Analyzes the political, military, and social factors behind successful and failed coups worldwide. The coup remains the single most common form of power change throughout the world. How to Stage a Military Coup explores these violent and often bloody appropriations of authority, alongside the political, military, and social conditions out of which they arise. Taking into account factors such as timing, media control, popular support and government organisational structure, and by drawing on examples of coups from all over the world, both failed and successful, the authors reveal exactly what it takes to carry out a successful government take-over. This latest, updated edition includes a new foreword by David Hebditch.