Arab Spring

Mohamed Bouazizi March 29, 1984 – January 4, 2011 How did this poor fruit vendor influence uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and the rest of the Mideast?

Breaking Down Arab Spring Arab: referring to the people inhabiting the countries of the Middle East or a member of any Arabic-speaking people Spring: means to rise, leap, move, or act suddenly and swiftly, to thrust forward, or being suddenly released from a constrained position; also refers to ideas of rebirth, renewal, and regrowth Consider this name as we examine the events!

The Arab Spring (or the Arab Revolutions) refers to the recent revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world. Began on December 18, 2010

What was the Arab Spring Causes

Street Vendor’s Protest in Tunisia Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in front of the Sidi Bouzid town hall after he was publicly slapped and humiliated by a policewoman reprimanding him for selling his vegetables without a license. Until then, he had spent his days pushing a cart to sell his vegetables, but when his wares were confiscated and his pleas for restitution ignored by town officials, something snapped and a young man who had never left Tunisia transformed the Middle East. Protest spread after videos posted His act struck a chord in the impoverished interior of the country, where unemployment is still estimated at 28 percent.

Causes For Protests Dictatorship Absolute monarchy Human rights violations Government corruption Economic decline Unemployment Extreme poverty Education Factors Famine

The catalysts for the revolts in Northern African and Persian Gulf countries have also been the concentration of wealth in the hands of autocrats (authoritarian leaders) in power for decades.

Numerous factors led to the protests, but most focused on the overthrow of authoritarian (total power; the opposite of democracy/ representative government) leaders.

In all countries, there were accusations of human rights violations, government corruption, unemployment, extreme poverty…

and a large percentage of educated but dissatisfied youth within the population.

In recent decades rising living standards and literacy rates, as well as the increased availability of higher education, have created internet-savvy youth of these countries.

These young people studied in democratic nations, where they learned the value and fairness of representative government.  

Characteristics of the Protests of the Arab Spring

The protests have shared characteristics of civil resistance (protests by the public) in sustained campaigns…

…involving strikes, demonstrations, marches and rallies.

Protesters were generally young people, who also used the social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, to organize, communicate, and raise awareness in the face of their governments’ attempts at censorship.

• What difference has the social network made in Mideast uprisings? • What do you think political scientists will say in 10 years?

Egyptian Revolution on Twitter Andy talks about this

A major slogan of the demonstrators in the Arab world has been “Ash-sha`b yurid isqat an-nizam” …

("The people want to bring down the regime").

The largest, most organized demonstrations have often occurred on a “Day of Rage", usually Friday after the Muslim’s noon prayers.

Many demonstrations have met violent responses from government authorities, as well as from pro-government militias.

You Tube The Arab Spring: What Is It? CNN Running time of 2:33 minutes Published on November 23, 2011

Results and Effects of Arab Spring in 2011

The series of protests and demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa was sparked by the first protests that occurred in Tunisia which challenged police corruption.

With the success of the protests in Tunisia, a wave of unrest struck Algeria, Jordan, and Yemen, then spread to other countries.

During this period of regional unrest, several leaders announced their intentions to step down at the end of their current terms, such as the Iraqi Prime Minister.