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Self-coup

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 999ThingsToFix (talk | contribs) at 20:23, 7 March 2021 (Undid revision 1010800583 by EditorRock (talk) the section is relevant to the article so that argument is moot, the other "coup attempts" listed are viewed near unamiously this one is contested and that should be pointed out, all information is cited from reliable sources and is not misinformation). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Cavalry in the streets of Paris during the French coup of 1851, where the democratically elected President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte seized dictatorial power, and one year later was crowned Emperor of the French

A self-coup, or autocoup (from the Spanish autogolpe), is a form of coup d'état or putsch in which a nation's leader, having come to power through legal means, dissolves or renders powerless the national legislature and unlawfully assumes extraordinary powers not granted under normal circumstances. Other measures taken may include annulling the nation's constitution, suspending civil courts, and having the head of government assume dictatorial powers.[1][2]

Between 1946 and 2020, an estimated 148 self-coup attempts have taken place: 110 in autocracies and 38 in democracies.[3]

Notable events described as self-coups and attempts

Discription of Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election as a coup

News media was split about the appropriateness of describing the efforts to overturn the election as an attempted coup. Articles in The Atlantic,[18] Bloomberg News, [19] [20] The Economist,[21] The Financial Times,[22] The Guardian,[23] The Intelligencer,[24] The Nation,[25] The New Yorker,[26] The New York Times,[27] Salon,[28] The San Francisco Chronicle,[29] The Washington Post,[30]and Vanity Fair [31] characterized the efforts as an attempted coup. In addition, cable news political commentators for MSNBC and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough cited the Wikipedia article "coup d'état" and specified that this would technically be an autocoup.[360] Consistent with the notion of an attempted coup and rejection of the results of the 2020 election, longtime Republican strategist Steve Schmidt stated: "The Republican Party is an organized conspiracy for the purposes of maintaining power for self-interest, and the self-interest of its donor class... It's no longer dedicated to American democracy."[361][362][363][225]

Steven Levitsky, the co-author of How Democracies Die, said that "in technical terms, it's probably not a coup. But it is an illegal and authoritarian attempt to stay in power." Naunihal Singh, the author of Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups, opined that Trump's actions were not a coup without military action.[364] Erica De Bruin, assistant professor of government at Hamilton College, submitted a November 11, 2020, op-ed to The Washington Post, arguing that Trump's actions did "not yet fit" the definition of a coup but more closely matched the description of an autocoup.[365] Scholars Michael Albertus and John Chin also stated that the behavior better fit the political science definition of an autocoup rather than a classical coup, with Chin stating: "[i]f this were a coup, it'd be a very strange one, a slow-motion kind of coup that goes against pretty much what most scholars have observed about coups from time immemorial."[366] Joshua Keating similarly argued in Slate that the autocoup descriptor was most accurate, but that regardless of the technical definition "Republicans are drawing up a playbook that won't soon be forgotten" and pointing out that "[p]olitical scientists have identified a phenomenon known as the 'coup trap', in which countries that have experienced coups in the recent past are more likely to have more of them."[367][368]

Daniel Drezner wrote a December 2020 op-ed in The Washington Post arguing that while Trump and his confederates were ineptly trying to overturn the election results in a "ham-handed effort to besmirch the election outcome by any easily available means necessary", the attempts were insufficiently violent to meet the criteria for a coup and consequently should not be equated to Turkish military coups d'état.[369] Jonathan Powell described the coup classification as "completely inaccurate", clarifying that "[t]he types of places that have coups are limited to countries that are incredibly poor, that have really stagnant economies, that are economically marginalized, that generally have very serious forms of other types of domestic instability, like civil war", but said that while the attempt "might not be specifically tied to a potential coup right now, it is certainly very alarming for the US's potential to remain a democracy in the future."[366]

On January 6, 2021, rioters forced a recess of a joint session of Congress as they counted electoral votes. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) described the event as a coup attempt.[370] New York Attorney General Letitia James similarly described the event as a coup attempt.[371] Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) described the events as an "insurrection", language also echoed by President-elect Biden.[372]

