A coup d'état (English: /ˌkuːdeɪˈtɑː/, French: [ku deta]; plural: coups d'état; translation: strike (against the) state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, illegal deposition of a government,^[1][2][3][4] usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to depose the extant government and replace it with another body, civil or military. A coup d'état is considered successful when the usurpers establish their dominance. When the coup neither fails completely nor succeeds, a civil war is a likely consequence.

A coup d'état typically uses the extant government's power to assume political control of the country. In Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, military historian Edward Luttwak states that "[a] coup consists of the infiltration of a small, but critical, segment of the state apparatus, which is then used to displace the government from its control of the remainder." The armed forces, whether military or paramilitary, are not a defining factor of a coup d'état.

Etymology[link]

Although the coup d'état has featured in politics since antiquity, the phrase is of relatively recent coinage;^[5] the Oxford Dictionary identifies it as a French expression meaning a “stroke of State”. Prof. Thomas Childers, of the University of Pennsylvania, indicates that the English language's lacking a word denoting the sudden, violent change of government derives from England's stable political traditions and institutions. French, German and U.S. history are coloured with such politico-military actions.

Since the unsuccessful coups d'état of Wolfgang Kapp in 1920 (the Kapp Putsch), the Swiss German word Putsch (pronounced [ˈpʊtʃ]; coined for the Züriputsch of 1839) also denotes the same politico-military actions: in Metropolitan France, putsch denoted the 1942 and 1961 anti-government attacks in Algiers, and the 1991 August Putsch in the USSR; the German equivalent is Staatsstreich (the German literal translation of coup d'état), yet a putsch is not always a coup d'état, for example, the Beer Hall Putsch was by politicians without military support.

Usage of the phrase[link]

Linguistically, coup d'état denotes a "stroke of state" (French: coup [stroke] d' [of] État [state]).^[6] Analogously, the looser, quotidian usage means “gaining advantage on a rival”, (intelligence coup, boardroom coup). Politically, a coup d'état is a usually violent political engineering, which affects who rules in the government, without radical changes in the form of the government, the political system. Tactically, a coup d'état involves control, by an active minority of military usurpers, who block the remaining (non-participant) military's possible defence of the attacked government, by either capturing or expelling the politico-military leaders, and seizing physical control of the country's key government offices, communications media, and infrastructure. It is to be noted that in the latest years there has been a broad use of the phrase in mass media, which may contradict the legal definition of coup d'état.

[edit] Pronunciamiento

The Pronunciamiento (Pronouncement) is a Spanish and Latin American type of coup d'état. The coup d'état (called golpe de estado in Spanish) was more common in Spain and South America, while the Pronunciamiento was more common in Central America. The Pronunciamiento is the formal explanation for deposing the regnant government, justifying the installation of the new government that was effected with the golpe de estado. The difference between a coup and a pronunciamento is that in the former, a military faction deposes the civilian government and assumes power, in the latter, the military depose the civil government and install another civil government.^[7]

History[link]

Coups d'état are common in Africa; between 1952 and 2000, thirty-three countries experienced 85 such depositions. Western Africa had most of them, 42; most were against civil regimes; 27 were against military regimes; and only in five were the deposed incumbents killed.^[8] Moreover, as a change-of-government method, the incidence of the coup d'état has declined worldwide, because usually, the threat of one suffices to effect the change of government; the military do not usually assume power, but install a civil leader acceptable to them. The political advantage is the appearance of legitimacy, examples are the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, and the change of government effected in Mauritania, on 3 August 2005, while the president was in Saudi Arabia.

