Toward Explaining Military Intervention in Latin American Politics

Military intervention in politics is extremely common. Outside the North Atlantic area, the armed forces are more likely than not to be among the most important power contenders in any political system, and military regimes are at least as widespread as either totalitarian or democratic ones. It is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:World Politics
Main Author: Putnam, Robert D.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1967
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2009729
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0043887100011734
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Summary:Military intervention in politics is extremely common. Outside the North Atlantic area, the armed forces are more likely than not to be among the most important power contenders in any political system, and military regimes are at least as widespread as either totalitarian or democratic ones. It is surprising, therefore, that until recently this phenomenon has attracted little attention from students of politics. Though there has been some speculation about the causes of military intervention, our actual knowledge of the subject is meager indeed.