A bloodless military intervention in Brazil that removed an acting president to ensure the peaceful transfer of power to president-elect Juscelino Kubitschek.
Key Facts
- Date
- November 11, 1955
- Nature of coup
- Bloodless military and political action
- Leader
- Marshal Henrique Teixeira Lott
- President removed
- Carlos Luz
- Interim president installed
- Nereu Ramos
- Presidents in one week
- 3
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Juscelino Kubitschek's electoral victory, acting president Carlos Luz was suspected of conspiring with opponents to block Kubitschek from taking office. Marshal Henrique Teixeira Lott and allied military officers concluded that constitutional succession was under threat and that preemptive action was necessary to safeguard the election result.
On November 11, 1955, Marshal Lott led a military movement that removed Carlos Luz from the Brazilian presidency. The action was framed as a preventative coup, or counter-coup, intended to protect democratic order rather than subvert it. The operation was conducted without bloodshed and had the backing of key military and political figures.
Carlos Luz was replaced by Senate President Nereu Ramos, who served as interim head of state until Juscelino Kubitschek was peacefully inaugurated. Brazil had three presidents within a single week. Kubitschek subsequently took office and completed his term, and the episode is remembered as an unusual case of a military intervention aimed at preserving civilian electoral outcomes.