Russian history has many palace coups. There were many of them in foreign countries. In any case, a relatively small group of conspirators opposed the head of state, relying on accomplices from the army, police or other security forces. But why did palace coups take place at all, what were the main reasons?
Instructions
Step 1
The head of state can never be perfect, simply because everyone has flaws. And the policy pursued by him cannot be liked by everyone without exception, there will always be dissatisfied people. Nevertheless, as long as he enjoys the support of the broad masses of society, the ruling classes, and most importantly the power structures, his power is quite stable. But if he begins to seriously infringe on the interests of the ruling classes, they will certainly have a desire to remove him and bring another person to power. And the likelihood of such a palace coup is the higher, the less the support of the head of state among the people and law enforcement agencies.
Step 2
A palace coup can also happen due to the intervention of external forces. Especially in cases when the policy of the head of state begins to directly affect the interests of another country.
Step 3
Let's consider a specific historical example. After the death of Empress Catherine II, her son Paul I ascended the throne. He began to vigorously restore order, resorting to harsh, even harsh measures. This was not to the taste of many nobles, as well as the guards officers, accustomed to an idle and carefree life. Their discontent, fueled by rumors of the emperor's mental illness, led to a conspiracy. And on the night of March 12, 1801, Paul I was killed. The throne passed to his eldest son Alexander, who (according to the official version) knew about the impending coup, but believed the conspirators' promises that his father would be spared his life in exchange for renunciation.
Step 4
In addition to the aforementioned discontent on the part of nobles and guards officers, Paul I won the army's dislike (due to admiration for the Prussian military order, the introduction of senseless exhausting "shagistika" and inconvenient Prussian uniforms). Therefore, the conspirators did not have to fear that some of the highest army commanders would arrest the participants in the coup and bring them to justice.
Step 5
Finally, there was another reason for this palace coup. The fact is that in the last period of his life, Paul I abruptly changed the course of Russia's foreign policy. He decided to enter into an alliance with Napoleon Bonaparte, who by that time had become the head of France. Then a powerful coalition with the greatest strength in Europe would be formed. England could not allow this, so the British ambassador in St. Petersburg took an active part in organizing a conspiracy against Paul.
