Crisis in Egypt

What is a revolution? A revolution is

an overthrow or repudiation and the
thorough replacement of
an
established
government or political
system by the people
governed.
(Dicionary.com)
Revolutions have been
taking place since the
beginning of time. They can occur on a
large or small scale. Their results
include major changes in culture,
economy,
and
political
power.
Revolutions usually will take place
when the people of a country are sick
and tired of their political leaders. The
people will rally and begin to oppose
them. They will try to overrun
government and force out the people
they oppose in power. An example of
this was the Egyptian Revolution in
2011.
Egypt today has a population of
approximately 79 million. The country
staged its first modern revolution in
1919 and gained independence in
1922. The country had continuous
instability due to remaining British
influence led to a second revolution in
1952 and the creation of the Egyptian
Republic in 1953. Egypt had never had
a fully developed government. Which
leaves it vulnerable to revolutions
against the government.
The Egyptian Revolution or
Egyptian Uprising of 2011 began in
the early December of 2010. Across
the Middle East there were mass cases
of poverty, corruption, and political
repression. In 2011, a popular uprising
forced one of the regions longestserving and most influential leaders,
President osn Mubrak, from power.
The first demonstration occurred in
Tunisia in December of 2010. It was

triggered by the self-immolation of a

young man frustrated by Tunisias high
unemployment rate and rampant
police corruption. There were rallies
calling for President Zine alAbidine Ben Ali to step down
from power. As clashes
between
police
and
protesters escalated, Ben Ali
announced
a
series
of
economic
and
political
solutions to the people in an
unsuccessful attempt to end the
unrest.
The
demonstrations
had
gotten so violent it had forced Ben Ali
to flee the country. The apparent
success of the popular uprising in
Tunisia, inspired similar movements in
other Countries, including Egypt,
which sparked the fire for the
Egyptians.
In Egypt, demonstrations began
and were organized by youth groups.
The protestors immediately took
control of the capital cities around the
country. The protesters called for
Mubrak to step down from power
immediately, clearing the way for free
elections
and
democracy.
The
demonstrations quickly escalated and
became much more violent. This did
not come without repercussions from
the Mubrak regime. They began
increasingly violent tactics against
protesters, resulting in hundreds of
injuries and deaths. Mubrak also
announced reforms to the people to
calm the unrest. He said that he would
step down at the end of his term in
2011 and naming Omar Suleiman as
vice president. This did little to calm
the unrest. After almost three weeks of
relentless protest, Mubrak stepped
down as president, which left the
Egyptian military in control of the
country.
The Egyptian Revolution had had a
strong influence on the country today.
Egypt had been stable since this

revolution for quite a while. Although,

observers had noticed that the
political change could have an impact
on the countries foreign affairs. For
example, the Central elements of
Egypts foreign policy under Mubrak,
such as Egypts political-military
alignment with the United States and
the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty,

embraced by Egypts leaders but

unapproved and unpopular Egyptian
public,
could
be
weakened
or
destroyed by the new government.

Work Cited:
http://www.britannica.com/event/Egypt-Uprising-of-2011
"Egypt Uprising of 2011." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica, Web. 14 Jan. 2016.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/revolution
Dictionary.com. Web.14 Jan. 2016.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/egypt-revolution2011_n_816026.html
Kanalley, Craig. "Egypt Revolution 2011: A Complete Guide To The Unrest."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Web. 14 Jan. 2016.