A slew of political assumptions died beneath the tracks of the tanks that rolled into Bangkok on Tuesday night to drive Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power.
First to fall was the view - already under threat - that Mr Thaksin represented Asia's last strongman, a dictatorial leader who, through cunning and a vast fortune, would somehow secure the rule of his Thai Rak Thai party for decades.
Also crushed was the hope that Thailand's proud young democracy had moved beyond the era of the once-perennial putsch. It was a hope widely held as people reflected this year on the 60-year reign of their revered king, Bhumibol Adulyadej. His rare interventions over the years appeared geared to shoring up social stability and the democratic system to serve Thailand for decades to come. The once hyper-political milit-ary had stayed firmly in its barracks for 15 years following the king's last major intervention.
But Mr Thaksin was no ordinary leader. In the end he represented an aberration that pushed a finely balanced system to its limits, forcing long-suppressed reactions.
A policeman who rose to become a billionaire, Mr Thaksin had come to dominate the once-splintered Thai political arena like no other leader. His party's reach extended into neutral audit bodies, such as the Senate, that were meant to limit his powers.
That backroom influence was matched by daring populist policies that won him two elections in a row. Even his opponents have been forced to admit that he had engaged the poor Thai countryside in a way no other politician had ever even conceived. Dirt-cheap health care, flexible loans to villages and a violent crackdown on drug dealers proved hugely popular in the areas where most Thai voters live, even as they alarmed the urban elite. If an election was held tomorrow, many believe Mr Thaksin would certainly win, if not by another landslide.