusses the surprising arrest of German Reichsburger adherents for plotting a coup against the German parliament. 

Take Calls for a "Fourth Reich" Seriously

by Gavriel Rosenfeld

The concept of a new German Reich emerged almost immediately after the fall of Hitler, and reflected the incomplete effort to remove the far-right from German politics as well as the growth of an international authoritarian movement. 

The Disturbing Truth: What's Behind the German Coup

by Annika Brockschmidt

Like January 6, the German coup reflects the radicalization of a significant portion of the affluent "bourgeois center" of the society, making a reckoning with the sources of far-right allegiance particularly urgent. 

What the German Coup Plotters Took from the American Right

by Lucian Staiano-Daniels

The German Reichsburger movement has been influenced both by the legalistic theories of the American "sovereign citizen" movement and the lurid conspiratorial fantasies of QAnon. 

"Ultra" Podcast Tells the Story of an Attempted Far-Right Subversion of the US

"Ultra is the all-but-forgotten true story of good, old-fashioned American extremism getting supercharged by proximity to power."

Why Do We Know So Little about the 1930s Coup Attempt against FDR?

by Sally Denton

"In a climate of conspiracies and intrigues, and against the backdrop of charismatic dictators in the world such as Hitler and Mussolini, the sparks of anti-Rooseveltism ignited into full-fledged hatred."

Voters Choose Young Leftist Gabriel Boric in Chile by Wide Margin

"At 35, Mr. Boric will be the nation’s youngest leader and by far its most liberal since President Salvador Allende, who died by suicide during the 1973 military coup that ushered in a brutal 17-year dictatorship."

The 1954 US-Backed Coup in Guatemala

by Ben Tumin

Ben Tumin's "Skipped History" video series returns with a discussion of the 1954 Guatemala Coup, drawing on the work of Greg Grandin, Stephen Kinzer and Steven Schleshinger, and Vincent Bevins.

Argentina’s Military Coup of 1976: What the U.S. Knew

Newly declassified documents demonstrate that the US government, including Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, were aware of the developing coup and evaluated policy as a balancing of the prospective military dictatorship's friendliness to the US against its likely willingness to commit human rights violations. 

Wealthy Bankers And Businessmen Plotted To Overthrow FDR. A Retired General Foiled It

by Gillian Brockell

Major General Smedley Butler (USMC) told Congress in 1933 that a group of business leaders had asked him to lead a coup against FDR. He insisted the plot was serious and credible. Has this episode faded from awareness because it was a hoax, or because Roosevelt and Congress all wanted to conceal how close it came to succeeding?

Don't Compare the Capitol Riot to the "Third World"

"Lucia Dammert, a Wilson Center Global Fellow and Professor at the University of Santiago of Chile objects to the comparison to the Global South -- adding that the U.S. has played a key role in sparking the turbulence, especially in Latin America."

Out of the Rubble: Doctors Strikes and State Repression in Guatemala’s Cold War

by Ilan Palacios Avineri

An earthquake in Guatemala, and subsequent demands for their labor, shook many medical professionals out of complacency and cooperation with the country's right-wing government at the height of the nation's civil war.

I Danced in the Streets after Allende’s Victory in Chile 50 Years Ago. Now I See its Lessons for Today

by Ariel Dorfman

The Chilean author Ariel Dorfman warns that while his country elected a democratic socialist in a landmark election, it was unprepared to deal with violent and ruthless efforts to maintain the status quo. Joe Biden is no socialist, but if he wins, his administration and Americans at large must be similarly prepared. 

A Message from 'Queen Elizabeth' to the Shah Played Role in CIA 1953 Coup in Iran, Documentary Says

Historians who uncovered a message from "Queen Elizabeth" believe its misinterpretation helped persuade the shah not to flee Iran at a pivotal moment.

The ‘Liberal World Order’ Was Built With Blood

by Vincent Bevins

American politicians, pundits and citizens need to understand that the history of American influence in the world has included violent subversion of democracy in the name of American interests.