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coup d'état

File:Bouchot_-_Le_general_Bonaparte_au_Conseil_des_Cinq-Cents.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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coup d'état

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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.

~36 min read

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.

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