10 attempts that failed miserably and 10 that were a huge success

The July 15, 2016, coup attempt in Turkey unfolded rapidly, as a faction of the military sought to overthrow the government. However, the plot never gained the unified support it needed, and resistance from loyalist forces and civilians contributed to its collapse within a few hours. This was followed by mass arrests and purges, and Turkish politics shifted even further toward a strong executive model.

August 1991 reminds us that seizing the levers of power does not necessarily mean being able to wield them. Hardline communists attempted to oust Mikhail Gorbachev by holding him captive and declaring a new state of emergency, but the political and military establishment as a whole did not support them. The coup failed within a few days, and this failure significantly weakened Gorbachev’s position and accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The events of February 23 in Spain were marked by palpable tension throughout the night, but they ended without any threat to democracy. On February 23, 1981, armed Civil Guard officers stormed the Parliament during a vote and attempted to force a political reversal. King Juan Carlos I publicly condemned this action, and the coup lost momentum as the hours passed. Rather than setting Spain back, this failure strengthened the democratic transition and reinforced the legitimacy of the monarchy.

The 2002 coup attempt in Venezuela briefly appeared to succeed, but ultimately it did not. Hugo Chávez was removed from office, and an interim leader, Pedro Carmona, was declared president for a short period. The radical measures taken by Carmona, including the dissolution of key institutions, immediately sparked a strong backlash and shook the new regime to its core. Within about two days, the president’s supporters and a massive mobilization helped bring Chávez back to power, leaving the country more politically divided than before.

The overthrow of the Burkinabé government in 2015 took place under the watchful eye of the region and amid a climate of growing anger within the country itself. Members of the presidential guard arrested the transitional leaders in the hope of reshaping the country’s immediate future. But pressure quickly intensified both within Burkina Faso and abroad, and the coup failed in less than a week.

In 1961, Algiers was a veritable powder keg, and some French generals attempted to force President Charles de Gaulle to keep Algeria under French rule. Four senior officers took the initiative to seize control, betting that the rest of the army would rally to their cause. This broad support never really materialized, and the effort stalled rather than gained momentum. De Gaulle stood his ground, and this episode marked the beginning of the end for the political future of French Algeria.

The 1990 coup attempt in Trinidad and Tobago showed that seizing buildings does not mean seizing a country. Insurgents from Jamaat al Muslimeen stormed key sites and held government officials hostage for several days. Despite dramatic announcements on television, this power grab never resulted in stable control of the country. The group eventually surrendered, but the political and legal repercussions lingered long after the headlines had faded.

On July 20, 1944, German officers devised a daring plan, convinced that eliminating Hitler would pave the way for a new government. The plot combined an assassination attempt with a takeover and the negotiation of a peace agreement on different terms. When Hitler survived, the coup failed, as the plan’s credibility instantly collapsed.

The Munich Beer Hall Putsch led by Hitler is infamous in part because it was a fiasco that did not remain localized. On November 8 and 9, 1923, Hitler and his allies attempted to launch an insurrection against the Weimar Republic, hoping the movement would snowball. But the authorities crushed the march, the attempt failed, and the main leaders were arrested. Ironically, this failure brought Hitler national notoriety and a stint in prison, which he later turned into political momentum.

The Kapp Putsch in Germany proved that a government always needs workers, employees, and daily obedience to function. Wolfgang Kapp and his allies seized control of Berlin and proclaimed themselves the new authority, while the legitimate leaders fled. A massive general strike and the refusal of civil servants to cooperate prevented the conspirators from ruling the country. Within a few days, the coup collapsed, giving way to embarrassment and instability rather than a new regime.

Now that we’ve discussed coup attempts that failed miserably, let’s talk about those that succeeded—perhaps even too well for their own good.

August 1953 in Iran is often viewed as a coup d’état that unfolded rapidly and whose repercussions were felt for decades. Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was ousted, and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi returned to power with a firmer grip on the government. The operation achieved its immediate goal, but it also shaped the way many Iranians perceived foreign influence and national legitimacy in the years that followed. When a coup “succeeds” but stirs up this kind of resentment, it is hard not to describe it as having been too successful.

The 1969 coup in Libya was led by young officers and transformed the country’s identity almost overnight. King Idris was deposed, the monarchy came to an end, and a republic was proclaimed. Muammar Gaddafi emerged as the country’s leading figure, and his rule shaped Libya for decades.

The 1964 military coup in Brazil not only overthrew a president, but also marked the beginning of a new political era. President João Goulart was removed from office, and the country entered a military dictatorship that lasted until 1985. The duration of this regime was pivotal, as it shaped Brazil’s institutions, expectations, and political landscape for an entire generation.

It is no exaggeration to describe the September 11, 1973, coup in Chile as a historic turning point. The armed forces overthrew the elected government of President Salvador Allende and established a junta led by General Augusto Pinochet. The dictatorship that followed lasted 17 years and had a profound impact on Chilean politics and society.

The 1976 Argentine coup d’état was not intended to be a quick fix, and the name chosen by the junta reflected this ambition. The military deposed President Isabel Perón and launched what it called the “process of national reorganization.” The period that followed is widely associated with severe state repression and a lasting legacy of human rights abuses, even after the return to democracy. When a coup seizes power and holds onto it for years, its success becomes the defining issue for the country.

The 1999 coup in Pakistan was notable for the speed with which it replaced civilian rule with military control. General Pervez Musharraf seized power in 1999 and subsequently became president, reshaping the country’s political direction in the 2000s. The constitutional order was suspended and effectively restructured, and military influence became even more explicit. Even years later, Pakistani politics continued to revert to the precedents established during that period.

Thailand has experienced several coups, but the 2014 coup was particularly effective in transforming the crisis into a long-term regime. General Prayuth Chan-ocha led the coup, established a junta, and then became prime minister. Promises of a return to normal politics have been slow to materialize, and the constitution enacted after the coup has preserved the military’s strong influence. When a coup reshapes the rules for nearly a decade, its success becomes structural, not just political.

The 2013 coup in Egypt followed massive protests, but the decisive turning point came when the military ousted President Mohamed Morsi. General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became Egypt’s de facto leader in July 2013 and went on to win the presidency in 2014. This shift not only led to a change in leadership but also reshaped the political landscape. For all those who had expected a smooth transition toward democracy after 2011, the success of this power grab came as a major shock.

In 2009, Honduras provided a sobering lesson on how quickly legitimacy can be called into question. President Manuel Zelaya was removed from office and expelled from the country by the military, a move that drew widespread international condemnation. This led to a long-standing crisis of political trust that has continued to resurface during elections and in street politics.

The change in power in Zimbabwe in 2017 was described in cautious terms, but the outcome left little room for ambiguity. Robert Mugabe resigned under intense pressure, bringing his reign to an end, and Emmerson Mnangagwa took over shortly thereafter. The ruling party acted with lightning speed, demonstrating just how well the transition had been prepared.