The line between coup, revolution, and civil war is a thin one indeed. Could there ever be a coup — that is, an overthrow of…
The line between coup, revolution, and civil war is a thin one indeed.
Could there ever be a coup — that is, an overthrow of the government through military or political action — in the United States? As Venezuela is poised to become the first country in this hemisphere to be the scene of a coup in nearly a decade, as reported by The Inquisitr, it’s a question worth considering. This is especially true in light of the divisive political climate in this country, which has at times resulted in violence.
As it turns out, there isn’t a quick and easy answer to this question, as the line between coup, revolution, and civil war is pretty thin. So depending on your definitions, there have already been two coups in the U. S., once in 1775-1783 and again in 1861-1865.
Could there be a third?
Most of the recent coups in modern history have involved, to one degree or another, military factions seizing or consolidating power. Such was the case in, for example, Niger, where in 2010 soldiers stormed the capital and forcibly placed under arrest a president with designs on becoming a dictator.
That’s not going to happen in the U. S.; at least, not without a complete institutional failure of the military’s chain of command.
Speaking to Cracked, Colonel David Couvillon explained that military personnel, officers especially, are taught from Day One that it is not their job to mix in with politics.
With a military takeover of the government all but out of the question, is an armed civilian rebellion within the realm of possibility?
Certainly, and in fact, small-scale armed rebellions have taken place in this country, even in the past few years. Look no further than the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon. There, in 2016, armed anti-government protesters took over federal property and held it for a few weeks.
The “rebellion,” such as it was, was peacefully put down by law enforcement, rather than the military, and there was only one death, that of one of the occupants who was shot and killed when he allegedly reached for a firearm.
