A military coup involves the seizure of power by the armed forces.
A military coup is a coup d'état carried out by military forces . In general, all coups d'état are military coups, since they are supported by the weapons and infrastructure available to the military.
Before analyzing the concept in depth, it is important and fundamental that we establish its etymological origin. In this sense, we can say that it is made up of two words that come from Latin: blow comes from the word colpus , which can be translated as “punch or slap” ; and military comes from militaris , which means “relating to soldiers.”
It should be noted that the action and effect of hitting is called a blow . The term refers to physical or symbolic impacts. Military , for its part, indicates what belongs to or is related to war or the military.
Military coup concept
To understand the notion of a military coup, however, we must refer to another concept: that of a coup d'état . The violent action carried out by a rebel force to try to take over the government , displacing the current authorities, is known as a coup d'état.
There are many cases of military or d'état coups that have existed throughout the world throughout history. In reference to Spain , for example, we have to make it clear that two of the most important, due to the repercussions they had or what they meant for the country, have been the following:
- Military coup of 1936 . In July of that year there was a military uprising against the government of the Second Republic, which gave rise to one of the most tragic situations that the country has experienced during the 20th century: the Civil War, which lasted for three years. and which brought with it, in addition to the deaths and damage during it, the establishment of a cruel dictatorship that ended in the 1970s.
- 1981 coup d'état . February 23 of that year was specifically when this event took place, which fortunately was unsuccessful and is known by the name 23F. Military commanders were the ones who organized and prepared the same one that was developed by the Civil Guard Antonio Tejero, who, with his subordinates, entered the Congress of Deputies ready to ensure that the government of the country fell into their hands.
A military coup cannot be carried out without civilian support.
Civil support
In any case, there are no coups driven solely by the military. Typically, a military coup has the support or encouragement of civilian sectors that are interested in overthrowing the government in power.
For example: a political group plans to take power . For this, it asks for support from a certain economic sector (field, industry, etc.), which is responsible for creating adverse conditions in the market to destabilize the government. The rebel group also joins the armed forces, which are responsible for forcibly entering the Government House and overthrowing the president. Thus we see how a military coup can also have the support of political parties and businessmen, beyond the fact that, perhaps, the highest authority of the State becomes a military man.