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coup

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coup (d'état)

the sudden overthrow of state power by unconstitutional, usually violent, means. In contrast to a revolutionary change in power, in a coup there may be no intention to change the social and economic set-up radically. Instead, a change in the governing group may be all that is intended. In recent decades, many coups have been military (see MILITARY INTERVENTION IN POLITICS). See also REVOLUTION.

Collins Dictionary of Sociology, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2000

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