Coups of the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Uganda

Amin took advantage of Obote's absence - he was attending a Commonwealth conference - to seize power. Obote had become prime minister of Uganda on its independence from the UK in 1962, with Sir Edward Mutesa as president.

Amin's time in power lasted until 1979 and was marked by bloodshed and the purging of anyone who opposed him. He fled Uganda in April 1979, eventually settling in Saudi Arabia where he died in 2003.

Answer: Cyprus

Archbishop Makarios was ousted by a group supported by Greek military forces, who were in favour of Cyprus becoming part of Greece. Makarios had been president of Cyprus since 1960 and had already survived several attempts on his life. Sampson was put in his place as president, but stayed in the role for only a few days. Turkey took advantage of the situation to invade Cyprus, dividing the country between the Turkish area in the north-east and the Greek area in the south-west.

The division is still in place in the early twenty-first century, although talks between the two sides regarding re-unification have begun.

Answer: Chile

Chile's history contains more coups d'etat than most countries, but the 1973 revolt that saw the fall of Allende is one of the best known. Allende had become the democratically elected president of Chile in 1970, having served in various government roles previously. A military junta led a rebellion, including the storming of the president's palace, La Moneda, which gave them control. Allende is reported to have committed suicide during the battle.

Pinochet became the new president, ruling as a dictator, although he was eventually indicted for abuse of human rights. He died before the allegations could be tested in a court of law.

Answer: Indonesia

Sukarno became the first president of Indonesia in 1945, having led the country to independence from the Netherlands. By the 1960s, Indonesia was suffering from severe economic problems causing unrest, which led to rebellion by the army. Suharto became the second president of the country in 1967 and remained in place until 1998 when he resigned among allegations of corruption.

Although some of the Suharto family, including his son, were jailed Suharto himself avoided the courts due to his ill health.

Answer: Ghana

Nkrumah became Prime Minister and President of Ghana on the country's independence from Britain in 1957. In 1966 he was on an official visit to China and North Vietnam, when the National Liberation Council, an alliance of the police and armed forces, seized control.

The coup itself was led by Lieutenant General Kwasi Kotoka, with Lieutenant General Joseph Ankrah becoming the President, a position he held until 1969 when a bribery scandal led to his resignation.

Answer: Cambodia

Cambodia had been a monarchy under the leadership of Prince Norodom Sihanouk. He was ousted by Lon Nol in a military coup, leading to the establishment of the Khmer Republic. Nol installed Cheng Heng as President, before taking the position himself in 1972, having previously been Prime Minister. Nol himself had to flee the country when the Khmer Rouge took control in 1975 - he died in the USA in 1985.

Answer: Iran

These two men may be more familiar to you as the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Shah of Iran. The Shah's downfall was quite sudden. At the time, Khomeini was living in France, having been exiled as a dissident. The tables were turned due to the Iranian Revolution, with the Shah fleeing the country into exile himself.

His health was poor, and he died in 1980. Khomeini became Iran's first Supreme Leader, and remained in the role until his death, in 1989.

Answer: Bangladesh

Yet another military coup, Ershad was the Chief of Army Staff, while Sattar was the leader of a civilian government. Sattar had only become President of Bangladesh in 1981, when Ziaru Rahman had been assassinated by a group of army officers. While initially loyal to Sattar, Ershad led the bloodless coup in March 1982. Ershad became President in 1983 and stayed in position until 1990, when he was himself deposed following a popular uprising.

Answer: Paraguay

Ayala had served two terms as President of Paraguay, from 1921 until 1923 and from 1932 until 1936. Franco had been active in opposing the government of Ayala, and had been exiled to Buenos Aires as a result. This led to the February Revolution, with Ayala changing roles, being exiled himself to Buenos Aires.

Franco became President, but lasted only until August 1937 before being ousted himself, escaping to Uruguay where he lived for around twenty years, before being allowed to return to Paraguay.

Answer: Liberia

The military coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe is the bloodiest to be covered in this quiz, with Tolbert and many of his supporters being killed in the uprising itself. The days immediately following the coup were marked by public executions of ministers from Tolbert's government, many of whom were publicly humiliated prior to their deaths.

Doe himself was deposed and killed in 1990.