Golpe de Estado: entre o nome e a coisa

Abstract

This article discusses the concept of coup d’état according to its theoretical and historical elements, with a focus on the history of Republican Brazil. From classical literature and contemporary debates, the concept of coup d’état is compared in this article with other categories often associated with it, e.g., dictatorship, revolution and crisis. Based on some briefly analyzed historical examples used in comparison with the normative and typological discussion on this concept, I analyze the hypothetical existence of an “atavistic” dynamics of coups d’état in Brazilian Republican history. I conclude with a reflection on the challenges to the consolidation of a democratic State in Brazil.