Arab Spring: The Series of Pro-Democracy Uprisings

The Arab Spring was a wave of pro-democracy protests that engulfed a number of predominantly Muslim countries, including Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Bahrain. The events in these countries began in the spring of 2011, hence the name. However, the political and social influence of these populist uprisings is still felt today, even though many of them have ceased. The Arab Spring was a loosely linked series of uprisings that culminated in regime changes in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. However, not all of the movements could be considered successful—at least not if the end goal was enhanced democracy and cultural freedom.

Indeed, for many countries engulfed by the Arab Spring revolts, the era following has been characterized by heightened instability and tyranny. Given the Arab Spring's widespread impact across Northern Africa and the Middle East, it's easy to forget that a series of large-scale political and social movements arguably began with a single act of resistance. 

This article is going to give you an overview of what the Arab Spring or Arab Spring means and all the details about it.

Arab Spring Revolution: The Start of Jasmine Revolution

The Arab Spring began in December 2010 when Mohammed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street seller, set himself on fire. Bouazizi had been harassed by police officials who tried to shut down his business, leaving him with no redress, and his suicide by self-immolation electrified Tunisian protestors. They marched in protest of government corruption and Tunisia's dictatorial president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. After 23 years in power, he fled to Saudi Arabia a month later.

Protests in Tunisia, which were videotaped and shared via mobile devices, extended to neighboring nations. Protests against the government soon erupted in Bahrain, where demonstrators demanded the release of political prisoners and human rights reforms; Jordan; Kuwait, whose parliament was dissolved in response to public pressure; Libya, where a government crackdown on protesters sparked a civil war; and Yemen, where massive protests sparked a political crisis and forced the president to resign.

Arab Spring Map: Its Spread to Egypt and Syria

Inspired by the overthrow of Ben Ali in Tunisia, similar protests were immediately planned among young Egyptians using social media (see Wael Ghonim), bringing out enormous numbers across Egypt on January 25. Thousands of Egyptians marched in Cairo, Alexandria, and other towns on January 25, 2011, demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, who had been in power for 30 years.

On February 11, when over a million people marched to the streets, Mubarak resigned and handed over power to the military. The Muslim Brotherhood-linked government of Mohammed Morsi was elected in 2012 but was deposed the following year by the military led by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, now President.

In Syria, where peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators were met with government hostility, the ideal of democracy likewise proved transitory. After the Syrian government killed and imprisoned Arab Spring demonstrators, the country fractured into factions, resulting in sectarian warfare. Civil war broke out soon after. Foreign involvement has failed to halt the war, which has displaced more than half of Syria's population and killed up to 500,000 people.

Arab Spring Causes and Effects

The causes that triggered the Arab Spring are as follows:

The Youth of Arab: For decades, Arab countries had been sitting on a demographic time bomb. Between 1975 and 2005, the population of Arab countries more than doubled, reaching 314 million, according to the United Nations Development Program. Two-thirds of Egypt's population is under the age of 30. Most Arab regimes' political and economic progress simply could not keep up with the rapid growth of their populations, as the ruling elites' incompetence sowed the seeds of their own doom. With the growing population, unemployment also prevailed there.

Unemployment: From socialist parties to Islamist radicals, the Arab world has a long history of political strife. However, if it hadn't been for broad discontent about unemployment and inadequate living standards, the protests that began in 2011 would not have grown into a huge phenomenon. The rage of university graduates having to work as taxi drivers in order to make ends meet and families struggling to provide for their children cut across ideological lines.

Corruption: Economic troubles can be tolerated if people believe that a better future is on the horizon or that the pain is distributed fairly. In the Arab world, neither was the case, where state-led development gave way to crony capitalism that benefited only a small few. In Egypt, new business elites teamed up with the state to acquire fortunes inconceivable to the bulk of the populace, who live on $2 per day. No investment agreement in Tunisia was ever completed without a bribe to the royal family. 

Aging Autocracy: Under competent and respectable leadership, the economy could stabilize over time, but by the end of the twentieth century, most Arab dictatorships were ideologically and morally bankrupt. Egypt's Hosni Mubarak had been in power since 1980, Tunisia's Ben Ali since 1987, and Libya's Muammar al-Qaddafi had governed for 42 years before the Arab Spring erupted in 2011.