See also

Look up self-coup in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ^ a b An early reference to the term autogolpe may be found in Kaufman, Edy: Uruguay in Transition: From Civilian to Military Rule, Transaction, New Brunswick, 1979. It includes a definition of autogolpe and mentions that the word was "popularly" used in reference to events in Uruguay in 1972–1973. See Uruguay in Transition: From Civilian to Military Rule – Edy Kaufman at Google Books.
  2. ^ Tufekci, Zeynep (December 7, 2020). "'This Must Be Your First'". The Atlantic. In political science, the term coup refers to the illegitimate overthrow of a sitting government—usually through violence or the threat of violence. The technical term for attempting to stay in power illegitimately—such as after losing an election—is self-coup or autocoup, sometimes autogolpe
  3. ^ Nakamura, David (January 5, 2021). "With brazen assault on election, Trump prompts critics to warn of a coup". Washington Post. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  4. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1898/02/11/archives/uruguay-under-a-dictator-senor-cuestas-executes-a-coup-detat-and.html
  5. ^ https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/go-in-depth/germany-1933-democracy-dictatorship/
  6. ^ https://www.onwar.com/data/uruguay1933.html
  7. ^ Bizzarro, Salvatore (April 20, 2005). Historical Dictionary of Chile. Scarecrow Press. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-8108-6542-6.
  8. ^ https://thebiography.us/en/baldomir-alfredo
  9. ^ http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/bolivian-revolution.htm
  10. ^ https://www.newmandala.org/counting-thailands-coups/
  11. ^ https://www.newmandala.org/counting-thailands-coups//
  12. ^ "Declaration of Martial Law". Official Gazette. Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  13. ^ Kenney, Charles D. (2004). Fujimori's coup and the breakdown of democracy in Latin America. University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN 0-268-03171-1.
  14. ^ "Venezuela Muzzles Legislature, Moving Closer to One-Man Rule". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  15. ^ "Venezuela's high court dissolves National Assembly". CNN. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  16. ^ Call, Charles (January 8, 2021). "No, it's not a coup — It's a failed 'self-coup' that will undermine US leadership and democracy worldwide". Brookings Institution.
  17. ^ Hill, Fiona (January 11, 2021). "Yes, It Was a Coup. Here's Why". Politico. Retrieved January 11, 2021. Technically, what Trump attempted is what's known as a "self-coup" and Trump isn't the first leader to try it. Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (nephew of the first Napoleon) pulled one off in France in December 1851 to stay in power beyond his term. Then he declared himself Emperor, Napoleon III. More recently, Nicolas Maduro perpetrated a self-coup in Venezuela after losing the 2017 elections.
  18. ^ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/trumps-farcical-inept-and-deadly-serious-coup-attempt/617309/
  19. ^ https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-11-19/trump-s-coup-attempt-will-be-a-very-costly-failure
  20. ^ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-14/biden-s-nod-from-electors-could-seal-his-win-with-some-in-gop
  21. ^ https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/11/21/donald-trumps-refusal-to-concede-is-harming-america
  22. ^ https://www.ft.com/content/14a69082-1e42-4c02-8319-f3750690c8c8
  23. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/11/donald-trump-presidency-coup-power-election-joe-biden
  24. ^ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/every-republican-in-congress-may-have-to-vote-on-trump-e2-80-99s-coup/ar-BB1bP2Rr
  25. ^ https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-coup-election/
  26. ^ https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-coup-stage-of-donald-trumps-presidency
  27. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/opinion/trump-republicans-election.html
  28. ^ https://www.salon.com/2020/12/11/dont-look-past-trumps-coup-attempt-this-is-a-dark-moment-in-american-history/
  29. ^ https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-The-enduring-cost-of-Trump-s-15789752.php
  30. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-uses-power-of-presidency-to-try-to-overturn-the-election-and-stay-in-office/2020/11/19/bc89caa6-2a9f-11eb-8fa2-06e7cbb145c0_story.html
  31. ^ https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/12/donald-trump-house-gop-coup
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