Arab spring protest movement

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Arab Spring protest movement
History is perceived as a change of cultural perspectives, buildings, technology, political and military events that are recorded from time to time. It also follows the explanation of recorded past events. The events either bring enhancement or destruction. The most remarkable history in the world is that of the Great Depression. The American economy was doing poorly, and many countries in the world were affected. People lacked jobs and the capital to pay for their basic needs. The following paper, on the other hand, focuses on the Arab Spring movement that occurred in Tunisia in early 2011. The main purpose of the spring was to protest against violence and unfair government tactics. The protest was aimed at restoring peace and justice to people. The context of the paper also focuses on the origin of the movements, historical context, key figures, key moments, strategies and impacts of the Arab Spring.
MOVEMENT’S ORIGIN
Significant developments took place in the ancient’s history, and the most recognized was that of the Middle East and North African regions of the world (Marcavitz 1-96). Egypt was known for its unique techniques in architecture. Pyramids were the most popular. A king at the time by the Name Hammurabi set up the first laws that recognized equality for all. People felt inspired by the laws. Unfortunately, the Europeans powers came and took away everything and the nations were left with nothing.

The Arabs, on the other hand, grew to be a people of faith. They followed the Islam religion and adhered to its beliefs and rules. They were then ruled by the Ottomans and could no longer do things at their free will. After World War 2, the Middle East and North Africa were granted self-rule following the United Nations organization. There were efforts to bring peace in the Arabian countries but to no avail. One of the most recognized efforts was that of Pan-Arab Unity. The ruler at the time, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt tried to bring all Arabs together. His efforts bore no fruits as sometimes the Europeans countries such as the United Sates interfered. There were also struggles in dealing with the dictatorship of ruthless leaders.
Many protests have been carried out over the years as the Arabs fought for their rights. Until recently in late 2010, a mass protest following a big crowd started in Tunisia. The protest was referred to as Arab Spring. The uprising rose popularity in the world under the Western Media in early 2011.The Protestants were angry because of the unending rule by ruthless dictators, corruption, hiking prices for commodities, unemployment and security issues. In other words, they were fighting for equality (Stepanova 6). Equality is a common term in the past and the present. It refers to fair and just treatment to all individuals regardless of their race, gender, religion and many other factors to consider. It calls for the total eradication of all forms of discrimination. In the modern world, equality is viewed as reasonable knowledge where everything falls into a system. A system where everything is regarded as the same. The Arabs, therefore, wanted a just leadership that provided people with equal opportunities.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The historical context of the Arab Spring is traced back in the Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution. Tunisia was colonized by France and became independent in the year 1956.The first president to be elected was Habib Bourguiba. He advocated for human rights implementation in the society at the time. Women rights were emphasized, and polygamous marriages were banned. Divorce procedures followed a new route where women did not feel intimidated. The laws also protected women from unfair acts such as being kicked out of their homes. In 1974, Bourguiba was determined in being the president as long as he lived. Unfortunately, his leadership was not that pleasing and people tolerated him. The country was prospering in most of its areas, and the citizens did not want to spoil that. In 1984, people began protesting in the streets. There was a big challenge in the food shortage, and the government was doing nothing about it. The government, on the other hand, reacted brutally following the riots. They imprisoned and killed many people.
In 1987, the president appointed a new prime minister so as to have more control over his people. The state became a living hell for the citizens. The economy was doing badly, and the people were no longer delightful. People continued living in fear, and many were arrested if they tried to object anything the president said. Ben Ali, he was the current Prime Minister and promised to reform Tunisia. During the current elections, the people believed him, and they hoped for a better future. His rule was one of the aspects that contributed to the rise of the Arab Spring. Regardless of his promises, nothing much changed in Tunisia. The president released prisoners and allowed creation of political parties. However, the political parties were limited to power and in the next election carried out in 1989; the opposition parties won no seats in the government. The president either made them be pulled off from elections or ensured that their votes were never counted.
In 2004, he became president again after promising to make reforms to the people of Tunisia. His family lived in luxury and even owned a private jet. The president held parties and invited distinguished guests all over the world. It is also believed that the daughter owned a pet tiger. The wife and the president did not possess or own businesses that were rightfully theirs (Anderson 2-7). In the city of Sidi Bouzid, a fruit vendor is spotted. His life is not pleasing, and he earns a living by selling fruits (Campante 167-187). Most citizens are also poor and can hardly get jobs in their country. Some were lucky to find jobs abroad. The fruit vendor was mistreated several times by the authorities. Their main reason for doing this was that the vendor did not have a license to sell fruits. On January 4th, 2011, the young man committed suicide by setting himself on fire. The event took place at the outside environment of the government headquarters. People were angry because of what had happened, and they began protesting in a large crowd.
