Questions abound regarding Monday’s stunning and historic power coup in the New York State Senate, but the main one is this: Will it make a difference?

The political insurrection appears to have returned control of the chamber to the Republicans, and while they immediately enacted some long-needed rule changes, the fact is that Republican fingerprints are all over the rolling disaster that is New York State government. Will they be any different now than they were a year ago, and a decade ago and three decades ago?

It won’t take long to find out, but in the meantime, New Yorkers were treated to a remarkable show of political calculation on Monday. The effort to supplant the Democratic majority began six weeks ago with the help of discontented billionaire B. Thomas Golisano and culminated in a dramatic confrontation witnessed by anyone tuned into the Senate’s live Web feed. Many journalists were, since the Republicans were clever enough to alert the media via e-mail that a coup was under way.

Democrats were caught completely off guard. Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, led the floor fight to force the issue. Democrats balked and something decidedly Kremlinish occurred shortly after they fled the chamber: As Republicans, with the help of two renegade Democrats, laid claim to the leadership, the chamber went dark and the Web feed went dead. Perhaps the Democrats thought they had no other choice, but it didn’t make them look like people who ought to be in charge of anything.

The change in leadership may be especially galling—or satisfying— to Sen. William Stachowski, D-Buffalo. Stachowski’s path to the chairmanship of the Finance Committee was blocked after November’s elections when three dissident Democrats from downstate threatened to organize with Republicans. One of them— Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx—helped deliver the Senate to the Republicans Monday. The other was Sen. Hiram Monserrate of Queens.

Both men come to the Republicans trailing ethical and legal clouds. Espada had been disciplined by former Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith for failing to file campaign finance reports and Monserrate is facing criminal charges that he slashed his girlfriend with a broken bottle. If convicted, he could go to prison for up to seven years.

Republicans’ choice in new friends notwithstanding, they started their new lease on power with some positive moves, restricting Senate leadership posts to six years and equalizing budgets for the majority and minority parties.

But will they refuse to enact budgets that spend exorbitantly and borrow recklessly? Will they stand up to the unions whose excessive influence is ruining the state? Will they empower committees and allow individual senators to force votes over the objections of the majority leader?

When that happens, reform will have come to the Senate. The other moves are fine, but they will do little to reverse the continuing decline of the upstate economy.

Last thing: When will somebody try again to overthrow the disastrous leadership in the Assembly?