The United States as it happens didn’t have much interest in or concern with Grenada until Maurice Bishop and the revolution of 1979 – that was under the Carter administration … Carter’s hostility took the standard pattern – it’s always two-pronged: military and economic … By 1983 Reagan invaded. Noam Chomsky, lecture 25th October 1993
In 1898 Cuba was liberating itself from Spain and the US intervened in what’s called here Liberation of Cuba but in fact was the prevention of the liberation of Cuba by Cubans. The US took over the island … At gun point the US imposed a treaty on Cuba. Noam Chomsky, Talks at Google 4th April 2014, Youtube 1.02.41
For the first time in England’s history a reigning monarch was formally deposed from the throne. Monarchy by David Starkey s1e5: A United Kingdom, Channel 4 2004
Iran 1953: the CIA mounted its first covert operation to overthrow a foreign government. The target was the prime minister of Iran, . He held power legitimately through his country’s parliamentary process. And he was popular. Bill Moyers, The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis, 1987
Guatemala 1954: flushed with success America’s Secret Government decided another troublesome leader must go. This time it was Jacobo Arbenz, the democratically elected President of Guatemala ... President Arbenz had admired Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and his government voted often with the American position at the United Nations. But in trying to bring a new deal to Guatemala, Arbenz committed two sins in the eyes of the Eisenhower administration: first, when he opened the system to all political parties he recognised the communists too. Arbenz also embarked on a massive land reform program. Less than 3% of the landowners owned 70% of the land. ibid.
This isn’t an election; this is a coup. The Manchurian Candidate 2004 starring Denzel Washington & Meryl Street & Liev Schreiber & Kimberly Elise & Jon Voight & Vera Farmiga & Jeffrey Wright & Simon McBurney & Bruno Ganz et al, Denzel to Rosy
The Army is taking over. There is a coup. Don’t worry. These are General Amin’s men. He fights for the people. The Last King of Scotland 2006 starring Forest Witaker & Kerry Washington & James McAvoy & Gillian Anderson & Simon McBurney & David Oyelowo & Apollo Okwenje Omamo & Shabir Mir et al, director Kevin MacDonald, woman on bus
Have you any idea what's going on in this country, Dr Garrigan? ibid.
His regime had killed more than 300,000 Ugandans. ibid. caption
In the 1930s there was an attempted coup against the democratically elected government of the US – Franklin Roosevelt – and was put a stop to by General Smedley Butler of the Marine Corp who just put his foot down and said, ‘We’re not having a coup against the elected government.’ And they kept it quiet. As soon as they’d squashed the coup, Roosevelt’s view was let’s not frighten people by telling people what really happened here. Martin Summer, On the Edge with Theo Chalmers & Tony Gosling
Under Bush a military coup had taken place in the United States giving the Pentagon unprecedented powers. Daniel Ellsberg
Some very shocking documents that I saw in the Library of Congress two weeks ago on August 9th and had to do with the Hearings from the McCormack/Dickstein Committee of November 1934 show that Prescott Bush and the DuPont family, the Remington family and J P Morgan tried to overthrow the US government – assassinate FDR – and put a Hitler-style Fascist state in place. John Buchanan
I appeared before the Congressional Committee, the highest representation of the American people, under subpoena to tell what I knew of activities which I believe might lead to an attempt to set up a fascist dictatorship ... I was supposed to lead an organisation of 500,000 men which would be able to take over the functions of government. Major General Smedley Butler, evidence 1934
I was a racketeer for capitalism. I helped purify Nicaragua for international banking. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests. And I helped make Honduras ripe for American Fruit Companies. General Major Smedley Butler
It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out nor more doubtful of success nor more dangerous to handle than to initiate a new order of things. Niccolo Machiavelli
A very British coup, wouldn’t you say? A Very British Coup ***** starring Ray McAnally & Alan MacNaughton & Keith Allen & Geoffrey Beavers & Marjorie Yates & Jim Carter & Philip Madoc & Jeremy Young et al; see novel Chris Mullins, Sir Percy to Harry, Channel 4 1988
Disillusioned factions in the French military tried to organise a coup against de Gaulle. They failed. But extremist factions have formed a secret army called the OAS intent on killing de Gaulle and restoring Algeria to French rule. Days that Shook the World s2e5: Conspiracy to Kill, BBC 2004
