Why do generals attempting to coup always storm the palace? What happens next? Why do ordinary soldiers follow them? Are they in on the plot?
In: Economics
They want to control the seat of power and will attempt to either kill the leader or keep them under house arrest so they can’t oppose the new government. In many successful coup attempts the soldiers were more loyal to a charismatic commander who is seen as one of them unlike the rich elites in government, they can command loyalty of the troops and risk less in having soldiers turn on them. In the other case speed is of the essence as it’s often a smaller group of generals or government officials that have the loyalty of a few that can tell other troops what to do. If the coup is exposed or the leader mobilises the loyalists then it’s often over before it gets started.
Generally in all cases you want to act swiftly because if the leader is able to escape or mobilise troops in any way then you’ll be in trouble. Many exiled leaders have come back to bite a military junta in the ass. In some cases like in South Korea you had coups that didn’t involve the military at all but the government’s own intelligence services that used their ability to have meetings and be close to the president and his inner circle to kill them over a dinner meeting and take others hostage. Once you have power and nobody to oppose you militarily it falls into place quite quickly, the average citizen and even soldier just wants to get paid and for the country to work so they can take care of their family. Once things calm down, rules are enforced and everyone goes back to work, the taste for revenge or restoring an old regime dies out.
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