Coup attempt in Turkey: What you need to know

If you’re not up on the latest events in Turkey, here’s a brief explainer about the coup attempt and what brought it about.

Why did the uprising happen now?

Thousands crowd the Bosphoros bridge in Istanbul after the coup failed.

Simple answer: The timing may be due to what analysts predicted would be a purge of high-ranking military officials at a military council meeting scheduled for August. The purge was expected to target military officers thought to be close to Fethullah Gulen, a 75-year-old moderate cleric in self-imposed exile in the United States.

The longer answer is that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a lot of enemies over his tenure, including followers of Gulen – Gulenists – who were his allies for most of his tenure when he served as prime minister. In fact, it was with the help of the Gulenists that he was able to carry out the previous military purge, which targeted secularist generals and officers.

But after a fallout that started with the government trying to shut down Gulenist educational centers and the Gulenists accusing senior administration officials of bribery, the friction between the former allies became openly hostile. The government now categorizes the Gulenists as a terrorist organization, called FETO. Over the last year, police ranks have been cleansed of Gulenist officers.

MORE: The real tragedy of Turkey’s coup attempt

Who were the coup plotters and why didn’t it work?

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Updated 11:41 PM EDT, Sun July 17, 2016

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The man blamed for Turkish coup attempt

01:41 - Source: CNN

Erdogan publicly blamed Gulen as having something to do with the planning of the coup, a charge Gulen vehemently denied. The government has already arrested military commanders and members of the judiciary that it alleges are “would-be junta collaborators.”

In a country that has experienced four coups and three coup attempts, most would argue this was a “sloppy” and “disorganized” try. But more importantly, Erdogan and his supporters have always known that it may come down to trying to stare down a coup attempt.

The normal for Turkey is that any saber-rattling by the Turkish military would either make the democratically elected government back down or resign. Erdogan faced down the military previously when he tried to install his pick for president, Abdullah Gul. When the military objected, Erdogan ordered a referendum and won.

While the would-be junta leaders managed to take over state broadcaster TRT Friday night, more widely watched news channels were all still on air. The piece de resistance was Erdogan on Facetime, calling on his supporters to flood the streets of Turkey, thereby nullifying the junta’s declaration of martial law and a curfew. In fact, officials in Turkey are still calling on people to stay in the streets and squares as a protective measure against any further attempts.

MORE: How the coup went down

Is Erdogan still popular across the country?

Police try to stop people from attacking a judge, suspected in the failed coup plot, in Erzurum, Turkey on Tuesday, July 19. Turkey has fired or suspended about 50,000 people as the government intensifies a crackdown following last weekend's failed coup attempt. Teachers, journalists, police and judges have been affected.

Police escort Turkish soldiers, accused of taking part in the attempted coup, as they leave a courthouse in Istanbul's Bakirkoy neighborhood on Saturday, July 16.

Turkish police officers cover the eyes of soldiers as they are transported in a bus from the courthouse in Istanbul on July 16.

Akin Ozturk, front row, center, a four-star general and former commander of the Turkish air force, is among those in police custody whom President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has accused of having led the failed coup attempt.

In a mass detention in Ankara, dozens of detainees are forced to kneel, partially stripped.

A man waves a Turkish flag from a car roof during a July 16 march around Kizilay Square in Ankara after the attempted military coup.

Damaged vehicles are abundant outside the presidential palace in Ankara on July 16.

People kick and beat a Turkish soldier suspected in the attempted coup on Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge on July 16.

Women react after people took over a military position on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

People gather outside the Turkish Parliament in Ankara during an extraordinary session after the failed coup attempt.

Turkey Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses the Turkish Parliament after the failed coup attempt.

A protester rests on a bench as smoke billows from the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara.

People stand under a huge Turkish flag during a march around Kizilay Square in Ankara in reaction to the attempted coup.

Members of the Turkish military surrender on Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge on after a failed coup attempt.

People protesting against the coup wave a Turkish flag on top of a monument in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

Clothes and weapons belonging to soldiers involved in the coup attempt are scattered on Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

A Turkish police officer in Istanbul embraces a man on a tank in the wake of the violence overnight.

Smoke billows from the direction of the Presidential Palace in Ankara on July 16.

People gather on top of a Turkish military tank in Ankara in the morning after the coup attempt. National intelligence officials said the coup was put down and that the government remains in control.

Turkish people wave national flags from a car in Istanbul.

People gather around a car damaged by a tank in Kizilay Square early on July 16.

People take to the streets near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul.

People escape the clashes in Ankara early Saturday.

Tanks move into position as Turkish citizens attempt to stop them in Ankara.

Citizens in Sivas rush to the streets during the chaotic coup attempt.

A man approaches Turkish military with his hands up at the entrance to the partially closed Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

A wounded man is given medical care at the entrance to the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul after clashes with Turkish military.

People react in front of the Justice and Development Party's headquarters in Karabuk.

Soldiers secure an area as supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

Turkish military members make their way through the streets of Istanbul.

Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in front of soldiers in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on CNN Turk via a FaceTime call in Istanbul after members of the country's military attempted to overthrow the government.

Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's iconic Bosphorus Bridge.

Turkish security officers detain police officers, seen in black, in Istanbul, during a security shutdown on the Bosphorus Bridge.

A military airplane is seen flying over Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged people to take to the streets and stand up to the military.

People take cover near the Bosphorus Bridge as military airplanes fly overhead.

Turkish soldiers are seen on the Asian side of Istanbul.

A Turkish security officer stands guard on the side of the road.

Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge.

Failed military coup in Turkey

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Erdogan is loved and worshiped by a good half of the country. The other half detests him passionately.

But coups have gone out of fashion in Turkey, which previously had a record of 10-year coup cycles and poor economic performance that may have swayed even those who aren’t really fond of Erdogan to support him against the would-be junta. When it comes to Erdogan’s popularity, his most ardent supporters routinely profess their willingness to die for him. He’s particularly popular among the poorer, more pious Muslim women who wear the veil and newly prosperous Muslim businessmen. And in a rare display of cross-regional reach, Erdogan supporters straddle the entirety of Turkey. While opposition leaders and parties tend to be regionally restricted, Erdogan has supporters in large and small cities as well as across rural parts of Turkey.

Where does Turkey go from here?

Erdogan speaks to supporters on Saturday in Istanbul.

Turkey now faces even more uncertainty. With Erdogan emerging victorious from the biggest challenge a Turkish politician can face, he’s in an even better position to consolidate his power. While he has been pursing his presidential ambitions openly, there were still obstacles and challenges ahead of him. But now, with the military purge already under way, there are concerns about whether it will target the actual perpetrators of the coup or will turn into a bigger witch hunt for anyone opposed to the president.

What does it mean for Turkey as a NATO country and for the international community in general?

Turkey’s NATO membership and its international commitments remain the cornerstone of Turkish foreign policy. But if the power in Turkey becomes even more concentrated in Erdogan, the lines of communication to the Turkish bureaucracy or other state institutions will be severely limited.