Types[link]

The political scientist Samuel P. Huntington identifies three classes of coup d'état:

• Breakthrough coup d'état: a revolutionary army overthrows a traditional government and creates a new bureaucratic elite. Generally led by mid-level or junior officers. Examples are China in 1911, Bulgaria in 1944, Egypt in 1952, Turkey in 1960, Greece in 1967, Libya in 1969, Portugal in 1974 and Liberia in 1980.
• Guardian coup d'état: the "musical chairs" coup d'état. The stated aim of such a coup is usually improving public order and efficiency, and ending corruption. There usually is no fundamental change to the power structure. Generally, the leaders portray their actions as a temporary and unfortunate necessity. An early example is the coup d'état by consul Sulla, in 88 B.C., against supporters of Marius in Rome, after the latter attempted to strip him of a military command. A contemporary instance is the civilian Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's overthrow by Chief of Army Staff General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1977, who cited widespread civil disorder and impending civil war as his justification. In 1999, General Pervez Musharraf overthrew Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the same grounds. Nations with guardian coups can frequently shift back and forth between civilian and military governments. Example countries include Pakistan, Turkey (1971 and 1980), and Thailand. A bloodless coup usually arises from the Guardian coup d'état.
• Veto coup d'état: occurs when the army vetoes the people's mass participation and social mobilisation in governing themselves. In such a case, the army confronts and suppresses large-scale, broad-based civil opposition, tending to repression and killing, such as the coup d'état in Chile in 1973 against the elected Socialist President Salvador Allende Gossens by the Chilean military. The same happened in Argentina throughout the period 1930–1983. The 20 July 1944 plot by parts of the German military to overthrow the elected National Socialist government of Adolf Hitler in Germany is an example of a failed veto coup d'état.^{[citation needed]}

A coup d'état is typed according to the military rank of the lead usurper.

• The veto coup d'état and the guardian coup d'état are effected by the army's commanding officers.
• The breakthrough coup d'état is effected by junior officers (colonels or lower rank) or non-commissioned officers (sergeants). When junior officers or enlisted men so seize power, the coup d'état is a mutiny with grave implications for the organizational and professional integrity of the military.
• In a bloodless coup d'état, the threat of violence suffices to depose the incumbent. In 1889, Brazil became a republic via bloodless coup; in 1999, Pervez Musharraf assumed power in Pakistan via a bloodless coup; and, in 2006, Sonthi Boonyaratglin assumed power in Thailand as the leader of the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy.

The self-coup denotes an incumbent government – aided and abetted by the military – assuming extra-constitutional powers. A historical example is President, then Emperor, Louis Napoléon Bonaparte. Modern examples include Alberto Fujimori, in Peru, who, although elected, temporarily suspended the legislature and the judiciary in 1992, becoming an authoritarian ruler, and King Gyanendra's assumption of “emergency powers” in Nepal. Another form of self-coup is when a government, having been defeated in an election, refuses to step down.

Resistance to coups d'état[link]

Many coups d'état, even if initially successful in seizing the main centres of state power, are actively opposed by certain segments of society or by the international community. Opposition can take many different forms, including an attempted counter-coup by sections of the armed forces, international isolation of the new regime, and military intervention.

Sometimes opposition takes the form of civil resistance, in which the coup is met with mass demonstrations from the population generally, and disobedience among civil servants and members of the armed forces. Cases in which civil resistance played a significant part in defeating armed coups d'état include: the Kornilov Putsch in Russia in August 1917; the Kapp Putsch in Berlin in March 1920; and the Generals' Revolt in Algiers in April 1961.^[9] The coup in the Soviet Union on 19–21 August 1991 is another case in which civil resistance was part of an effective opposition to a coup: Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, stood on top of a tank in the centre of Moscow and urged people to refuse co-operation with the coup.

Post-military-coup governments[link]

After the coup d'état, the military face the matter of what type of government to establish. In Latin America, it was common for the post-coup government to be led by a junta, a committee of the chiefs of staff of the armed forces. A common form of African post-coup government is the revolutionary assembly, a quasi-legislative body elected by the army. In Pakistan, the military leader typically assumes the title of chief martial law administrator.

