The 2371 Cardassian coup d'etat occurred in the wake of the near-annihilation of the Cardassian Obsidian Order by Dominion forces in the Gamma Quadrant. The coup was initiated by the leaders of the Cardassian dissident movement, a group of elite civilians who resented military rule and wished for power to be transferred to the Detapa Council. (DS9 episode: "The Way of the Warrior", DS9 novel: The Never-Ending Sacrifice)