Seizing Power: A History of Betrayal and the Fall of Governments

They happen fast — usually at night, usually with tanks. But what makes a coup succeed or fail? From Napoleon's 1799 seizure of power to the generals of Gabon in 2023, this course examines how coups work, who pulls them off, and what comes after. We distinguish coups from revolutions and autogolpes, compare Cold War conspiracies with 21st century power grabs, and examine a modern variant — the refusal to accept electoral results and the weaponization of democracy against itself. Is the classic coup really a thing of the past?