According to Huntington, most leaders of a coup d'état act under the concept of right orders: they believe that the best resolution of the country's problems is merely to issue correct orders. This view of government underestimates the difficulty of implementing government policy, and the degree of political resistance to certain correct orders. It presupposes that everyone who matters in the country shares a single, common interest, and that the only question is how to pursue that single, common interest.

Current leaders who assumed power via coups d'état[link]

Title	Name	Assumed office	Country	Area of the World
Sultan	Qaboos of Oman*	23 July 1970	Oman	Middle East
President	Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo	3 August 1979	Equatorial Guinea	Sub-Saharan Africa
President	Blaise Compaoré	15 October 1987	Burkina Faso	Sub-Saharan Africa
President	Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir	30 June 1989	Sudan	Sub-Saharan Africa
President	Idriss Déby[10][11]	2 December 1990	Chad	Sub-Saharan Africa
President	Yahya Jammeh**	22 July 1994	The Gambia	Sub-Saharan Africa
Emir	Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani*	27 June 1995	Qatar	Middle East
President	François Bozizé**	15 March 2003	Central African Republic	Sub-Saharan Africa
Acting Prime Minister	Frank Bainimarama	5 December 2006	Fiji	South Pacific
President	Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz***	6 August 2008	Mauritania	Saharan Africa
President of the High Transitional Authority	Andry Rajoelina	17 March 2009	Madagascar	Sub-Saharan Africa
Interim President	Dioncounda Traoré****	11 April 2012	Mali	Sub-Saharan Africa
Head of the "military command"	Mamadu Ture Kuruma*****	12 April 2012	Guinea-Bissau	Sub-Saharan Africa

* Monarchs who overthrew their own fathers.

** Both Jammeh and Bozizé were subsequently confirmed in office by apparently free and fair elections.^[12][13] The election confirming Jammeh was marked by repression of the free press and the opposition.^[14] An opposition leader described the outcome as a "sham".^[14]

*** Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was subsequently confirmed by a narrow margin in the Mauritanian presidential election, 2009, which were regarded as "satisfactory" by international observers.

****Overseeing new elections after the 2012 Malian coup d'état led by Amadou Sanogo forced the previous president to resign, as per the terms of a brokered reconciliation deal.

*****Promised to form a national unity government within days.

Other uses of the term[link]

The term has also been used in a corporate context more specifically as boardroom coup. CEOs that have been sacked by behind-the-scenes maneuvering include Robert Stempel of General Motors^[15][16] and John Akers of IBM, in 1992 and 1993, respectively.^[17][18]

Steve Jobs attempted management coups twice at Apple Inc.; first in 1985 when he unsuccessfully tried to oust John Sculley and then again in 1997 which successfully forced Gil Amelio to resign.^[19][20]

See also[link]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

External links[link]

Look up coup d'état in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Media related to Coups d'état at Wikimedia Commons

G-Dragon
G-Dragon in 2007
Background information
Birth name	권지용 Kwon Ji Yong
Also known as	G-Dragon, GD
Born	(1988-08-18) August 18, 1988 (age 23) Seoul, South Korea
Origin	Republic of Korea
Genres	Hip hop, K-pop
Occupations	Rapper, singer, composer, lyricist, record producer, model
Years active	2001–present
Labels	YG Entertainment
Associated acts	Big Bang, GD & TOP

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

Kwon Ji Yong (Korean: 권지용, born August 18, 1988), better known by his stage name G-Dragon (Korean: 지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, producer and model.

After 6 years as a trainee under the record label YG Entertainment, G-Dragon officially debuted as the leader and one of two rappers for the Korean group Big Bang. G-Dragon has been involved with writing, composing and producing many of Big Bang's tracks, including "Lies", "Last Farewell", and "Haru Haru".

He released his debut solo album, Heartbreaker (2009), which yielded the number-one single of the same name. The album went on to become one of the most successful albums of the year, garnering sales of over 200,000 copies and winning the Mnet Asian Music Awards for Album of the Year. Heartbreaker also sparked major controversies for the artist, including accusations of plagiarism. After almost a year of hiatus, G-Dragon and bandmate, T.O.P collaborated to record and release the album GD & TOP (2010). The album saw the release of three singles: "High High," "Oh Yeah," and "Knock Out," all of which have charted within the top three positions of the Gaon chart, with "High High" becoming a chart-topper.

