The 1989 Coup d'tt in Paraguay: The End of a Long Dictatorship, 1954-1989

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The year 1989 was crucial for Paraguay. After a long period of 35 years of dictatorship, General Alfredo Stroessner was finally overthrown by a violent coup d'tat. In a sort of prophetic way, he once said I came to power by arms and I will only leave by arms and that came true on 2 February of that year. The 1989 Coup d'tat in Paraguay discusses Stroessner's climb to power during a coup of 1954, fraudulent elections that got him re-elected seven times, and the ways Stroessner kept himself afloat through cooperation with the armed forces, a right-wing political party, and the USA. Arguably, longing to maintain his popularity, the dictator launched a large number of major development projects, including construction of roads, water and sewage facilities, three big hydro-electrical power stations, and a build-up of an airline. At the same time, abuse of human rights and oppression of any kind of political opposition became a norm: dozens of political prisoners were tortured and even executed, and thousands driven into exile. AUTHOR: Antonio Luis Sapienza Fracchia is an Aviation Historian and a founding member of the Instituto Paraguayo de Historia Aeronautica "Silvio Pettirossi". He is also a corresponding member of similar institutes and academies in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Spain, the United States and Uruguay. He has written more than 500 articles in specialized magazines and webpages on Paraguayan Aviation history, and has given numerous lectures in schools, universities, institutes, military and civil institutions in Paraguay and abroad. 82 photographs, 15-18 artworks, 4 maps

Reviews

Maps, tables, extended captions, and references support the study. But as events in Venezuela currently confirm, collapse of Stroessners rgime did not mark the last surviving dictatorship in South America. I loved this page-turner. If you follow the militarys role in Latin American politics, grab this intriguing, illuminating case study. Recommended! * Cybermodeler *
"As well as an interesting story, it is accompanied by a number of archive photos that illustrate the story, along with maps and 6 pages of colour profile artworks showing Army, Navy and Air Force equipment of the period" * Military Model Scene *
"This book should provide readers with a more complete understanding of this important part of Paraguay's history. Recommended" * Britmodeller *

Author Bio

Antonio Luis Sapienza Fracchia was born in Asuncin, Paraguay on 14th May 1960. He graduated from the Catholic University of Asuncin where he got a B.A. in Clinical Psychology. He also took specialized English courses at Tulane University of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and San Diego State University in California. He is at present an English Teacher and one of the Academic Coordinators at the Centro Cultural Paraguayo-Americano (CCPA), a binational institute in Asuncin. Married with two children, he resides in the capital. In his function as an aviation historian, Sapienza became a founding member of the Instituto Paraguayo de Historia Aeronutica Silvio Pettirossi, and wrote more than 500 related articles for specialized press around the world. Sapienza has received five decorations for his academic merits, and published eleven books.