Book contents
- The Coup Trap in Latin America
- The Coup Trap in Latin America
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1The Latin American Political Landscape
- 2Why Political Systems Fall In and Out of the Coup Trap
- 3Testing the Theory of the Coup Trap
- 4Predictions and Case Selection Strategy
- 5Why Instability Persists
- 6Golpes and Contra Golpes
- 7Breaking Out Is Hard to Do
- 8Trial by Fire
- Conclusions
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - Trial by Fire
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 May 2026
Book contents
- The Coup Trap in Latin America
- The Coup Trap in Latin America
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1The Latin American Political Landscape
- 2Why Political Systems Fall In and Out of the Coup Trap
- 3Testing the Theory of the Coup Trap
- 4Predictions and Case Selection Strategy
- 5Why Instability Persists
- 6Golpes and Contra Golpes
- 7Breaking Out Is Hard to Do
- 8Trial by Fire
- Conclusions
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 8 examines political systems with the highest values of T, or time since the last successful coup. It explains how and why dictatorships as different as the PRIs in Mexico (1929–2000) and the Somoza family’s in Nicaragua (1936–79) effected an autocratic exit out of the coup trap. And it analyzes how the republics of Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay escaped from golpismo by constructing constitutional democracy. Successful transitions away from the Coup Trap, I find, occur if they survive what I call “trial by fire” – assaults on their authority – that allow them to purge the armed forces of sedition. Escapes from the Coup Trap are also a function of convincing the political opposition to desist from joining coup coalitions, which dictatorships and democracies accomplish in slightly different ways.
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- The Coup Trap in Latin America , pp. 202 - 238Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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