Lecture 10: Coup D'etat Guinea Bissau

• We will use the full 80 minutes of class time

• Please arrive early so we can begin on time; bring your pens

• Exam format:

• your choice of 5 out of 7 short answer/ID questions (worth 12% each)

• and 1 out 2 essay questions (worth 40%)

• IDs could be concepts (ex.: Doctrine of Effective Occupation) or key

events (ex.: Berlin Conference) – demonstrate that you know what they

are and explain why they matter in the context of the course material

• Essays will ask you to use accurate historical examples to explain a key

theme and its related concepts (ex.: Guinea-Bissau, authoritarianism,

coups d’etat)

The Darker Side

of Authority:

Explaining Military

Coups in Africa

Featured: Ibrahim Traoré,

Burkina Faso, 2022

COERCION

The Darker

Side of

Authority

• Sources of Political Authority

• Legitimate Authority

• Traditional, Charismatic, Rational

Legal

• Coercion—darker side of authority

• Defined as: the use or threat of

violence to achieve a political or

social purpose

What is a

military coup

d’etat?

• Sudden illegal displacement of

government in which members of the

security forces play a prominent role.

• Different from “regime change” due to

democratic election, foreign invasion, or

widespread local rebellion and revolution.

• Between 1952-1990s, there were 99 military

coups d’etat in Africa.

Case Study:

Guinea-

Bissau

• 1959-73: Guinea-Bissau wages a war of

national liberation vs. Portugal

• 1973: The liberation movement defeats the

Portuguese, who withdraw unconditionally

• 1974: Guinea-Bissau formally gains

independence

• Since independence from Portugal in 1974,

Guinea-Bissau has had at least 10

attempted coups or coups, and only a single

democratically elected president has

completed a full term in office