Basic Trope: A head of state is forcibly overthrown by the country’s armed forces.
- Played Straight: General Bob ousts President Alice by force.
- Exaggerated:
- The entire military partakes in the coup.
- A hundred fighter planes and helicopters fly over the capital while the streets are filled with dozens of tanks and other military vehicles. The presidential palace and the legislature is stormed by soldiers, the airports are closed, while the navy prevents ships from entering or leaving the country.
- General Bob threatens to use nuclear weapons if President Alice doesn’t step down.
- Downplayed:
- General Bob threatens to use force but Alice surrenders before that can be done.
- Justified
- Alice was a tyrant who ruled with an iron fist and needed to be overthrown.
- Bob is a General Ripper who wants to seize power for himself and create a Military dictatorship.
- Both of the above are true.
- Inverted: President Alice orders her Praetorian Guard to forcibly remove General Bob from his position.
- Averted:
- Plans for the coup are found and General Bob is arrested.
- President Alice announces on television she is resigning.
- Subverted:
- The coup fails.
- The new Junta that is formed from the coup gets overthrown in a counter coup.
- The coup consisted of about two hundred soldiers and a few tanks, the rest of the military remains loyal.
- Double Subverted:
- Another coup comes by, and they're successful this time.
- Then the newer Junta is overthrown by a third military coup.
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