Was the insurrection at the Capitol an attempted coup?

By Victoria Faculty

Was the insurrection at the Capitol an attempted coup?

Multiple Select

Which of the following are descriptions of a coup?  Choose all that apply.

• A quick shift of power.

• Not approved by the political process or the general populace.

• It is conducted by a small group of people.

• Is more respected by leaders of other nations.

• Approved by the populace.

Open Ended

What is the difference between a coup and rebellion?

Multiple Choice

Which country has had more than a dozen coups since 1932?

• Gambia

• Thailand

• Bangkok

• Russia

Insurrection or Coup?

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

According to Merriam-Webster, "insurrection" is the "act of revolting against civil authority or an established government."

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Insurrection, or rebellion, is a crime under Title 18 of the US Code, punishable by a fine, a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, or both. Being found guilty of insurrection also makes someone ineligible to hold office in the United States.​

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Insurrection or Coup?

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

A "coup," shorthand for "coup d'état," is broadly characterized by Merriam-Webster as a "sudden decisive exercise of force in politics," but particularly the "violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group."

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Some have described January 6th as a "failed" or "attempted" coup, since apparent efforts to overturn the presidential election have been unsuccessful.​

Multiple Choice

a coup is a sudden and illegal seizure of power

• true

• false

Multiple Select

Which of these events support the claim that the riots at the US Capitol were an attempted coup by Donald Trump? Select all that apply

• Trump called Georgia's Secretary of State and asked him to "find 11,780 votes"

• An oval office meeting in which Trump allegedly considered

  imposing martial law to hold another

  vote

• a memo written by his

  former lawyer

  laying out an unprecedented

  method of overturning the results in

  battleground states that decided the

  election

• Trump accepted the results of the 2020 election and called President Biden to congratulate him

• Trump attended the inauguration of President Biden

Fill in the Blanks

Dr. Erica Franz of Michigan State University wouldn't label January 6th as a coup because members of the _ weren't on board with it

Multiple Select

What are the 3 rules to a coup?

• take the center of the government (the capital)

• do it quickly so as not to

  allow time for a counter-strike

• shore up support within

  key institutions

• have an election

• recruit more people to the military

Multiple Choice

Since 1990 this continent has accounted for more than 75 percent of the world's successful coups averaging about one a year

• Asia

• Australia

• Africa

• North America

Multiple Choice

Africa is vulnerable to coups because African countries are relatively young gaining independence with the decolonization period starting in the late 1950s

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

A self coup, or presidential coup, is one in which a nation's leader, having come to power through legal means, dissolves or renders powerless the national legislature and unlawfully assumes extraordinary powers not granted under normal circumstances.

• True

• False

Open Ended

How has the "Big Lie", or the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, led to increasing division in our country?

Open Ended

Based on what you learned about coups, was January 6th the result of a failed presidential coup? Explain your answer.

Open Ended

Why do the people in the video suggest that a coup in the United States is not an unrealistic situation?