Egypt Sarah Betti Period 2 From Pyramid Builders to Freedom Fighters

South of the Mediterranean Sea in Northeast Africa Next to the Gaza Strip, Red Sea and Libya Map of Egypt Egypt

Leaders Pre-Revolution: President Hosni Mubarak  Nearly 30 years in power Currently: The president and vice president positions are not filled. Current leader: The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) leader Defense Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Revolution Leaders:  Nobel Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei  Wael Ghonim  used Facebook and Twitter to organize revolution and the Day of Rage  Muslim Brotherhood

Demography Religion: Muslim 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1% Language: Arabic (official), English and French Population: 82,079,636 Median Age: 24.3 years Life Expectancy: years Labor Force: Agriculture: 32% Industry: 17% Services: 51%

Similarities to American Revolution Both fought on home soil. In Egypt, both forces were on home turf. Since 1950, Egyptian government:  Closed newspapers  Silenced political parties and intellectuals England proposed new Acts to try to stop the unification of the colonies.  Stamp Act  Intolerable Acts  Townshed Acts America had no representation in Parliament, which is similar to shutting down the Egyptian political parties Most powerful motivator was written word  Egypt—Facebook and Twitter  America—Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

Similarities to American Revolution Both started due to government’s treatment of citizens.  Egypt—poverty, rampant unemployment, government corruption and autocratic government  America— Taxation without representation, Townshed Acts, Currency Act, Sugar Act, Tea Act, Stamp Act, Declaratory Act Both Egypt and American citizens were fighting for a cause. The Governments only wanted to end the rebellion and continue control. Both had women play a role in Revolution  Egypt—women posted on Facebook and Twitter. They took to the street as demonstrators alongside men.  America—women followed husbands (Martha followed George Washington at Valley Forge) to raise morale and provide support.  Some women, like Molly Pitcher, actually participated in battle.

Differences from American Revolution Beginning of Revolution  Egypt—protest in Cairo, shouted "Down with Mubarak"  America—sent Olive Branch Petition to King George III Egypt:  Mobbed the capital  Destroyed old government  Had no plan for a new government until revolution was over America:  United together to present their case  Formed the Continental Army  Wrote the Declaration of Independence

Differences from American Revolution Egypt—destroyed Parliament and left military in charge. They were an angry mob with no government protection. America—kept the original state Constitutions and Congress—citizens had protection and leadership.  New leaders elected to replace pro-Tory leaders Egypt revolt was centered around the capital—Cairo The American Revolution did not have a center. Took place throughout the colonies in three phases.

Where is Egypt going? Another revolution could occur:  The government, instead of being democratic, could become radical Islamic  With the military controlling the government, another dictator could gain control  The Muslim Brotherhood is trying to gain power  Protests by Coptic Christians against the military council Military is holding onto power  “We will keep the power until we have a president.” ~Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy  “No political party can trust the SCAF now. We are seeing the real face of the SCAF, after the lifting of the mask.” ~Emad Gad an active member of the Social Democratic Party A new president needs to be elected  Elections will be held after Parliament is created, and after a new constitution is written  Could take until 2013 for new government to be fully created  The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will keep power until president is elected.

Works Cited “The American Revolution.” N2Genealogy Oct “Egypt.” The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. 23 Oct “The Face of Egypt’s Social Networking Revolution.” CBS Interactive Inc. 12 Feb Oct Kanalley, Craig. “Egypt Revolution 2011: A Complete Guide.” The Huffington Post. 25 May. 23 Oct html. Kirkpatrick, David. “Egypt’s Military Expands Power, Raising Alarms.” The New York Times. 14 Oct Oct military-expands-power-raisingalarms.html?_r=1&sq=egypt&st=cse&scp=4& pagewanted=print Purcell, Thomas. "It's Just Like the American Revolution! Not...“ Feb Oct not.html. “Egypt News — Revolution and Aftermath.” The New York Times. 17 Oct Oct “Washington reacts to Egypt’s protests.” Stars and Stripes Oct egypt “World Map.” The UC Atlas of Global Inequality. 12 Feb Oct Zakaria, Fareed. “How Democracy Can Work in the Middle East.” Time Magazine. 3 Feb. 23 Oct