# Is a violent overthrow of the U.S. Government possible?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-violent-overthrow-of-the-u-s-government-possible/717529>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 13, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-violent-overthrow-of-the-u-s-government-possible/717529 "2015-04-13T01:03:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-violent-overthrow-of-the-u-s-government-possible/717529/21 "2015-04-13T04:56:38Z")

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> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#):
>
> I mean… Why would the monied elite revolt? If that’s what it takes, then the answer is no… It’s not possible.

Like I wrote, it would be more like a coup d’etat if the monied elite were overthrowing the government. It supposedly [almost happened once](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot).

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**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-violent-overthrow-of-the-u-s-government-possible/717529/22 "2015-04-13T05:09:47Z")

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I don’t think a violent overthrow per se is possible, but I think there are a number of situations in which the power of the federal government could become severely undermined:

• A state or states actually seceding with popular support of the people of the state(s). I don’t think we have the will as in 1861 to put down such a rebellion with violence. Even if the military moved in, you could see a giant peaceful demonstration against the occupation.

• A situation like the Berlin Wall where people simply stop paying attention to the government and start doing what they want. This could be local or national.

• A situation like the 2000 Bush/Gore crisis, in which people take sides, and the nation is fractured.

Even in the case of the Civil War, it’s not as though a certain group of people started “fighting against the government.” Rather, there was a large-scale _situation_ that led to violence. I think the same type of fundamentals are likely to apply to any future situation that threatens the viability of the federal government.

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**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-violent-overthrow-of-the-u-s-government-possible/717529/23 "2015-04-13T05:20:35Z")

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If ten per cent of the populace went into riot, they could do a lot of harm, but I don’t think they’d destroy the government.

But if ten per cent went into dedicated terrorism, I think they could make the country unlivable. That could pretty much collapse the economy.

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