G-Dragon's influence extends beyond the music industry, having shaped major trends in South Korea. His tight control over his image and artistry have won him praises for his contribution to fashion, and his lyrical contents and composition have garnered him awards.

Career[link]

1992–2009: Early life and debut with Big Bang[link]

Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Kwon began his career at the age of eight as part of the group Little Roora.^[1] After releasing a Christmas album, the group's contract was terminated by their record company, to which Kwon described as "shock[ing]." Although he vowed to his mother that he "wouldn't do it [becoming a singer] again," Kwon was scouted by SM Entertainment while on a ski trip with his family.^[2] He was a trainee under the record label for five years, specializing in dance before he left as he was unclear about what he wanted to do.^[1]

In third grade, Kwon was introduced to the American rap group Wu-Tang Clan by a friend. Inspired by their music, he expressed his interest in rapping and began taking classes at the age of 12.^[1] Under their tutelage, he participated in the release of the Korean hip-hop Flex album in 2001. Although he wrote his own lyrics for the song, he admitted that his English was weak and the story behind the lyrics actually meant ‘I’m young, but I’m the best’."^[1] Kwon first caught the interest of Sean of the hip-hop duo Jinusean from YG Entertainment when he was 14, who later recommended him to CEO Yang Hyun Suk. After signing a contract with the record label, Kwon spent the first year cleaning the studio after the other artists in the record label and fetching them water bottles during dance practice.^[1] He later met Dong Young-bae, another trainee at YG Entertainment. Together, the two were coined as GDYB, with Kwon choosing the stage name of G-Dragon.^[2] After six years of training, Kwon made several featured appearances on other artists' albums and even released several singes with Dong Young-bae under the name "GDYB". G-Dragon made his official debut as the leader of the group Big Bang in 2006 with Dong Youngbae(who chose the stage-name Taeyang) and three other members.

The formation of the group was documented on television,^[3] and though there were initially six members, one was dropped before the official debut.^[2] The group's debut was fairly successful, with their first single netting in sales of over 40,000 copies.^[4] It spawned several airplay singles, including "La La La", "We Belong Together" and "Forever with You" which featured label-mate Park Bom. The album also included G-Dragon's first solo song, a cover of the American alternative rock group Maroon 5's single "This Love".^[3] Following the release of the group's mini-album Always in 2007, G-Dragon began to involve himself more with the production of their albums.^[5] Always featured several songs composed by him, including the lead-single "Lies" (Korean: 거짓말; Revised Romanization: Geojitmal), which became the group's first number-one hit. Their following mini-albums followed its predecessor's footsteps: Hot Issue yielded "Last Farewell" (Korean: 마지막 인사; Revised Romanization: Majimak Insa) while Stand Up spawned "Day by Day" (Korean: 하루하루; Revised Romanization: Haru Haru); both singles were chart-toppers.^[6][7]

2009–present: Solo and career development[link]

	"Heartbreaker" (2009) noicon His first official solo single, "Heartbreaker" drew controversy over similarities to the song "Right Round" by Flo Rida
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Aside from Big Bang, G-Dragon also made several solo appearances. After helping produce Taeyang's debut album, he recorded his own version of the album's lead single "Only Look At Me" (Korean: 나만바라봐; Revised Romanization: Naman Barabwa), titled as the "Only Look At Me Part 2" to the song. The single was released digitally. Along with Taeyang and T.O.P, G-Dragon was featured on singer Lexy's song "Super Fly" for her album Rush. In May 2009, he collaborated with the Japanese boy band W-inds. for their single, "Rain Is Fallin'/Hybrid Dream."^[8][9]

