February Revolution (Paraguay)

Rafael Franco, leader of the revolution

President Eusebio Ayala, deposed in the revolution

The February Revolution in Paraguay was a military coup d'état on February 17, 1936, that brought to power colonel Rafael Franco. The revolution marked the end of Liberal Party rule in Paraguay and started the ascendancy of military dictatorships that lasted for more than half a century.

Franco's government rapidly carried out many reforms, one of which was land reform (the confiscation, and breaking up, of some large private land holdings). Franco was overthrown on August 13, 1937, but his influence and that of febreristas continued to influence Paraguayan politics and eventually led to the Paraguayan Civil War in 1947 and establishment of the Revolutionary Febrerista Party in 1951.

The revolution has been described as a "joint Marxist and fascist coup" which "laid the groundwork for the pro-Nazi dictatorship of Higinio Morínigo in 1940".^[1]