When you hear the phrase "coup d’état"–French for stroke of the state–what comes to mind? Do all coups look the same, smell the same, and present the same threats to democracy? How can an event as undemocratic as a military coup lead to democracy? Why would imposing generals—armed with tanks and guns and all—voluntarily surrender power to civilian politicians? What distinguishes militaries that help build democracies from those that destroy them? Pulling from current events, comparative constitutional law, and military sociology, Ozan Varol looks at examples from around the globe (and specifically from his native Turkey) and presents a challenging and thought-provoking discussion of how military interventions in politics can sometimes promote democracy—and why they often do not.