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Coup d'Etat Definition, Types & Historical Examples

Instructor Daniela English

Dani is a PhD student, and has taught college English & tutored in multiple subjects for over three years. They have an MA in English Composition & Pedagogy and a BA in Women's Studies, Religious Studies, & Sociology, both from the University of Massachusetts Boston. They also have received awards for their academic research and teaching. Habla español & Gaeilge acu.

Discover the historical event called a coup d'etat. Learn the definition of this term along with some famous coups d'etat from history. Updated: 12/12/2022

Coup d’état is a term borrowed from French, who first used the term to describe Napoleon’s coups in France. The word coup is used to describe a quick or sudden (successful) act, such as a takeover, while état refers to the state or government. The letter d is equivalent to of. In English, the term coup d’état literally means “a quick or sudden takeover of a state” (i.e., a government). The word coup, which is often used as a shortened version of the full phrase coup d’état, comes from the Latin colpus, which is borrowed from the ancient Greek word kólaphos, both of which mean “to blow or strike with a fist.” The word état comes from the Latin word status, meaning essentially the same thing as it does in English: the norm, or fixed state of things.

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There are many different types of coups, and they are not mutually exclusive. In other words, a coup could fall into more than one of these categories. The types of coups discussed below—military, palace, judicial, and putsch—are merely four of the more well-known types. Some other notable forms of coups include:

  • The auto-coup, where an existing leader attempts to hold or expand their power;
  • The counter-coup, where a new government that gained power by a coup is removed, usually by the prior leaders, by another coup; and
  • The foreign-backed coup, where a foreign government, usually with domestic allies, overthrows the current government.

Military Coup

In many forms of the coup d’état, the military of the nation has a degree of involvement. In fact, the military is involved in an estimated 96 percent of coup attempts. Only half of military-backed coups succeed, while 70 percent of non-military coups succeed.

Coups with a large degree of overt military involvement are labeled as a military coups; in a military coup, the military seizes control of the government.

There are two relatively common types of military coups: guardian coups and veto coups.

  • Guardian coup: When a country becomes, in the eyes of the military, corrupt or inefficient in some way, the military may opt to instigate a coup. Oftentimes, the military will paint the guardian coup as a temporary but necessary shift in power.
  • Veto coup: The military takes over in a swift and brutal rejection of some element of the political system, most often a new leader.

Palace Coup

Many governments are divided among multiple groups. When a section of the government, such as the leader’s cabinet, orchestrates a coup, it is called a palace coup. As the name suggests, these kinds of coups are more common in places with a monarchy. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef was confined and forced to resign his claim to power by his younger cousin Mohammed bin Salman.

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One of the earliest coups in recorded history was in 1799 when Napoleon Bonaparte took over the French government. Napoleon replaced the short-lived French Directory and installed himself as the leader in a three-person consulate (in which he really held all of the power). He became an overt dictator, declaring himself emperor in 1804.

Some more recent examples of successful and attempted coups include those in:

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The coup d’état, or coup, is a sudden shift in political power toward one person or one party. The phrase comes from French, popularized following Napoleon’s coup in 1799. There are many types of coups, and some of them overlap. For example, while a military coup is considered its own form, the military of a country is typically involved in a coup regardless of its other characteristics: 96 percent of coups involve the military as part of the effort. A strictly military coup, however, can start for many different reasons, but it is most commonly a guardian coup (where the military takes over “temporarily” to secure the state) or a veto coup (where the military blocks political changes by taking power).

Other common forms of coups include the palace coup, the judicial coup, and the putsch. The palace coup, which happens most commonly in monarchies, involves the seizure of power by one faction of the ruling group from another. The judicial coup is when power is taken in a somewhat or outright legal manner through changes to things like term limitations. Finally, the putsch is an attempted coup by violent means. The word putsch is Swiss-German, first used to refer to the 1839 Zürich attempted coup. It was later used to describe many German attempted coups, including Hitler’s infamous Beer Hall Putsch, which landed him in prison.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does coup d'etat mean?

Coup d'etat is French. "Coup" means a quick/sudden (successful) act to take over; "d'etat" means "of the state." So, coup d'etat literally means "a quick/sudden takeover of the state."

Why is it called a coup d'etat?

The phrase "coup d'etat" is French for a quick/sudden take over of a state. The French phrase has become popular because Napoleon (a French emperor in the early 1800s) is considered to have enacted one the most well-known coups in history.

What is an example of a coup d'etat?

One example is Napoleon's famous coup in 1799. Napoleon convinced the French government to allow him to rule with two other leaders, but crowned himself sole emperor in 1804.

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