The military has overthrown Allende’s Socialist government nominating General Pinochet their permanent head. Corleone VI starring Caludio Gioe & Daniele Liotti & Simona Cavallari & Marco Leonardi & Salvatore Lazzaro & Marco Leonardi & Alfredo Pea et al, television news, Mediaset Italia 2007
Kissinger approved of the preparations by Greek Cypriot fascists for the murder of President Makarios, and sanctioned the coup which tried to extend the rule of the Athens junta (a favoured client of his) to the island. When despite great waste of life this coup failed in its objective, which was also Kissinger’s, of enforced partition, Kissinger promiscuously switched sides to support an even bloodier intervention by Turkey. Thomas Boyatt ... went to Kissinger in advance of the anti-Makarios putsch and warned him that it could lead to a civil war. ‘Spare me the civics lecture,’ replied Kissinger, who as you can readily see had an aphorism for all occasions. Christopher Hitchens
Nixon decided to invade Cambodia to send a message to North Vietnam. The Trials of Henry Kissinger 2002
The Khmer Rouge drew strength from the chaos of the country. When they seized power in 1975 they forced populations of entire cities back to the countryside. Then they began a policy of exterminating their enemies in execution grounds that came to be known as Killing Fields. By 1979 another three million Cambodians had lost their lives. ibid.
After Schneider’s death Allende was elected, but the efforts of Kissinger and Nixon to overthrow Allende would ultimately succeed. In 1973 military forces launched a coup in Santiago, killing Allende. Augusto Pinochet would assume power and begin a reign of terror that would last seventeen years. The date was September 11th. ibid.
After the coup Iran became a kind of American base, and the Shah just became an American puppet. And all disaffection, all opposition, all nationalism, all neutralism was simply crushed. Tom Mangold, war correspondent
Communist guerrillas of the Khmer Rouge seized Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh on the 17th April. Immediately they began a bloody revenge on their opponents. The Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot announced that Cambodia was to be saved from Western decadence by being turned back into an agrarian society. Over the next four years a nightmare experiment to create a workers’ utopia was to be conduction on the Cambodian people. Their cities and towns were emptied and left to decay. The population was herded to forced labour in the fields. Thousands were to die of malnutrition and brutal treatment. The country was cut off from the outside world. Great Crimes and Trials s3e24: Pol Pot and the Killing Fields of Cambodia, BBC 1996
The establishment really felt Wilson hitting them below the belt. ibid.
Wilson had been a frequent flier to the Soviet block. ibid.
Wilson was right: he was being bugged and someone was looking for something. ibid.
The coup was aborted, partly because the Conservatives were confident they could beat Wilson at the ballot box. ibid.
Former military officers like General Walter Walker and Major Alexander Greenwood began to form private armies, thousands strong to protect queen and country. ibid.
The plotters never got their coup. ibid.
[James] Angleton claimed he had given proof of Wilson’s treachery to the head of MI5, Roger Hollis. ibid.
‘Here in Venezuela and the rest of Latin America we were being taken over by the savage project of neo-liberalism with its claim that there’s a hidden hand which regulates the market. It’s a lie, a lie! A lie a thousand times over! Of course there are alternatives and we in Venezuela we are proving it! The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Chavez: Inside the Coup, Chavez to crowd, 2003
2002: ‘Following a military coup, Venezuela is apparently under the control of the army.’ ibid. news
Chavez had promised to redistribute the wealth and involved people in political projects. ibid.
Chavez held a weekly radio and television show where any citizen could phone in and talk directly to the president. ibid.
‘We need to inspire the community to get involved.’ ibid. Chavez
Under Chavez there was now total freedom of expression. ibid.
For decades the state oil company had been run like a private corporation by the traditional ruling class. ibid.
Soon it became clear we were being shot at by snipers. ibid.
‘It’s a coup! A coup against the people who love him!’ ibid. Environment minister
Despite police repression people had decide to march on the palace. ibid.
As the guards secured the building, Chavez’s ministers who had been in hiding for the last two days began to arrive back to the palace to try to establish a legitimate cabinet. ibid.