This chapter explains how Uganda’s post-1986 political order has been shaped by the interplay between state power and entrenched social structures. It goes beyond explanations that emphasize coercion by arguing that the endurance of the NRM regime rests on its ability to craft bargains with historically entrenched social groups such as monarchies, religious institutions, and landed elites. These groups actively negotiate their place in the postwar settlement, leveraging their social embeddedness to shape the contours of state power. The chapter shows that the NRM’s durability stems from its dual strategy of selectively accommodating certain social groups to broaden legitimacy while marginalizing or repressing others whose autonomy threaten regime authority. The result has been a civil-authoritarian system that combines coercion and accommodation, embedding militarized rule within Uganda’s fragmented sociopolitical landscape.