If you have been listening to the news lately, you would have heard of current happenings in Turkey, a country on the border between Europe and Asia. To refresh your mind about the events, below is a summary of how it all went down.
According to Turkey’s Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, more than two thousand soldiers were arrested in Turkey for what he says was an attempt to overthrow the government – called a coup. Though, the plan was scuttled, and the democratically-elected government continues to remain in power.
Reports from the country say more than 200 people died during fighting between the coup plotters and those loyal to the government, who were incited to action by the Turkish President, Tayyip Erdorgan, through Facebook’s Facetime to take to the streets and demand their mandate back, something they ultimately did.
With our memories rejigged, let’s now proceed to understanding what a coup d’etat is, and why it happens.
So, What is a Coup D’etat?
The French word, Coup d’etat, or coup for short, is when a group attempts to take over the government. Coups are often launched by the military in a country, and that was what happened in Turkey.
Why Does It Happen?
Coups happen when people – especially those in governmental authority – disagree over how a country should be governed. This was exactly the situation in Turkey, where lots of people disagreed over President Erdogan’s plans for the country, and because of his involvement in the war in Syria.
In Turkey, some people think Erdogan is becoming too controlling as a leader and has too much power. The group behind the coup said that they want to take control back, and protect things like democracy, human rights, and freedoms in the country. But those against it believe the coup was an attempted robbery on democracy, as the only democratically accepted way of removing an unpopular leader is through the ballot box, through the votes of the citizenry in an election.
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