A coup d'état, also called a coup, is the act of overthrowing a government, but not necessarily destroying the state. As such, a coup does not always lead to the overthrow of the dominating class. Coups have been used and have also been instrumental in socialist revolutions, counter-revolutions and bourgeois revolutions.
Etymology
The name comes from the French, and literally means a "blow of the state", and should be understood to mean a "knockout blow [to the government]".