🗳️ap comparative government review

Coup d'état

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2027 exam
Verified for the 2027 examWritten by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025

Definition

A coup d'état is an illegal and often violent seizure of power from a government, typically carried out by military forces or other internal factions within a country.

AP course connection

Topic 1.5: 1.5 Sources of and Changes in Power and Authority

Unit 1
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