Essay about Arab Spring, Social Movement?

Although the people’s voice is being heard and changes are being made, blood flows down the streets as people are being killed violently everyday. Many people believe it would have been more beneficial if the Middle East had completely avoid the Arab Spring or at least have gone a more passive road. Through the history of the region, leaders of Arab countries have anchored their position to later become rich and

The term “Arab Spring” has emerged in academic literature as well as in the general media from about early 2011. It refers to the “awakening” of some Arab nations and the movements to replace authoritarian regimes with democratic ones. The theme of “spring” and “awakening” seems to have been borrowed from the 1989 reform movements in the former Eastern-block nations, such as in the former German Democratic Republic or Hungary. However, this comparison has been criticised by some analysts since both the circumstances which have led to these movements as well as the outcome of these reform efforts seem to differ quite a lot. Yet, the Arab Spring term seems to be still widely used and even found an extension in the creation of the term Arab Winter which refers to events that happened in 2012 in some Arab countries during which these reform movements seemed to have “cooled-off” and particular nations, such as Egypt, attempted to go back to the status-quo of the pre-2011 era.

One of the most renowned social movements since the civil rights movement was the “Occupy Movement”. This movement helped people see how big of a fraud the financial system was, at the the time. These occupiers demanded that there be a change towards the lack of real democracy and social inequality that was displayed within the economy during this time. Occupiers wanted economical justice, and through their protests they earned the economical rights they deserved. For example, “The occupy movement started as result of the great recession from 2007-2011. Due to the Subprime mortgage crisis, the stock market crashed and people on wall street began to rage with protest which led to this movement. Occupiers were resolute to make a change towards

The Vietnam War protests happened in the 1960s in America and was a part of the Cold War. People and specifically, youths, such as college students, protested mostly about the draft and the inhumane conditions and implications of the war. There were many violent street protests that escalated into violent riots and fires. The Tunisian or “Jasmine” Revolution took place from 2010-2011 in Tunisia. The youth, such as young adults, protested mostly about government corruption such as repression of civil liberties and rights. Both these protests were spurred and carried on mainly by passionate youth activists. While the characteristics for youth activism in both America and Tunisia are similar in that they both included violent protests and arson,

The Arab spring has generated much controversy as a result of demonstrating that countries that were apparently peaceful were actually determined to remove their governments and install a new ideology that would be compassionate with regard to its people. Some nations actually went as far as to put oppressors down and to bring reform throughout their countries. However, it rapidly became clear that peace was far away when considering that new leaders were unable to satisfy people's needs and that the masses wanted to be provided with more power.

The Southern textile movement in 1934 and the recruitment of youth Egyptians might initially seem completely unrelated. While, the two movements vary significantly in what they are trying to accomplish, they still have have some overlap with tactics of mobilization. The 1934 workers strike was one of largest known workers strike in America’s history and the ongoing recruitment of Egyptian youth is an ongoing response to the aggravation about the current economy. The definition of a social movement has been challenged in the comparison of these two seemingly dissimilar “movements”.

“As they fathom injustice, organize to protest, craft a tactics, and engage in action, these bodies read what is happening and articulate their imaginative rebuttal. In so doing they demonstrate to themselves and all those watching that something can be done. Could this be why they are called political ‘movements’?”

Social movements come about as people of small groups which are loosely connected are united by a single purpose. Unlike interest groups who are often bureaucratic, social movements are loosely organized. Protests are often done to express people’s dissent or support on a certain issue or advocacy. However, not all social movements are able to thrive since their existence relies on the existence of a certain event or issue. Some social movements also decline since they succeeded, especially in movements with very specific goals. For others, movements are also at risk of repression and co-optation from the government, especially in non-democratic countries.

In France in the late 18th century information was spread by the use of public spheres, books, newspapers, coffee houses, and salons. In France there was a realm of common discourse and every person was expected to have an opinion on the issues of the day. The ideas of the France Revolution were spread through public realm. When people see that one nation is having success protesting with nonviolent acts on the television, people inother countries are more inclined to walk the streets asking for changes. During the French Revolution, once the proletariats found out the lifestyle of the nobles and they could not afford to buy basic necessities through the public sphere, a revolution occurred. Once people realized the extravagance the nobles lived through, people got angry. During the Arab spring, social media changed everything. Due to technology, leaders would find it nearly impossible to fire against protesters because CNN would be covering it on live TV.2 When the Arab leaders choose to fire there was a lot of criticism. Nothing could stay secret for very long due to the invention of the internet. Information was given instantly and it was difficult to deny the abuses on the people there. It was much more staggering to watch a video of someone being beheaded for a crime than to read about it in a pamphlet. People began to realize there was a better world out there and they started to rebel. The poor helpless commoners in France and Arab nations had nothing to lose and everything to gain through a

Contrary to popular beliefs, civil activism and civil society has managed to thrive in the Middle East. Social movements on a variety of topics have occurred despite the lack of democracy and democratic institutions in certain countries. One popular movement was the Arab Ba’ath Movement which eventually led to the formation of the Baath Party. By analyzing the movement’s history, ideological stance, goals, the actors, dissenters, and international aspect, one can determine how and why the movement flourished in Syria.

The Arab Spring reflect to employ new idea to tackle socio-economic and political crises and that remain unsolved for decades (Foley, 2013). The government in Arab world are much more different and is risky to approach these uprising as one set of movement. Most regime in post-communist states change with elite consensus and almost no role of military except Romania, while the Arab was moved to the upper movement and military played a key role in transition process (Foley,

Start by narrowing the historical literature down into three main schools of thought so you can take a closer look at how social movements are born, why some succeed, and others fail. (Clearly, using a broad brush to paint a simplified scope of the topic, but this will help to centralize the data in a more digestible context.) The main schools of thought in this paper have been grouped in the following types of action: Collective Action, Economic/Political, and Leadership Centered.

In late 2010, a tidal wave of uprisings and protests in various parts of the Arab world emerged. It began with the Tunisian revolution when the martyr Mahmoud Bouazizi set fire to himself as a result of the deteriorating economic and social. This led to protests and demonstrations that ended with the fall of the ruling regime. In Tunisia which sparked the beginning of revolutions in many Arab countries, this is known as an Arab Spring. The question remains what are the real reasons that led to the Arab Spring and its effects? the causes of the Arabic spring May be varied, depending on the places, however the reasons can be a corruption in economic policies and demand social justice as the key motives and protests in the Arab world. This essay will discuss the most important reasons, and the effects of what is known as the Arab Spring.

Most individuals who were involved in the protests were led by the belief that it was through the protests that they could better their lives. The majority of the Egyptian citizens have felt down, trodden and despised over the recent years by their governments. Most governments were revolts were witnessed had stayed in power for a long period of time. In Egypt, for example, Mubarak had stayed in power for more than 40 years. Removing him from powered through democratic means had borne no fruits since most presidential elections had been marred by instances or rigging and corruption. He had therefore instituted himself as a president for life. One aspect of Mubarak’s governments was that it was dictatorial. Besides, the people surrounding Mubarak were so powerful that talking negatively about the president could easily lead an individual into trouble.

The Arab Spring has been a life changing phenomena, not only for the people who are attempting to overthrow their governments but for political scientists everywhere. The events originating in the North African country of Tunisia have led to the snowballing of several other Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim, nation states. The figurative breaking point might have finally been reached as the oppressed peoples of the Middle East have risen up to overthrow long-standing dictatorial governments in hopes of revolutionary change; change that is subject to the will of the people.