"A coup d 'état, is the sudden, violent overthrow of an existing government by a small group (usually military or paramilitary). According to Oxford University, a coup differs from a revolution, in which large numbers of people work for basic social, economic and political change... many scholars consider a coup to succeed when the usurpers seize and hold power for at least seven days... Patrick McGowan, an accomplished researcher on coups in Africa, proffers that political leaders ejection from power, through unmistakably unconstitutional means, are mainly assisted by the army either on their own or in conjunction with civilian elites such as civil servants and politicians. Researchers add that an essential element of a successful coup is the process of infiltration and subversion. This ensures that a small but critical part of the security forces is totally subverted, while much of the rest is temporarily neutralised. While a variety of mechanisms exist through which coups might pave the way for democratisation, there are still widespread views against it. For starters, coups in democratic societies aren't particularly welcomed because of the stain it places on democracy. Barbara Geddes refer to this as "democratic backsliding," indicative of a democratic breakdown."