After Taeyang released his solo effort, G-Dragon released his debut solo album Heartbreaker, featuring collaborations with several artists, including Teddy of 1TYM, Taeyang, Kush, CL of 2NE1, and Sandara Park of 2NE1. Initially scheduled to be released in April, the album was pushed back to August^[10] to coincide with his 20th (Korean years: 21st) birthday.^[11] The album marked a change in G-Dragon's appearances as he dyed his hair blonde to match its concept. Propelled by its lead-single of the same name, an electronic pop song, the album sold over 200,000 copies^[12][13] and went on to win Album of the Year from the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards.^[14] The second single, "Breathe", manage to chart within the Top Twenty^[15] while his other songs — "The Leaders", "A Boy", "Hello", and "She's Gone" — went on to top various charts upon their release.^[16] Shortly after Heartbreaker's release, G-Dragon was accused of plagiarism by Sony Music when his tracks "Heartbreaker" and "Butterfly" were alleged to be similar to Flo Rida's "Right Round" and Oasis's "She's Electric", respectively.^[17][18] However, EMI, the record label that distributed "Right Round" said that they saw no similarities between these two songs.^[19] On March 6, 2010, YG Entertainment announced that they personally contacted Flo Rida's representatives requesting that he feature in G-Dragon's live album, Shine a Light, to which Flo Rida accepted.^[20]

In support of his album, G-Dragon staged his first solo concert at the Olympic Park in December 2009. Entitled Shine a Light, the name of the concert was derived from the lyrics to his song "A Boy".^[21] The concert subsequently sparked controversy following complaints of obscenity^[22] and suggestive content.^[23] The Korean Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs later asked the government prosecutors to investigate if G-Dragon or YG Entertainment violated laws on obscene performances in his concert.^[24][25] He was found innocent and was cleared of all charges on March 15, 2010.^[26]

In November 2010, YG Entertainment announced the collaboration album from G-Dragon and bandmate T.O.P.^[27] Preceding the release of the album, the duo held a world-wide premiere showcase for their album at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo of Seoul, South Korea,^[28] which was also broadcasted live on YouTube.^[29] To promote their album, the duo released three singles: "High High," "Oh Yeah," and "Knock Out."^[30] All three singles preceded the release of the album. The singles attained commercial successes: "High High" was a chartopper^[31] while "Oh Yeah" and "Knock Out" both peaked at number two and number three respectively.^[32][33] The album was released on Christmas Eve, and debuted at number one on the Gaon Chart^[34] with pre-orders of 200,000 copies.^[35], eventually topping 130,000 copies sold.

With a collaboration with Park Myung Soo, they created a duo called GG for the Infinite Challenge Seohae Ahn Highway Song Festival 2011. They released their song 'I Cheated/Having an Affair' featuring Park Bom from 2NE1 on June 2, 2011, which became an 'All Kill' on various Korean music charts.

It was announced sometime in March 2012 that G-Dragon's solo comeback would be scheduled somewhere in the later half of the year, probably in August and sometime near his birthday. Insiders revealed that G-Dragon is currently working hard on his second studio album and that the album would feature popular rap artiste Ludacris.^[36] G-Dragon will also feature in English artist Pixie Lott‘s upcoming Japanese album, along with fellow member T.O.P.^[37]

Image and Artistry[link]

The right kind of music is not made once the artist feels that music is work. When one is working on music, performing or just having fun, [...] it directly influences the music [...] The more I work, the more I feel like I'm learning and maturing at the same time. —G-Dragon^[38][39]

Public Image[link]

G-Dragon's fashion is a trend setter in South Korea

Described as the "most fashionable" one in his group,^[40] G-Dragon's role in influencing fashion trends in South Korea have garnered him awards such as the "Style Icon of 2008"^[40] and the award for "Most Influential Men of 2008" sponsored by Arena magazine.^[41] Fashion icon Kang Dong Wan has also acknowledged G-Dragon's influences, calling him a "fashionista."^[42]

