The Role of the Paraguayan Catholic Church in the Downfall of the Stroessner Regime

Bibliographic Data

ID4547341
AuthorsMiguel Carter (corresponding author)
Year1990
Volume32
Issue4
Pages67-122
Publication date1990-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-1937 • E-ISSN: 2162-2736
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/166116
OpenAlexW2784131331
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited16

TheCoup d'Etat thatoverthrew General Alfredo Stroessner on the second night of February 1989 signaled the beginning of a new era for Paraguayan politics and the close of another chapter of LatinAmerican caudillismo. He was replaced by General Andrés Rodríguez, Paraguay's second most powerful figure, in what was, in effect, a "palace coup." General Rodríguez startled the nation by issuing a proclamation that called for (a) democratization of Paraguay, (b) full respect for human rights, and (c) restoration of the badly damaged relations with the Catholic Church. The proclamation ushered in a series of events which amazed the populace even more: opposition leaders - once banned and exiled by the Stroessner regime - were embraced and greeted by longtime adversaries; dozens of prominent exiled figures returned to find an enthusiastic atmosphere; political prisoners were freed; while corruption and torture became the subject of national debate as people sought both to uncover, and to bury, the legacy of the Stroessner years

Democracy · Democratization · Human rights · Opposition (politics) · Political science · Politics · Proclamation · Torture · Indigenous Studies in Latin America · International Development and Aid · Law · Religion and Society in Latin America

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