What is a Junta?

Question

What is a Junta?

1. A. Descendant of monarchs who are ineligible to rule
2. B. Collection of experts who advise the government
3. C. Military group that takes control of the government (Correct answer)
4. D. Elected civilians who advise a monarchy

Correct Answer

Option C — Military group that takes control of the government

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Military group that takes control of the government.

Key Points

• A junta is a committee of military officers that seizes and exercises governmental power, usually following a coup d'état.
• The word comes from Spanish, meaning a council or committee, and entered wider use through Latin American and Iberian politics.
• Rule by a junta is a form of military dictatorship, typically suspending the constitution and civil liberties.
• It is distinct from an advisory council of experts or any civilian body advising a monarch.

Additional Information

• The word is Spanish and Portuguese in origin, where *junta* simply means a council or committee; the sense of military rule attached to it through Latin American politics.
• Distinguish it from neighbouring terms: an oligarchy is rule by a small elite of any kind, a dictatorship is rule by one person, and a coup d'état is the *act* of seizure rather than the body that results from it.
• A modern example is the military junta that took power in Myanmar in February 2021.