While promoting Heartbreaker, his change in hairstyle from dying it to blonde gained popularity among his fans and became one of the top hairstyles of the year.^[43] Additionally, his constant sporting of triangular scarves became a trend among teenagers and were later nicknamed the "Big Bang scarves."^[44]

Despite his influences, G-Dragon has admitted to being self-conscious of his role as a musician, noting how he had "changed many things including the tone of my voice because I was conscious about my job when I was in front of others."^[38] Aware that his public image is important when promoting his materials, G-Dragon notes that "what the public perceives of [my physical appearance] is my doing so it's my fault if I give off the wrong intention."^[38] He also strongly opposes the idea of singers as "products" of the entertainment industry.^[45]

Marijuana Usage[link]

On October 5, 2011 it was reported that G-Dragon had tested positive for smoking marijuana. His urine test came back negative but a weak positive for marijuana was detected from testing the content of his hair. The tests were done in early June and the results came back in July. Since the results indicated a miniscule amount and it was a first offense, it resulted in a indictment and he was not charged.^[46][47] He allegedly inhaled the drug from a cigarette offered to him by a fan in Japan during a party back in May.^[48] He was the only one at the party who was later tipped off to Korean authorities. He confessed that he smoked the cigarette that was offered to him, but after realizing it was not a normal cigarette, he flushed it away.

The scandal caused a halt to his promotions, and YG Entertainment issued a statement that he was being given time to reflect on his mistake.^[49] Because he was not charged, he did not lose any endorsers and later made his first public appearance after the scandal at the 2011 MTV EMAs with his group Big Bang.

Musical style, lyrics and composition[link]

	"Haru Haru" (2008) noicon Haru Haru, one of the most famous songs of Big Bang[50] was composed by G-Dragon
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Inspired by music by the Wu-Tang Clan, G-Dragon participated in the annual hip hop Flex album in 2001 at the age of 12, establishing his career as an artist.^[1] During the early days of Big Bang's career, the band was marketed predominately as a hip-hop group, though they went on to experiment with electronic music and setting it as the new music trend in Korea.^[51] From previous exposure to a range of genres with Big Bang, G-Dragon incorporated a mix of dance, hip-hop, and R&B songs into Heartbreaker.^[52] During the production for the collaboration album GD & TOP, G-dragon opted for a more hip-hop sound, though he does acknowledge that R&B, acoustic, and electronic music heavily influenced it.^[29]

Since becoming a solo artist, G-Dragon has maintained tight control over his music, stating that "each feeling [in creating the music] is different,"^[39] using his emotions to direct the lyrical content and the composition of his songs.^[38] In attempts to distinguish himself from other artists and composer, G-Dragon admits to "giving twist and turn at every corner and evoking [a] different story" with each part of his music, acknowledging that although the chorus is the catchiest part of the song, he wants all the parts to his song to be remembered.^[39] Prior to his establishment as a solo artist, he was also involved with the production of Big Bang's albums, writing and composing majority of their songs.^[18]

G-Dragon's contributions to his own music have garnered him praises and criticism alike. Preferring to pen lyrics that "sound like an actual story", the Korea Times have praised him as a "genius singer-songwriter",^[18] though the rapper has expressed being uncomfortable with the label.^[53] His effort to create melodies won him praises as one of the best composers of 2008,^[18] with many pop culture critics and industry representatives choosing him as the "musician whose future they anticipate the most."^[53] His rap lyrics have also placed him fourth during a vote for "Most God-like" rapper in Japan.^[54] The rapper also topped Forbes listing of "Most Hardworking Idol".^[55] Regardless, G-Dragon has undergone accusations of plagiarism, most notably for the song "With U", which he composed for Big Bang, and "Heartbreaker" and "Butterfly", which he performed independently.^[18]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Heartbreaker (2009)
• TBA (2012)

Collaboration albums

• GD & TOP with T.O.P (2010)

Live albums

• Shine a Light (2010)

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Big Bang (Korean band)

• Official website