The Egyptian Revolution

“Let the people think they govern and they will be governed.”

-William Penn

Nina KappelPeriod 7

Map of Egypt

Egypt is large country located on the north eastern edge of Africa. It is west of Libya and east of the Red Sea.

Overview

• The Egyptian Revolution began on Tuesday , January 25, 2011 with protests in Cairo , Alexandria, and Suez.

• Protesters challenged the Egyptian government and their leader Hosni Mubarack for it’s corruption and autocratic rule.

• In an effort to stop the demonstrations and protests by the Egyptian people Mubarack’s regime shut down social networking sites in Egypt such as Facebook and Twitter where many of the protests were organized.

• On February 2, 2011 pro-Mubarack supporters rode into Tahir Square on horses and camels and attacked protesters with sticks and swords.

• On February 11, 2011 Hosni Mubarak resigned due to the immense pressure from the Egyptian people and foreign leaders.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HGfFyqJMrk video credit goes to Youtube and eyeinsidefilm

Leaders Wael Ghonim

Wael Ghonim a thirty year-old head of marketing for Google seems like and unlikely person to lead Revolution; however that is exactly what he did. Ghonim organized a Facebook page that opposed corruption of the Egyptian government after a man was beaten to death by Egyptian police. After the successful revolution in Tunisia Ghonim was inspired to start protests in Egypt. On January 27, 2011 Ghonim was confronted by Egyptian authorities and held until February 7.

Leaders Hosni Mubarak

Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt for almost thirty years. He became “President” when his predecessor Anwar el-Sadat was assassinated in 1981. He was able to remain in power by unethical means such as rigging elections or imprisoning those who spoke out against him. However Mubarak was forced to concede to the wishes of the protesters and resign on February 11, 2011 when the Egyptian Military sided with protestors. Mubarack is currently standing trail for his involvement in the deaths of of 800 peaceful protesters.

DemographicsMost of the participants in the “January Revolution” were young adults of both genders in their 20’s and 30’s.They were angered but they rampant unemployment in Egypt due to the huge population spike as seen in the chart .

Similarities The American Revolution

• It was led by common, everyday citizens• Supported by foreign nations• Has had a negative effect on the economy in the areas

involved with the revolution• Inspired revolutions in other countries (France, Syria, Yemen,

etc) •

The Egyptian Revolution

Differences The American Revolution

• Occurred to overthrow an oppressive dictatorship.

• Peaceful non-violent protests• Better communication

through social networking and other technological advances.

• They were able to put Mubarack on trial

• Lasted for 18 days

• Originally occurred to get a redress of grievances against the King.

• Actual battles• Slow communication by letters

• Lasted for Seven years

The Egyptian Revolution

Future of Egypt

I am optimistic about the political future of Egypt. I think it is feasible that a country like Egypt, that is populated by many well educated young people could have a bright future as a democracy. However due to the fact that the Egyptian military is currently in power I think it is also possible for the country to quickly regress become a military controlled dictatorship again.

Bibliography• “The Face of Egypt's Social Networking Revolution” cbsnews.com. February 12, 2011 7:47

PM. October 23, 2011 3:57PM http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/12/eveningnews/main20031662.shtml

• “Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Resigns”. CBS February 11, 2011 11:08 AM. October 26, 2011 5:42 PM. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/11/world/main20031504.shtml

• “Hosni Mubarak”. The New York Times. Sept 26, 2011. October 26, 2011 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/hosni_mubarak/index.html

• Giglio, Mike. “The Facebook Freedom Fighter”. Newsweek Magazine Feb 13, 2011 10:00 AM . http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/02/13/the-facebook-freedom-fighter.html

• Kannalley, Craig. “Egypt Revolution 2011: A Complete Guide To The Unrest” Huffington Post Jan 30, 2011. October 26, 2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/egypt-revolution-2011_n_816026.html

• Mungin, Lateef. “Amnesty: Egypt far from justice over unrest that killed more than 800” CNN News. May 19, 2011 . October 26, 2011 http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-19/world/egypt.revolution.report_1_egyptian-leaders-protesters-egyptian-revolution?_s=PM:WORLD

• Said, Atef. “Egypt: After the Revolution” Amnesty International Magazine June 1, 2011. October 26, 2011 http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/news-item/egypt-after-the-revolution.’

• “2011 Egyptian revolution”. Wikipedia. October 26, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Egyptian_revolution