What prevents the Armed Forces from taking over a country like say the US?

Question

I'm mean a coup.

Answer 1

Probably the troops themselves.

For a coup to happen there has to be a good chance that the troops undertaking the action are actually willing to fire upon their fellow citizens (or other units of the military and police) if they encounter opposition. Their has been plenty of cases in history where even in a totalitarian regime the troops have failed to act, thereby dooming the coup attempt to failure. The most important recent example was in the Soviet Union in 1990 in the coup attempt against Gorbachev.

Many states, the US included, have split their military and police into different branches so that even if one branch was willing to go through with a coup, it is extremely unlikely that the majority of other commanders would support the coup attempt.

In the final analysis though it is the people who have to acquiesce to the military taking power. In countries that have little or no history of democratic traditions, this agreement (albeit under duress) is more likely to occur as for the common citizen it probably doesn't matter who is in charge. In a society where the citizens do feel to have a stake and something to loose, then it is far less likely the military will be able to govern as civil disobedience would reduce the state to anarchy.

Answer 2

The Constitution of the United States is what prevents an armed military coup. Every military member is sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. If some decided a coup was in order there would be many thousands more still willing to defend the Constitution.

Answer 3

Probally the fact that no Officer in the US military has such standing with the troops, that they would follow him in that action.

In countries where the military does do coups, the loyalty of the troops is to their commander, not to the government.

We don't have that situation in the US military.

One reason, is commanders just don't stay in the same unit long enough to develop that loyality.

That was not the case prior to WW ll, then a military coup might have been able to happen, except the size of the military back then, was so small, that would have most likely prevented it.

Answer 4

In the U.S., many would say the right to bear arms prevents such a coup by allowing people to arm themselves. Of course, even the most gung-ho militant can't afford the equipment needed to stop a coup by the modern military.

I would say in most cases that the military is composed of people conditioned for loyalty. Psychology keeps soldiers obedient to their superiors and to their civilian government. After all, soldiers are citizens too, enfranchising them like employees who are also stockholders.

Answer 5

Who is to say it hasn't happened?

Who finances the poiticians? The arms companies. Who are the arms companies customers? The military.

The American government (the cabinet) are unelected appointees. The arms companies made Donald Rumsfeld and the army got rid of him. This was a very visible action, how many invisible actions are there?

There is no point having a general in the Whitehouse when you have an electoral system where voting doesn't change anything - the best financed candidate wins and can appoint their own government without any direct say from the electorate.

Is it true you can vote for your local police sheriff, but you can't vote for your defence secretary???

Answer 6

Nothing except the personal integrity of military officers. Check out the history of an attempted coup against Roosevelt in the 1930s:

"The Business Plot, The Plot Against FDR, or The White House Putsch, was an uncovered conspiracy plot involving several wealthy businessmen to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.

Purported details of the matter came to light when retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler testified before a Congressional committee that a group of men had attempted to recruit him to serve as the leader of a plot and to assume and wield power once the coup was successful. Butler testified before the McCormack-Dickstein Committee in 1934 [1]. In his testimony, Butler claimed that a group of several men had approached him as part of a plot to overthrow Roosevelt in a military coup. One of the alleged plotters, Gerald MacGuire, vehemently denied any such plot. In their final report, the Congressional committee supported Butler's allegations on the existence of the plot, [2] but no prosecutions or further investigations followed, and the matter was mostly forgotten."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot

Answer 7

The Constitution allows the people of the United States to form their own civilian militia. The purpose of which is to deny it's own army from carrying out a coup, among other things.

If you are an American Citizen and fear a military coup, then arm yourself and join the militia. It is your right.

Good luck and keep your powder dry.

Answer 8

It will not happen because the soldiers of this nation are volunteers who are part of the citizenry. Can you see someone trying to take over the country using the sons and daughters of the people they want to enslave?
NOW if we become too dependent on outside sources for soldiers I guess it could happen.

Answer 9

The armed forces is commanded by the US. That's like asking you, what would prevent you from cutting off your head?
If you mean other Armed Forces than those from the US, the answer is simple......only two words; THERMONUCLEAR WEAPONS

Answer 10

It's is against the Constitution. However, if they ever manage to take out our Amendment 2 and take away all our guns, then it would be a possibility. Then only the crooks would have guns and not the law abiding people.