Coup D'État : A Practical Handbook, Revised Edition

__Coup d’État__ astonished readers when it first appeared in 1968 because it showed, step by step, how governments could be overthrown. Translated into sixteen languages, it has inspired anti-coup precautions by regimes around the world. In addition to these detailed instructions, Edward Luttwak’s revised handbook offers an altogether new way of looking at political power―one that considers, for example, the vulnerability to coups of even the most stable democracies in the event of prolonged economic distress. The world has changed dramatically in the past half century, but not the essence of the coup d’état. It still requires the secret recruitment of military officers who command the loyalty of units well placed to seize important headquarters and key hubs in the capital city. The support of the armed forces as a whole is needed only in the aftermath, to avoid countercoups. And mass support is largely irrelevant, although passive acceptance is essential. To ensure it, violence must be kept to a minimum. The ideal coup is swift and bloodless. Very violent coups rarely succeed, and if they trigger a bloody civil war they fail utterly. Luttwak identifies conditions that make countries vulnerable to a coup, and he outlines the necessary stages of planning, from recruitment of coconspirators to postcoup promises of progress and stability. But much more broadly, his investigation of coups―updated for the twenty-first century―uncovers important truths about the nature of political power. A Book That Aids Understanding How Governments And States Really Work. That Aim Is Pursued By Presenting In Full Detail How A Coup D'état Would Be Planned And Executed, From The First Approach To Fellow-conspirators, To The Post-coup Announcements Promising A New Era Of Progress And Stability. Coup D' État Has Continued To Find Readers Around The World--it Has Appeared In Sixteen Foreign Languages--but With The Passage Of Time, This Fully Revised New Edition Became Necessary. Even Readers Who Do Not Plan To Use It As A Practical Handbook Will Find It Interesting, As Well As Instructive.--provided By Publisher. What Is The Coup D'état? -- When Is A Coup D'état Possible? -- The Strategy Of The Coup D'état -- The Planning Of The Coup D'état -- The Execution Of The Coup D'état. Edward N. Luttwak. First Published In Great Britain By Allen Lane The Penguin Press 1968--title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgment -- Preface to the 2016 Edition -- Preface to the First Edition -- Foreword by Walter Laqueur (1978) -- Chapter 1. What Is the Coup d'État? -- Chapter 2. When Is a Coup d'État Possible? -- Chapter 3. The Strategy of the Coup d'État -- Chapter 4. The Planning of the Coup d'État -- Chapter 5. The Execution of the Coup d'État -- Appendix A. The Economics of Repression -- Appendix B. Tactical Aspects of the Coup d'État -- Appendix C. Statistics -- Index