Coup d'état
Article
August 13, 2022
A coup d'état (from French coup d'état) is a rapid, unconstitutional seizure of power by a state, usually carried out by a small group of people who replace only the top political leaders. It is also considered a coup d'état if a head of state issues a decree that goes beyond the person's constitutional powers. A coup d'état differs from revolution, which is a fundamental social change. It takes place with its own dynamics and in an accelerating process with wider participation and entails an upheaval in which the political system changes radically.