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Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook Paperback – Nov. 12 1979

by Edward N. Luttwak (Author)

26 ratings

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Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, Revised Edition
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The coup is the most frequently attempted method of changing government, and the most successful. Coup d’État outlines the mechanism of the coup and analyzes the conditions—political, military, and social, that gives rise to it. In doing so, the book sheds much light on societies where power does indeed grow out of the barrel of a gun and the role of law is a concept little understood.

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Product details

Publisher : Harvard University Press (Nov. 12 1979)
Language: : English
Paperback : 216 pages
ISBN-10 : 0674175476
ISBN-13 : 978-0674175471
Item Weight : 245 g
Dimensions : 13.65 x 1.27 x 20.96 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #1,141,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19,014 in Political Science (Books)
- #30,727 in Politics (Books)
- #34,811 in Military History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
26 ratings

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Review

This short book is…wicked, truthful, and entertaining. The author, after outlining a step-by-step procedure for bringing about a coup, analyzes modern (post–Second World War) coups, and points out why some succeeded and others failed. (New Yorker)

An extraordinarily competent and well-written work, displaying very wide knowledge of the ways in which coups, both successful and unsuccessful, have actually been organized. (Times Literary Supplement)

Coup d'État demonstrates that scholarly analysis can be good social science and at the same time fun to read. It is nontechnical in approach and informal in style… Moreover, Edward Luttwak's familiarity with the basic concepts and problems of political science is evident throughout. He is seldom superficial and never trivial in his treatment of his subject. The result is a book of value to everyone interested in the sudden changes of government that occur so frequently in many parts of the world and also curious as to why they so often seem to result in more of the same… We can all have the satisfaction of understanding the strategies and techniques employed, and we can enjoy learning them from this lucid and witty book. (Virginia Quarterly Review)

About the Author

Edward N. Luttwak is a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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4 star		18%
3 star		10%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		6%

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Top reviews from Canada

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seecsyl

As the title says "A Practical Handbook"

Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2012

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If you want to know why there is so much strife and poverty on the African Continent, or the Middle East, then it may be worth your while to read this book. Like the end of World War I, the end of the Second World War left some regions fractious and without leadership. Most had been colonies and therefore were controlled from abroad. As the wave of nationalism spread through these regions and people began to establish, or re-establish, their individual social and cultural identities, they wanted independence. Unfortunately, some of the imperial countries, like France under deGaulle, did not want to relinquish control of their colonies. In others, dictatorial, or despotic, rulers came to power creating less than comfortable conditions for the populace.

Edward Luttwak's book relays the history of various Coups, their successes and failures, and examines certain aspects of each. It is important to understand not only the attitude and will of the people, but also that of the bureaucracy. Consequently, he explains why a Coup d'Etat cannot succeed if the "players cannot gain the support of the masses. This is not about a violent overthrow of a government, or regime, but a step-by-step guide to a quiet passive change of power.

If you like history and want to understand the evolution of the revolutionary movement of the 50's and 60's, this is a must read. If you have a chance to view, or buy, the movie based on this book (titled "Power Play", or "A State of Shock") watch it as it brings to life much of the mechanics of this exercise. Whether you are a budding insurrectionist and have access to an army, or a disgruntled commanding officer looking for career advancement, this book is an interesting and informative read.

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Deniz Hassan

I rather enjoyed reading this book

Reviewed in Canada on June 13, 2016

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I rather enjoyed reading this book. And could be useful in a social science such as history or politics. The topic is accurately covered in this one book alone, with out a doubt.

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Denis Benchimol Minev

Only comprehensive book on such an important topic

Reviewed in Canada on February 23, 2003

With Coup d'Etats continuously occurring all over the world, this book is more relevant than ever in dealing with the subject. For example, using the framework developed in this book, it is easy to understand why the many recent coup attempts in Venezuela have failed (both by Chavez and the more recent one against him). Every time there is a coup I find myself referring back to the book in order to determine if there were any telltale signs to predict whether the coup will be successful or not.
His basic framework involves timing, media control and popular support, and government organizational structure. With these factors in mind, the author examines a large number of coups, both successful and failed. The inner stories of many of these coups is fascinating by itself, yet the author does a good job of telling the tale while drawing the main lessons from it.

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Christopher Griffith

An Open Letter To Senor Pedro Carmona

Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2002

Dear Pedro,
Next time you wish to overthrow the leftist thug who currently occupies the Venezualen presidential palace, please read this book -- ya might learn something! Your recent aborted coup was a lesson in how not to overthrow a government. First off, you failed to learn the true loyalties of many significant players. This book reminds you of a key coup-throwing tip -- if you don't know their loyalties, round 'em up.
Project strength, control the media, neutralize doubtful elements of the armed forces, build coalitions where possible, and never let the deposed autocrat rally support for a counter-coup. These are but a few lessons you will find in this slim, yet elegant, volume. Read it, know it, be it (you'll have plenty of time while serving what promises to be a lengthy prison sentence)! And next time, for the sake of your people, make sure Hugo Chavez sleeps with the fishes.

