Majors' Coup

The Majors' Coup, also known as the 1948 Salvadoran coup d'état or the Revolution of 1948, was a coup d'état in El Salvador that took place on 14 December 1948. Junior officers of the Salvadoran Army successfully deposed President Salvador Castaneda Castro, who had attempted to extend his term in office. The coup marked the end of the conservative "martinist" era and the beginning of a period of military reformism dominated by the Revolutionary Party of Democratic Unification.

Background

Following the resignation of dictator Maximiliano Hernández Martínez in 1944, El Salvador entered a period of political instability. General Salvador Castaneda Castro was elected president in 1945, ostensibly to transition the country back to stability. However, his administration was largely seen as a continuation of the previous regime, maintaining many of Martínez's policies and officials.
Castaneda Castro's term was scheduled to end in March 1949. On 13 December 1948, the president called an emergency session of the National Assembly to pass a decree calling for the election of a Constituent Assembly within two days. The intent was to alter the constitutional ban on re-election, allowing Castaneda Castro to extend his term for another two years. This move alienated the younger officers in the military, known as the Juventud Militar, who saw it as a violation of the constitutional order and a return to indefinite dictatorship.

The Coup

On the afternoon of 14 December 1948, a faction of junior officers launched the coup. The rebels seized the strategic El Zapote Fort in San Salvador at approximately 1:00 p.m. without facing significant resistance from the garrison.
From the fort, the rebels demanded the President's surrender. When Castaneda Castro refused, the rebels opened fire on the Presidential Palace with machine guns and mortars. Fighting also broke out near the National Police headquarters, which remained loyal to the president. By 4:00 p.m., the police surrendered after coming under heavy fire. President Castaneda Castro was subsequently arrested and imprisoned.
According to diplomatic reports from the time, the conflict resulted in relatively few casualties; four civilians were killed and ten were injured, mostly bystanders caught in the crossfire.

Aftermath

Revolutionary Council of Government

Following the coup, the victors established a junta known as the . The council was composed of three military officers and two civilians:

Major Óscar Osorio
Major Óscar Bolaños
Lt. Col. Manuel de Jesús Córdova
Dr. Reynaldo Galindo Pohl
Dr. Humberto Costa

The Council justified the coup as a "patriotic movement" necessary to protect the constitution. They issued decrees abrogating the 1886 Constitution and dissolving the National Assembly. Lt. Col. Córdova resigned from the junta shortly after its formation, leaving Osorio and Bolaños as the dominant military figures.

Constitution of 1950

The coup led to the drafting of the Constitution of 1950, which for the first time in Salvadoran history defined the state's role in ensuring social justice and economic well-being. This marked a shift from the purely liberal economic policies of the "coffee republic" era to a model of "military developmentalism," characterized by state-led industrialization and limited social reforms initiated by the PRUD party.
Major Óscar Osorio eventually resigned from the council to run for president, winning the 1950 Salvadoran general election and governing until 1956.