How To Stage A Successful Coup in eRepublik

Day 857, 15:29 • Published in Canada Canada • by Augustus Baldwin


This morning, in response to President Chucky Morris' support for known seperatist traitor Samuel de Champlain, the CPF and DAL launched what the government has called a "coup" to remove the President and his UN-backed government. This recent (failed) impeachment attempt has presented Canadians with an important question to ponder: Why have we forgotten how to stage a proper political coup?

As the only person in Canadian history to ever successfully impeach a President (Tom Hagan), the only person to ever serve as the unelected head of state of Canada (as First Consul of the Triumvirate), and one of the key architects behind the destruction and exile of Cottus Arci and the original Canadian Social Democrats (with credit also going to Banach et al), I feel as though I am well positioned to help patriotic Canadians rediscover the (apparently) lost art of the coup.

There are three types of coups: revolutionary coups, guardian coups, and military coups.



A revolutionary coup would be, for example, a communist revolutionary overthrow of the government. However, in eRepublik the revolutionary coup is not really possible. This is because all political groups have to take power via elections. So in a sense, if the communists were to take over the Canadian government they would have to do so via elections and it would therefore be legal, and not a coup.

Sorry Dominik, I guess that means you’ll never get your Workers Paradise.

A guardian coup would be, for example, the series of historical coups by the Turkish army aimed at preventing Islamists from coming to power in Turkey. This is type of coup is usually rather bloodless, and aims to eliminate corruption or restore public order. This type does not focus on who perpetrates the coup, but simply its goals. The guardian coup is what we would classify the current CPF/DAL action against Chucky Norris.

Or what would happen as the result of any potential (though unlikely) Union Nationale Presidential victory. *shudder*

A military coup would be, for example, example, the July 20 Plot against Hitler that was dramatized in the Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie. In this type of coup the military steps in to take the power of government out of civilian control. This type also seems difficult in eCanada due to the pollicisation of the military. In the early days of the Canadian Empire Party, when much of the military belonged to the CEP, this may have been a possibility. However, in the present circumstances it seems rather difficult to orchestrate.

Not that Bruck needs a military coup to get elected... 😛



Above: All hail President Bruck!


Alright, so now that we know what a coup is, what are the key steps to successfully pulling one off?



Make Sure You Have a National Crisis



A crisis is important. Coups do not work when there is stability and prosperity. Who wants to change the government when things are going well? The CPF/DAL coup had a good crisis to work with. Things are not going well in Canada right now. The present Samuel de Champlain corruption scandal and activities of the Union Nationale have alienated most Canadians against Chucky’s government.

The current coup did not lack a crisis, but as a guardian coup was in response to a crisis.



Make Sure You Have an Effective Base of Support



An effective base of support is important for a successful coup. One man, or a small group of people, cannot overthrow the government. First, you need effective party support. This coup has CPF/DAL backing, whereas Chucky only seems to have the backing of the francophone UN. So in this instance it is what we would call a ‘popular coup’.

However, it is also important to have support in Congress and the Government. This coup obviously did not take the time to get the necessary Congressional support for the present (failing) impeachment. This has been a key mistake that is usually fatal for any prospective overthrow.

Support from within the Government and military would also help. If pro-coup Ministers hijack control of the government organizations they control, and military officers hijack military resources, then you can destabilize any government by ensuring that it cannot function properly if the impeachment fails. This can help convince an unpopular President that he can no longer govern, thereby forcing him to resign.

It does not appear as though the planners of the present CPF/DAL coup have made the effort to get the support of key individuals in positions of power that would force Chucky to resign.



Make Sure You Have the Element of Surprise



Surprise. Surprise. Surprise. This one seems self-explanatory. You don’t want your opponents to see the coup coming, so you have to make sure to approach people privately, and only those that you believe you have a legitimate chance of convincing to support the coup.

You also want to make sure to spring your coup in the middle of the night or at a key moment when the President is busy at work, at school, or with real life issues. By the time the government logs in to eRepublik it should be too late for them to reverse what you have started.

The current coup against Chucky seemed to be enough of a surprise, but it didn’t press the advantage. Chucky’s government and his backers in the Union Nationale have mobilized to actively work against the CPF/DAL.



Move with a Sense of Violence and Aggression



What else can I say? When it starts you have 24 hours to destroy the current government and get your people into power. Don’t doddle or else things can start to go south rather quickly. You would be surprised how fast your support fades when people feel the President may survive the coup.



Control the Flow of Information



This may be the most important tip I can provide. In eRepublik information is king. Post as many pro-coup articles by prominent Canadians and government officials as you can. Have a system set up to have your support base vote up all those articles. If you have 5 pro-coup articles in the Top 5 news then you win, and it looks like Canadians are on your side. Also, seize any government organizations you can and post pro-coup articles from their newspapers. Destroy the confidence of the people in the government by showing how it has lost control. Heck, if you can get any forum moderators on your side then you can have them ban members of the government from the forum for as long as possible. Your opponents silence is golden.

You need to control the lines of communication until the impeachment is over. The current CPF/DAL coup does not have communications superiority. If you cannot win the battle in the media then you will not win the battle in Congress. It is as simple as that.



Cleanse the Government of the Old Regime



Out with the old and in with the new, you just overthrew the government after all. The old President is going to be pissed. Get rid of everyone who was not a part of the coup, because it is only a matter of time before the blowback begins. You do not want to start losing control of the remaining government organizations to the defeated faction, and you don’t want government and congressional holdovers to start publicly denouncing your government. Make the opposition look like its coming from the fringe of Canadian society.

Your either with us, or your with the terrorists.



Eliminate Your Ousted Opponent



This is eRepublik, so as much as it would perfectly cap off a successful coup, we cannot line the old President up against a wall and shoot him. That means you are going to have to get rid of him either by publicly ostracizing him until he goes into exile (a la Cottus Arci) or bringing him up in front of the Supreme Court (which your supporters should have control of by now) and forever banning him from elected politics for treason. Let us be honest: the Supreme Court has always been a joke that is merely an organ of the contemporary government. Use it!

Now that you have overthrown the government, you have a committed enemy lurking out there, and he is pissed. You need to discredit him permanently, otherwise he is going to come back and bite you in the ass.



I mean, you always flush after you wipe, right?