Coup d'etat, or coup.
French `stroke of state' forcible takeover of
the government of a country by elements from
within that country. It differs from a
revolution in typically being carried out by
a small group (for example, of army officers
or opposition politicians) to install its
leader as head of government, rather than
being a mass uprising by the people. Early
examples include the coup of 1799 in which
Napoleon overthrew the Revolutionary
Directory and declared himself first consul
of France, and the coup of 1851 in which
Louis Napoleon (then president) dissolved the
French national assembly and a year later
declared himself emperor. Coups of more
recent times include the overthrow of the
socialist government of Chile in 1973 by a
right-wing junta, and the military seizure of
power in Fiji by Col Rabuka in Sept 1987.