The book of Curzio Malaparte, which has long become a classic all over the world, but is still unknown in our country, was written in 1931, on the eve of Hitler's coming to power. It kind of sums up the long series of revolutions, uprisings and putschas that shocked Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. Malaparte builds his own theory of a coup d'etat on historical and modern material. But this is not a dry scientific treatise, but disturbing and sad thoughts about the fate of Europe, about the fate of mankind. The author depicts leaders and dictators without embellishment: some cause him an ironic smile, others - a tremor of disgust and horror...