US "Regime Changes" (27)

Via Mr. Beat's 'Every Time the United States Overthrew a Foreign Government'. He is referring to coups orchestrated by the US or ones that were heavily influenced and ONLY those that were successful

The Imperial Expansion Era

1893-1924: A period of brazen imperialism for the United States; very OBVIOUSLY imperialist coups

Hawaii

January 17, 1893: American and European businessmen overthrew Queen Liliuokalani because of her ‘Hawaii First’ policy that affected their profits (THIS WAS NOT ANNEXATION)

The Banana Wars

The period of US intervention in the Caribbean from 1898-1934 (mostly for protecting the United Fruit Company)

Colombia

1903: The US encouraged Panamanian rebels in Colombia to declare independence, and Roosevelt sent warships to the area to prevent Colombia from stopping the revolts. This was all so we could build the Panama Canal because Colombia wouldn’t let us.

Honduras

1903: US military supported a coup by Manuel Bonilla (who loved the UFC)

Cuba

Early 1900s: US promised Cuba independence after the SLW but then passed the Platt Amendment. Hung around Cuba until 1909

Nicaragua

1909: US helped overthrow Jose Santos Zelaya because he wanted to build a canal that would’ve completed with the Panama Canal. US supported rebels and occupied the country on and off for the next two decades.

Mexico

1913: US ambassador to Mexico Henry Lane Wilson helped overthrow (democratically elected) President Francisco Madero who threatened American oil interests.

Haiti

1915: American troops invaded and occupied Haiti after a mob killed President Vilbrun Sam. We sent a lot of money to Haiti and wanted the money back. Disbanded the Haitian Army and controlled the country’s politics for years after.

Dominican Republic

May 15, 1916: Landed in the DR to “restore order” but then ran the government. Stayed in DR to protect sugar cane plantation. Occupation ended September 18, 1924

Presidents that slowed regime changes

Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt

Good Neighbor Policy

Ideology pushed by FDR and Hoover in which the US pledged to respect the sovereignty of its neighbors and avoid direct military intervention in Latin America

The Cold War Era

1953-1989: The period in which the US became less brazen with coups and justified intervention with preventing the spread of “communism”

Iran

1953: After (democratically elected) Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalized anglo-oil (hurting US companies), the CIA and MI6 paid mobs and bribed officials to stir chaos in the country. This created a coup that overthrew Mosaddegh and replaced him with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (whose rule started the Iranian Revolution)

Guatemala

1954: Guatemala’s president, Jacobo Arbenz, took unused UFC land and gave it to poor farmers. In return, the CIA aided rebels and bombed locations to eventually make Arbenz resign. A military Dictatorship followed this, along with decades of civil war and mass killings.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

1960: After gaining independence, citizens elected Patrice Lumumba as PM, but the US didn’t like how friendly he was with the Soviet Union. So, the CIA collaborated with Belgium to assassinate Lumumba and replaced him with dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

Dominican Republic

May 30, 1961: Rebels killed Rafael Trujillo, supplied with weapons from the CIA

Ecuador

November 7, 1961: After President Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra became friendly with communist Cuba, the CIA used propaganda, forgery, and bribery to overthrow him.

Iraq

1963: There is growing evidence that the CIA also helped plan and carry out the overthrow of Abdul-Karim Hasim, who was executed on Feb. 9 of that year. He had been open to closer ties with the Soviet Union and communism

Brazil

1964: After Brazil’s president, Joao Goulart, pushed for land reform and worker rights, American businessmen were scared. We gave rebels military aid to help overthrow Goulart and install a harsh military Dictatorship to rule for the next 21 years.

Guyana

1964: The CIA helped Britain overthrow Cheddi Jagan, the chief minister, after he became “cozy” with Marxism and the Soviet Union.

Bolivia

1971: After President Juan Jose Torres became friends with Cuba and nationalized the country’s mines, the CIA gave intelligence and other aid to rebels. On Aug. 21, rebels overthrew Torres and replaced him with Hugo Banzer, who would rule as a brutal dictator for the next seven years.

Chile

1973: Salvador Allende was elected but the CIA caused chaos by disrupting the economy and gave millions of dollars to rebels to conduct military strikes. On Sept. 11, Chilean military rebels bombed Allende’s palace and replaced him with Augusto Pinochet

Grenada

October 25, 1983: The US invaded Grenada to overthrow their Marxist government “in the name of American Medical Students”. We then installed a more “American-friendly” government

Panama

December 20, 1989: GHWB sent thousands of troops to overthrow and arrest Manuel Noriega (Operation Just Cause). He had become too defiant and threatened American interests with the Panama Canal

The War on Terrorism Era

1994-present

Haiti

1994: “Operation Uphold Democracy" BIll Clinton sent troops to “convince” Joseph Raoul Cedras to step down without a fight. Rare case of restoring a democracy that we liked (that of Jean-Bertrand Aristide)

Afghanistan

2001: 9/11 happened, then we invaded Afghanistan to topple the Taliban. War in Afghanistan was the longest war in American history and the Taliban came back in 2021

Venezuela

April 11, 2002: Rebels overthrew Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and there is some evidence that US diplomats helped organize it.

Iraq

March 20, 2003: US troops invaded Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein. GWB claimed Saddam had weapons of MD and ties to terrorists. This destabilized the entire region.

Libya

2011: American and NATO helped rebels overthrow Gaddafi. Became another regime change that has left Libya in constant chaos ever since.

Venezuela (new)

January 3, 2026: US forces captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife and is holding them in an American prison. The US has claimed to be overseeing a new Venezuelan government,

Iran

2026: US and Israel launched strikes against Iran that killed leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 40 senior members of the country’s regime