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A must for any political observer

Reviewed in Canada on June 12, 2002

Luttwak himself provides the best justification for this book, which is that coups remain the single most common form of power change throughout the world but are rarely studied as a phenomenon.
With remarkable detail and historical examples, Luttwak examines the patterns that exist in all coups, including which ones make a successful or failed takeover, including timing of assault, control of media organs, and the role of the populace.
Coup D'Etat is an older book, but remains as relevant as ever. A great guide when forcasting the results of coups that make headlines to this day.

One person found this helpful

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Coleman Fuel

The True Cookbook

Reviewed in Canada on April 10, 2000

WARNING: This book is not in the class of typical, vague strategy compendiums that business gurus and self-help seekers can read in hope of finding some inner meaning to help them find their "way." Coup d'Etat is merely a book on overthrowing government structures with the intention of deterring unpopular regimes from the quest for dominion. Accurate in strategic principles, this book could be very dangerous or totally useless in the wrong hands. If you are one of the rare ones out there who actually reads strategy books with the intention of war, then this work is definitely required reading. Study it as a guidebook, and go overthrow a facist regime in a third world country (for fun and profit), or die a horribly violent death while trying. It's up to you, but my guess is that most people who read this will end up infamous, dead, or writing stupid reviews for it saying how well it can be used as a metaphor for human life.

One person found this helpful

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Susan Michael

That quality books ARE ‘ out there and I found it on Amazon !!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2019

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I bought this as a present for my son , he was more than happy .

I'LL Decide That!

Feel the Wrath!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2009

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After first clenching this book in my hands i couldn't put it down, i've always had an interest in politics and Coups most of all. This book is a real trimuph, its witty and very gripping and i read for hours on end, its even inspired me to form a group to overthrow the government through "Sudden, unconstitutional control of the nation"! Seriously i enjoyed this book a lot, if you have the slightest interest of how a government could work your way! Then i suggest you read this book as it gives a detailed account of the strategies and how's and whys of a Coup'd Etat.

Luttwak's personal and direct writing is a true pleasure to read and i would recommend this book to any-one who has an interest in politcs, history, government, or Gurelilla Warfare, its just a great book, i cannot emphasize that enough.

9 people found this helpful

alvaro seiscero

Perfecto

Reviewed in Spain on October 21, 2014

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Muy intenso e interesenta, el habla es inglesa pero muy simple facil para las personas que sepan algo de ingles. Un gran libro.

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Eerily Applicable

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2016

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The way I came to purchase this book was because I had read an article about how a former diplomat/spy was trying to convince a wealthy Saudi Arabian magnate to attempt a coup d'etat against the unstable government. He wrote that he had just finished reading a handbook much like Edward Luttwak's text and was toying with the idea. Coupled with the fact that I had always been fascinated with the coup d'etat as a political tool, I sought out what I believed to be the definitive work on this subject matter, which was this book.

Actually, this is the second time I purchased this book. The first time I purchased it, I had done so because I was planning on going on a trip to Southeast Asia soon. Part of my travels included Thailand, and I had thought it would be neat to bring this book along, considering there had been a coup just over a year ago in 2014. Ironically, my friend accidentally left my book on a bus travelling through central Thailand, so I ordered it again once I got back. At first, it was unavailable for quite some time, but after a couple months, it finally shipped. I'm assuming that the publisher only prints on demand- I noticed that the cover and ink on the pages was wonderfully sharp and glossy, which led me to believe that it had been printed recently.

This book is incredibly comprehensive in the way it describes the background and methodology for attempting a coup. It is very practically written such that someone might realistically apply the principles to a real-life situation. There are bountiful examples that are all well explained. Initially, I was concerned that many of the examples would be obscure scenarios that would be stretched to fit the author's interpretations. Instead, the author's writing was easily convincing and it came off as a logical, intelligible, and strictly defined. There were numerous figures and diagrams that made it clear to understand. My only issues with this book is that it was a little vague and not as in-depth as I had liked it to be. You can also tell that the book is slightly dated (it was written in the late 1970s), but fortunately there are more updated revisions.

Overall, it was a fascinating read, and I would recommend it to anyone that is curious on this subject. I look forward to pulling it off my bookshelf in the future to enjoy it again.

5 people found this helpful

British Hospital Ship

Great for even the General Reader!

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

Okay, before I begin this review, allow me to state that this review is coming from someone who is quite familiar with everything military-related. So, even if you are just a general reader who enjoys everything from adventure to politics, and history to law, then this book is for you all the same. Aside from an historical account of former laws and codes, this is a pleasant read for the military historian, armed forces enlisted/officer, ex-military, history majors, law majors, political majors, strategists and tacticians alike. I purchased this book and another one relating to similar topics because I'm a student at the American Military University.

The text is arranged similar to a textbook, but is an overall good account of how the federal government (mostly the US, and some reference to other Commonwealth nations) of how the government is first arranged, next is how the system works in "reality", and how it "could work". The overall writing style is simple and clean, no hodge-podge nonsense that an everyday reader won't understand.

This book also serves as a good reference for coups that have happened historically, and what to look for in possible future coups. The science of the coup is explained in depth here. I would also recommend if this is your type of reading, to purchase any of the propaganda books made available through Amazon.

3 people found this helpful

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