A military junta (derived from a Spanish word for council or board) is a form of autocratic regime where a committee composed of military officers [Page 1111]dominates decision making. Such a committee often comes to power through a military coup d’état and remains in power through oppressive measures with the support of armed forces. A military junta forms a distinct subtype of military regime, often does not espouse a particular ideology, and is not accountable to any civilian institution.

Although a junta consists entirely of military officers, it often relies on the support of civilian technocrats to help sustain its rule. This entry offers a brief overview of junta regimes around the world, how social science scholarship has approached the study of military regimes, how it ...