Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook
Encyclopedia
Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook (1968) is a history book by Edward Luttwak
examining the conditions, strategy, planning, and execution of coups d'état.
called Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook (1968) one of "only two general contemporary books on the subject" of military coups d'état that are worthwhile in content and readerly interest, the other being Samuel Finer
's The Man on Horseback. However, Clutterbuck criticises the book for not further emphasising the role of the news media in determining the likely success of a coup d'état .
The book played a critical role in the fictional series Illuminatus! by Robert Anton Wilson
and Robert Shea
regarding a coup in "Fernando Poo" (Equatorial Guinea
) which was the outward trigger for a global crisis in the book.
It also served as the inspiration for a National Film Board of Canada movie, Power Play
, which is set in an unnamed Western country and deals with the planning and execution of a coup d'état.
Edward Luttwak
Edward Nicolae Luttwak is an American military strategist and historian who has published works on military strategy, history and international relations.-Biography:...
examining the conditions, strategy, planning, and execution of coups d'état.
Critical Response
In a 1980 review of the book, Richard ClutterbuckRichard Clutterbuck
Richard Clutterbuck was a pioneer in the study of political violence. In his lifetime he was both a professional soldier and academic. Clutterbuck was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1937 after graduating in mechanical sciences from Cambridge...
called Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook (1968) one of "only two general contemporary books on the subject" of military coups d'état that are worthwhile in content and readerly interest, the other being Samuel Finer
Samuel Finer
Professor Samuel Edward Finer was a political scientist and historian who was instrumental in advancing political studies as an academic subject in the United Kingdom, pioneering the study of UK political institutions...
's The Man on Horseback. However, Clutterbuck criticises the book for not further emphasising the role of the news media in determining the likely success of a coup d'état .
The book played a critical role in the fictional series Illuminatus! by Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
and Robert Shea
Robert Shea
Robert Joseph Shea was an American novelist and former journalist best known as co-author with Robert Anton Wilson of the science fantasy trilogy Illuminatus!. It became a cult success and was later turned into a marathon-length stage show put on at the British National Theatre and elsewhere. In...
regarding a coup in "Fernando Poo" (Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
) which was the outward trigger for a global crisis in the book.
It also served as the inspiration for a National Film Board of Canada movie, Power Play
Power Play (1978 film)
Power Play is a 1978 British-Canadian thriller film starring Peter O'Toole and David Hemmings, based on the non-fiction strategy book Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook by Edward N. Luttwak....
, which is set in an unnamed Western country and deals with the planning and execution of a coup d'état.