With a recent wave of coups, the political situation in West- and Central Africa is undergoing significant changes. The coups haven taken place in a changing world that is marked by the emergence of new actors like China and Russia in Africa, a worldwide trend of autocratization, and a new rhetoric of “neo-panafricanism”. The seminar will introduce historic and recent examples of military coups and offer insights into empirical data collected in coup-affected countries. Among others, the following questions will be discussed: What are the causes for these takeovers? What is coup-proofing, and when is it successful? Do people support the military regimes and are there prospects for democratization?