a coup d'état (pronounced []), or just coup ([]) for short, is the removal of a head of state and/or head of government from power (overthrow). unlike a revolution, which usually takes large numbers of people to take over, a coup can be done by a small number of people. even one person can cause a coup, such as idi amin for example, who controlled the ugandan army. coups can also be done by other countries, such as the 1953 iranian coup d'état. one well-known failed coup was the beer hall putsch, where adolf hitler tried to take over the government of the state of bavaria in germany.