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coup d'état

Also known as coups d'état, coup, golpe, putsch, overthrow

act in which a segment of the military or government elites uses force to illegally and overtly overthrow an incumbent government in an attempt to seize state power

AI overview

A coup d'état is when military or government leaders use force to illegally overthrow the sitting government and take control of the state. It matters because it represents a sudden, violent disruption of a country's political system and the rule of law, often with serious consequences for citizens and national stability.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

In the Vinony graph

Within Vinony's link graph, coup d'état is referenced by 5,633 other articles, and connects out to Napoleon, dictatorship and autocracy.

It sits within the topics Changes in political power, Civil–military relations and Coups d'état.

Its subject is documented across 113 Wikipedia language editions.

Wikidata facts

Subclass of: conflict
Image: The arrest of Robespierre cropped.jpg

Show 6 more facts

Commons category: Coups d'état
topic's main category: Category:Coups d'état
described by source: Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
uses: force
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
topic has template: Template:Coup d'état

Sources (3)

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Encyclopedic overview

General Napoleon Bonaparte during the Coup of 18 Brumaire in Saint-Cloud, detail of painting by François Bouchot, 1840

A coup d'état (/ˌkuːdeɪˈtɑː/ ; French: [ku deta] ; lit. 'stroke of state'), or simply a coup, is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent person or leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to power through legal means, tries to stay in power through illegal means.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “coup d'état” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.