coup d'état
Let an agent explain coups d etat and their types, relay research on causes, frequency and consequences from political science sources with attribution, describe international responses, and distinguish coups from revolutions, civil wars, impeachments and elections, without providing guidance for planning or executing one.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain coups d etat and their types, relay research on causes, frequency and consequences from political science sources with attribution, describe international responses, and distinguish coups from revolutions, civil wars, impeachments and elections, without providing guidance for planning or executing one.
The sudden, illegal seizure of governmental power by a small group, typically military officers or political insiders, using or threatening force, in forms ranging from bloodless coups and self-coups by incumbents to attempted and failed coups, soft coups through institutional pressure, and promissory coups justified by promises of elections, with historical cases from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe and traditional forms such as the Japanese shukun oshikome, the forced confinement of a lord; coups are studied in political science and condemned by international organisations.
What it is for: Not applicable; a political event type.
It can be explain types; relay research; describe international responses; distinguish related events.
Distinguishing features
Sudden and illegal
Small group
Force or threat
Regime change or consolidation
What it looks like
Not a visible object; a seizure of power.
Physical character
coups since 1950: about 500 count - Powell and Thyne data, roughly half successful
recent wave: 2020s period - Sahel region
How it is recognised
Sudden illegal seizure of state power
Military coups, bloodless coups, self-coups, attempted coups, soft coups, promissory coups, historical forms such as shukun oshikome
Revolutions are mass movements; impeachment is constitutional; civil wars are prolonged conflicts
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in registry terms
is contrasted with - a mass uprising
is studied in - through coup datasets
In practice
Families and kinds
military coups
bloodless coups
self-coups or autogolpes
attempted and failed coups such as the 1989 Guatemalan attempt
soft coups and promissory coups
historical forms such as palace coups and shukun oshikome
Standards and regulation
International condemnation and suspension rules such as the African Union anti-coup norm
Constitutional provisions against unconstitutional changes of government
Foreign aid restrictions following coups
Failure modes and hazards
Agents providing operational guidance
Partisan labelling of contested events
Confusing coups with revolutions or legal transfers
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What a coup is.
Attribution.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is a coup d etat, and how does it differ from revolution, civil war, impeachment and election? definition
- Is the question about understanding coups, or about planning or executing one, which the model does not cover? boundary
Types
Types.
Types
Types.
- How do military, bloodless, self, attempted, soft and promissory coups differ, and what was shukun oshikome? definition
- Which entry fits the specific type or event? action
Research Research.
Attribution.
Causes
Causes.
Causes
Causes.
- What does research say about the causes of coups and coup-proofing, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Consequences
Consequences.
Consequences
Consequences.
- What are the consequences of coups for democracy, economies and human rights, as studies report? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Response Responses.
Regulation.
International
International responses.
International
International.
- How do the UN, African Union and other bodies respond to coups, and what debates exist, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Law
Law.
Law
Law.
- How do constitutions and international law treat unconstitutional changes of government? provenance
- Which entry fits unconstitutional change of government? action
Context History and cases.
Context.
History
History.
History
History.
- How have coups shaped 20th and 21st-century history, with cases attributed to historians? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific coup? action
Culture
Culture.
Culture
Culture.
- How are coups portrayed in literature and film? provenance
- Which entry fits political fiction? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should self-coup and military coup be separate primary entries?
- How should political science sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming a specific attempt and a Japanese historical practice; should they be split off?