CalendarZ

    • English English
    • español español
    • français français
    • português português
    • русский русский
    • العربية العربية
    • 简体中文 简体中文
  • Home
  • Religious Holidays
  • National Holidays
  • Other Days
  • On This Day
  • Tools
    • Date converter
    • Age Calculator
  1. Home
  2. On This Day
  3. August
  4. 15
  5. Alfredo Stroessner

Events on August 15 in history

Alfredo Stroessner
1954Aug, 15

Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.

Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (Spanish: [alˈfɾeðo estɾozˈneɾ]; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer, politician and statesman who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989.

Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with the support of the army and the Colorado Party, with which he was affiliated. After a brief provisional government headed by Tomás Romero Pereira, he was the Colorado Party's presidential candidate for the 1954 general election, and was elected unopposed since all other parties were banned.

He officially assumed the presidency on 15 August 1954, quickly suspended constitutional and civil rights, and began a period of harsh repression with the support of the army and the military police (which also served as a secret or political police) against anyone who opposed his authoritarian rule. Even when opposition parties were legalized in 1962, they were barely tolerated, and the repression continued. On 25 August 1967, he introduced a new constitution enabling him to re-elect himself; in 1977 he modified that constitution to permit himself to be re-elected indefinitely. He was fraudulently re-elected seven times from 1958 until 1988; approximately six months after the 1988 general election, he was overthrown in the coup d'état of 2 and 3 February 1989, led by his most trusted confidant, Major General Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti, with the support of the army.

On 5 February 1989, just 2 days after the coup, Stroessner was exiled to Brazil, where he spent his last 17 years. He died at 11:20 AM on 16 August 2006 at the Santa Luzia Hospital in Brasilia from septic shock due to complications from pneumonia. He was veiled in a strict private ceremony, and finally buried in the Campo da Esperança Cemetery.

References

  • Alfredo Stroessner
  • Paraguay

Choose Another Date

Events on 1954

  • 13Feb

    NCAA Division I

    Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game.
  • 28Feb

    NTSC

    The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public.
  • 1Apr

    United States Air Force Academy

    United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.
  • 25Apr

    Bell Labs

    The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories.
  • 18Jun

    1954 Guatemalan coup d'état

    Carlos Castillo Armas leads an invasion force across the Guatemalan border, setting in motion the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état

About CalendarZ

CalendarZ

In addition of showing the dates of significant holidays and events; CalendarZ enables you easily check out the time remaining to a certain date and all other details.

Our Partners

WoWDeals : All Deals in One Place

Quick Navigation

  • Home
  • Upcoming Holidays
  • Religious Holidays
  • National Holidays
  • Other Days
  • Blog
  • Age Calculator
  • On This Day

© 2025 CalendarZ. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us / Privacy Policy

English   |   español   |   français   |   português   |   русский   |   العربية   |   简体中文