A coup d’etat is a military overthrow of a government, often to institute a dictatorship or other autocratic rule. There have been many such events throughout history. Some of these have been successful, while others have been abortive or otherwise unsuccessful. The word is derived from the French for “coup de foudre” or “explosion of fire”.
Coups are often preceded by a series of warning signs that a regime is ripe for overthrow. These signals may include protests by the people, insurrection or rebellion in the countryside and growing discontent in the ranks of the army. When these conditions are met, a group of military officers and sometimes civilians will stage a coup to overthrow the existing government. The military leader who carries out the coup will then install himself as the new dictator of the country.
Some of the more notable coups d’etat include:
1926 Coup in Poland: Marshal Jozef Pilsudski overthrew the government of President Stanislaw Wojciechowski and Prime Minister Wincenty Witos. He then installed a new regime headed by himself as president.
1940 Coup d’etat in Portugal: General António Arosemena Monroy overthrew President Francisco da Silva Frondizi and established a military junta led by himself.
1946 Coup d’etat in Bulgaria: The military overthrew the liberal Agrarian National Union government and installed one headed by Aleksandar Stamboliyski.
1947 Coup d’etat in Nicaragua: Anastasio Somoza Garcia overthrew Leonardo Arguello Barreto.
1949 Coup d’etat in Iceland: Norwegian adventurer Jorgen Jorgensen seized power from the governor of Iceland and made himself protector.
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