The majority of the public was extremely sceptical of these ageing governments' legitimacy, albeit, until 2011, most stayed inactive out of fear of the security services, a perceived lack of better alternatives, or fear of an Islamist takeover.

The National Appeal: The Arab Spring's global theme was crucial to its mass appeal. It was a great blend of patriotism and social message, calling on Arabs to reclaim their homeland from the corrupt rulers. Instead of ideological statements, the protestors carried national flags and the memorable rallying cry "The People Want the Regime to Fall!" that became a symbol of the movement across the region. For a brief period, the Arab Spring brought together secularists and Islamists, left-wing parties and proponents of liberal economic change, the middle class and the impoverished.

Lack of Leaders: Despite the support of youth activist groups and unions in various countries, the protests were initially mostly spontaneous and unrelated to any political party or ideological trend. As a result, the administration found it difficult to decapitate the movement by just arresting a few dissidents, a circumstance for which the security forces were entirely unprepared.

The major role of Social Media: An unknown group of activists announced the first public demonstration in Egypt on Facebook, and it drew tens of thousands of people in just a few days. The activists were able to trick the authorities by using social media as a potent mobilizing tool.

Rallying Call of the Mosque: On Fridays, when Muslim believers go to the mosque for the weekly sermon and prayers, the most prominent and well-attended rallies took place. Despite the fact that the protests were not religiously motivated, mosques were the ideal gathering place for large crowds. The government could blockade major squares and universities, but they couldn't shut down all mosques.

Other Reasons: Within a month after the Tunisian dictator overthrown in January 2011, protests had spread to practically every Arab country, with people copying the revolt's tactics, albeit with differing degrees of intensity and success. The resignation of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, one of the most prominent Middle Eastern leaders, in February 2011 was broadcast live on Arab satellite stations, shattering the fear barrier and forever changing the region.

Arab tyrants' reactions to the enormous uprisings were predictable, ranging from disdain to panic, police brutality to piecemeal reform that arrived too late. Attempts to use force to put down the protesters backfired miserably. It resulted in a civil war in Libya and Syria. Every funeral for a victim of state violence inflamed public outrage and drew more people to the streets.

Because so much of the Arab Spring's events are still unfolding, it's difficult to forecast what will happen on the streets and in the booths. Though, given the long-term awakening process, at least politically and diplomatically, some aspects can be foreseen.

While the uprising in Tunisia resulted in some human-rights advances in the country, not all of the countries that saw similar social and political turmoil in the spring of 2011 improved.

Most notably, authoritarian control appears to have returned in Egypt, where early reforms resulting from the Arab Spring gave much hope following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. Following Mohamed Morsi's contentious 2012 election, a coup orchestrated by defense minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi installed him as president in 2013, and he remains in power today.

Arab Spring Timeline

The key events of the Arab spring movement, in chronological order, are as follows:

• 17 December 2010 - After being arrested by police for not having a permit to run a vegetable stall, Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire outside a local government building in a show of defiance. Soon after his death, street protests erupt across the country.

• Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali resigns and leaves to Saudi Arabia on 14 January 2011.

• The first coordinated mass protests took place in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, on January 25, 2011.

• February 11, 2011 - Protesters organise "Days of Rage" in numerous primarily Muslim nations in February 2011 to oppose authoritarian governments and demand democratic reforms. Also, Egypt's Mubarak resigns.

• Pro-democracy demonstrations began in Syria on March 15, 2011\ 2011, May 22 - Thousands of pro-democracy protests were beaten by Moroccan police.

• Moroccan voters accepted constitutional revisions that limit the monarchy's power on July 1, 2011.

• Libyan rebels began a struggle to retake Tripoli on 20 August 2011.

• September 23, 2011 - Yemenis stage a "Million Man March," a large-scale pro-democracy rally.

• Libyan ruler Colonel Muammar Qaddafi is kidnapped, tortured, and assassinated by rebels on October 20, 2011.

• Tunisia held its first democratic parliamentary elections on October 23, 2011.

• November 23, 2011 - Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's dictator, signs a power-sharing pact. In February 2012, he resigned completely and was assassinated in 2017, while the country is still immersed in civil war.

• 2011, 28 November - Egypt holds its first democratic parliament elections. Morsi was elected president in June 2012 but was deposed in July 2013 by a coup.