1979 Salvadoran coup d'état

The 1979 Salvadoran coup d'état was a military coup d'état that occurred in El Salvador on 15 October 1979. The coup, led by young military officers, bloodlessly overthrew military President Carlos Humberto Romero and sent him into exile. The National Conciliation Party's firm grip on power was ended, and in its place the military established the Revolutionary Government Junta of El Salvador (JRG). The junta was composed of two military officers and three civilians.

The Revolutionary Government Junta declared itself to be a "reformist junta" which would pass political and economic reforms. In reality, it continued to crack down on political opposition, especially after the rise of several leftist militant groups in the early 1980s. The coup is commonly cited as the beginning of the twelve-year-long Salvadoran Civil War.