Bangladesh: Anatomy Of an Unsuccessful Military Coup

Little attention has been given to the subject of failed coups. This article contends that knowledge of unsuccessful coups can shed valuable light to better understand successful coups. To this end, a short-lived coup in Bangladesh on 3 November 1975 is analyzed. The paper draws a distinction between legality and legitimacy, suggesting that although all coups are illegal, they vary in the degree of legitimacy, and the question of legitimacy is crucial to a coup's success. It is pointed out that the failure of the 3 November coup can be largely attributed to the failure of advancing legitimacy claims by the coup leaders—with fatal consequences.