Kara Sears
A soft coup, also known as an administrative coup, is the illegal overthrow of a government without overt violence. It is often associated with conspiracy theories and is used by populists to centralise power under the guise of improving democracy. Soft coups are often attributed to generalised authors, such as the press, the private sector, the judiciary, and imperialism, rather than specific individuals. The concept of a soft coup was developed by American political scientist Gene Sharp, who studied the potential to spark and guide mass uprisings without the use of military force.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of coup | Soft coup (also known as an administrative coup) |
| Definition | An illegal overthrow of a government, achieved primarily without overt violence |
| Methods | Claiming powers, intimidation, bullying, extortion, threatening media |
| Conspiracy theory | Used by Latin American populists who seek the centralisation of power under the pretense of improving democracy |
| Perception | Negative; the legacy of Operation Condor evokes continuing mistrust among the general population |
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What You'll Learn
- Soft coups are illegal overthrowing of governments without overt violence
- Soft coups are often part of a conspiracy theory used by Latin American populists
- Soft coups are achieved through claiming powers, intimidation, bullying, extortion, and threatening media
- Soft coups are a strategy attributed to American political scientist Gene Sharp
- Soft coups are used to justify persecution of the opposition, forced nationalisations and limits to the freedom of the press
Soft coups are illegal overthrowing of governments without overt violence
Supporters of deposed leaders often attribute soft coups to generalised authors instead of specific ones, such as the press, the private sector of the economy, the judiciary and imperialism. There is a perception of coups as negative events, and the legacy of Operation Condor evokes continuing mistrust among the general population.
The concept of a soft coup as a strategy is attributed to the American political scientist Gene Sharp, a Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He studied the potential to spark, guide, and maximise the power of sometimes short-lived mass uprisings, as he tried to understand how unarmed insurrections have been far more politically significant than observers focused on military warfare have cared to admit.
Kaiser says that these leaders feel that the will of the leader equals the general will, and that any limits on the will of the leader would be also a limit to the general will itself. In this scenario, opposition to the leader is treated as an act against democracy, justifying persecution of the opposition, forced nationalisations and limits to the freedom of the press.
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Soft coups are often part of a conspiracy theory used by Latin American populists
A soft coup is an illegal overthrow of a government, achieved primarily without overt violence and relying heavily on claiming powers, intimidation, bullying, extortion, and threatening the media. Soft coups are often part of a conspiracy theory used by Latin American populists who seek the centralisation of power under the pretence of improving democracy.
In Latin America, soft coups have shed their image of overt military takeovers or covert CIA actions. Today, soft coups are more like the 'colour revolutions' used in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, in which leftist, socialist, or perceived anti-American governments are targeted with 'soft power' tactics. These tactics include economic dislocation, sophisticated propaganda, and political disorder often financed by 'pro-democracy' non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The US relies on soft coups: media campaigns and mass demonstrations against 'corruption', for 'human rights', 'democracy', and 'freedom', aimed at the target government. The US makes skillful use of NGOs to carry out its plans, which often appeal to cherished liberal-left values and sentiments.
The concept of a soft coup as a strategy is attributed to the American political scientist Gene Sharp, a Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Sharp has been a theorist and author of works on the dynamics of nonviolent conflict. He studied the potential to spark, guide, and maximise the power of sometimes short-lived mass uprisings, as he tried to understand how unarmed insurrections have been far more politically significant than observers focused on military warfare have cared to admit.
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Soft coups are achieved through claiming powers, intimidation, bullying, extortion, and threatening media
A soft coup is an illegal overthrow of a government, achieved primarily without overt violence. Soft coups are often attributed to the American political scientist Gene Sharp, who studied the potential to spark, guide and maximise the power of sometimes short-lived mass uprisings. Sharp also studied how unarmed insurrections have been far more politically significant than observers focused on military warfare have cared to admit.
In the case of a soft coup, opposition to the leader is treated as an act against democracy, justifying persecution of the opposition, forced nationalisations and limits to the freedom of the press. This notion of democracy is opposed to the one traditionally held in the United States, which considers that rulers must have limits to their power.
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Soft coups are a strategy attributed to American political scientist Gene Sharp
A soft coup is an illegal overthrow of a government without the use of force or violence. The concept of a soft coup as a strategy is attributed to the American political scientist Gene Sharp, a Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Sharp studied the potential to spark, guide, and maximise the power of sometimes short-lived mass uprisings, as he tried to understand how unarmed insurrections have been far more politically significant than observers focused on military warfare have cared to admit. Sharp's work on the dynamics of nonviolent conflict has been described as explicitly neoliberal, pro-corporate, and pro-imperialist. He has been called a "nonviolent" political strategist and a "mastermind of soft coups". Sharp wrote manuals teaching people how to do so-called "colour revolutions" (i.e. soft coups) against Washington's targets, from Yugoslavia to Venezuela to Hong Kong.
According to Axel Kaiser, a Chilean lawyer and member of the Mises Institute, the soft coup is often part of a conspiracy theory used by Latin American populists who seek the centralisation of power but do so under the pretence of improving democracy. Kaiser says that these leaders feel that the will of the leader equals the general will, and that any limits on the will of the leader would be also a limit to the general will itself. In this scenario, opposition to the leader is treated as an act against democracy, justifying persecution of the opposition, forced nationalisations and limits to the freedom of the press.
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Soft coups are used to justify persecution of the opposition, forced nationalisations and limits to the freedom of the press
Soft coups are illegal overthrows of a government, achieved primarily without overt violence. They are often part of a conspiracy theory used by populists who seek the centralisation of power under the pretence of improving democracy.
In this scenario, opposition to the leader is treated as an act against democracy, justifying persecution of the opposition, forced nationalisations and limits to the freedom of the press. This notion of democracy is opposed to the one traditionally held in the United States, which considers that rulers must have limits to their power; it also conflicts with minority rights.
Supporters of deposed leaders often attribute soft coups to generalised authors, such as the press, the private sector of the economy, the judiciary and imperialism. This can evoke continuing mistrust among the general population.
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Frequently asked questions
A soft coup is an illegal overthrow of a government, but achieved primarily without overt violence.
A soft coup relies heavily on claiming powers, intimidation, bullying, extortion, threatening media, and thereby seizing all powers.
An example of a soft coup is when opposition to the leader is treated as an act against democracy, justifying persecution of the opposition, forced nationalizations and limits to the freedom of the press.
The concept of a soft coup as a strategy is attributed to the American political scientist Gene Sharp, a Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
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