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The legitimately elected leader of the country was chased away by men with guns. How is it not a coup?
You can argue that it was a good and necessary coup, but I can't see how you escape framing the undemocratic and disorderly ouster of Yanukovych as anything other than a coup.
Do you have a video of him being chased away by men with guns? He was voted out by Rada.
"Coup" is a charged word, and is used to paint the protest, and post-Maidan government by extension, as illegitimate. So why not "Revolution"? Because it is reserved for events like American revolution, and pro-Ru Americans, despite them siding with Russians and Chinese, still venerate the Founding Myth?
The American revolution wasn't a coup, since it didn't topple the previous government but separated from it. George didn't have to flee to another country.
The US constitution, there's a coup.
Is it based on any academically accepted definition? Because then French Revolution isn't a revolution either.
My french constitutional lexicon says that a coup d'état is the overthrow of a power through illegal, usually violent, means by someone invested with authority.
Louis was overthrown, Georges wasn't. The ARW was secession, not a coup.
So Maidan wasn't a coup either. An agreement has been reached, for an interim government to be formed, where Janukovich is still the president, and opposition leaders form the cabinet. But then Janukovich-controlled police shot at protestors, and he just left. He wasn't killed like Gadaffi. You might say — he was afraid for his life. But that is his problem. After that, Rada held a vote for his removal.
Those are just basic fact. They are a bit different from Russia Today version of events though, where violent Azov thugs chase the president and become the power, I understand.
So it is a coup. Intimidation counts.
Les cent jours were a coup. And Louis fled from Napoleon in similar fashion.
You can claim all you want the Emperor is the legitimate ruler of France and he didn't take power so much as stepped in after the king's dereliction of duty, we both know that's not how power works.
No. Let's face it — pro-Ru types want to call it a "coup" just to claim the the successor government was illegitimate and thus Ru had justification for launching their invasion. A rhetorical trick. I am not interested in rhetorical games, thank you.
Let's face it, Monarchists want to call it a coup just to claim the restoration was illegitimate and thus the coalition had justification for launching their invasion. A rethorical trick.
We all know who the French really wanted. Vive l'Empereur. Etc.
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