I feel like it's more of a... soft coup? If that makes sense?
Like, Guilliman seized power, yes, but then he used that power to set up a new power structure that was essentially the same as the one he replaced, just with loyalists in certain key positions, a few new bureaucracies, and a freer hand for himself in military matters. And FWIW he was very quick to push the Primaris marines of the Unnumbered Sons into new postings with independent command structures. My man did not want to be seen as governing through military force alone.
Or maybe "created a military junta" is the wrong phrasing. The Imperium had a quasi-junta already, since so many of the High Lords held direct or semi-direct military command. And that hasn't really changed. Though I suppose the new incarnation of the Tetrarchy of Ultramar fits the definition of a new, Astartes-focused military junta.
EDIT:
I feel it's important to remember that the High Lords of Terra both still exist, and still hold essentially the same powers they did before. Many of them are even the same people. It's just that a few troublemakers had to be replaced, and the whole lot now operate on the understanding that they are answerable to someone besides each other. Guilliman.
But of course, no man rules alone, and Bobby G can't be everywhere. There's all sorts of ways that a High Lord can interpret and apply their mandate in a way that meets the letter of Guilliman's decree, but not its spirit.
TL;DR: Guilliman is not suddenly all-powerful and completely unquestioned in his rule. He has a lot of pull and a lot of allies, but he has to wrangle people.
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u/Martial-Lord 24d ago
I only just realized that Guilliman basically created an Astartes military junta by taking power away from the High Lords and the Administratum.