KEY FIGURES AND KEY MOMENTS
In 1961, Muammar Gaddafi was the dictator at the time. He executed his power in Libya. He was a better dictator than many others that had ruled. He was known as an appealing young officer who was admired by many. One of his primary tasks was portrayed in his efforts to get rid of the baggage that the economy was going through. Many foreign people had dominated the economy at the time. The people of Libya had few positions in the economy. He fought for the control of oil to the country of Libya. The oil had been discovered much earlier in the 1950’s, but many foreign petroleum companies ran the business. The oil benefited many foreign investors and customers as the prices were lower in those countries. Libya, on the other hand, dealt with high set prices in oil. The dictator was not impressed. He threatened to cut off production channels if the foreign organizations did not agree to his terms. The session became a success and Libya began its development projects after acquiring wealth from the oil. He was also a political theorist renown for developing political theories especially in his famous book the Green Book.
TIMELINE
January 13, 2011
In this year, the citizens of Libya protested against their leader Gaddafi. They wanted poverty to be eradicated in the country.
In 1981, Hosni Mubarak became president of Egypt. His dictatorship rule lasted for thirty years. He is remembered for making his country turn into a police state.
June 2010
Much protesting was going on in Egypt. An activist is beaten to his last breath, and this arouses more riots in the country.
In 1987
Ben Ali takes the position of dictatorship in Tunisia. He promises his people a good democracy but turns his country into a police state. The citizens were mistreated.
January 14, 2011
Ben Ali orders the army of Tunisia to fire those rioting. When they refused, to listen, he fled away to Saudi Arabia
December 17, 2010
A young man is abused by the police. Later in the begging of the New Year, he sets himself on fire. Demonstrators begin in an effort to fighting for justice.
January 25, 2011
In Cairo, a multitude of people gathers to protest. The police try to interfere, but the riots are much of a success than a fail.
January 28, 2011
The police become brutal with the Protestants, and around eight people are killed
February 17, 2011
A crowd protests at Al Manar Plaza in Benghazi. Gaddafi the dictator orders fire to be directed at the demonstrators. The Protestants become troubled, and they start attacking with their weapons. A civil war sprouts in Libya.
March 17, 2011
The demonstrators are provided military support after the United Nations prevents aircrafts from flying off to Libya.
June 2012
Mohamed Morsi becomes president of Egypt and promises a fair rule to the citizens.
October 20, 2011
Gaddafi is executed by the rebels in the city by the name of Sirte.
July 2, 2013
A thousand people are killed after protesting against Morsi removal in the presidency seat.
August 21, 2013
Zamalka, EinTarma, and Jobar north of Damascus are attacked by Syrian Troops, and at least 1500 people are killed.
August 23, 2011
The Civil war in Libya comes to an end. Gaddafi dictatorship also comes to a halt.
March 20.2011
Police at the city of Syrian attack a crowd of people and the people fight back leading to another civil war.
February 11, 2011
The Egyptian Army and Barrack Obama’s reign forces Mubarak to resign.
STRATEGIES
The Arab Spring followed some strategies. One of them is demonstrations. It refers to a meeting that is done publicly and in the action of protests so as to express views about a particular political occurrence. The people were protesting and rioting because the leaders governing them were politically corrupt and greedy. Individuals were also engaged in civil disobedience. It refers to refusing to follow government laws or commands. Some leaders after witnessing the demonstrations urged the rebels to end their protesting acts. They refused, and most of them ended up being killed. Some of them used internet activism. Social media is very prevalent in the world today. Most of the Protestants used the internet to post the ordeals of the demonstrations and their next moves in fighting for their rights. Other forms of communication were not accessible (Howard et al. 5). Others used protest camps. A protecting group of one million individuals was witnessed in some parts of the Arab state. Unfortunately, their camping sites faced a lot of opposition from the police and authorities.
Riots were another form of strategies. It involves starting violent actions to air grievances. Most Protestants rioted and were sometimes forced to cause a destruction of property. Some leaders were angered by the riots and sent troops to attack the rebels. The rebels, on the other hand, were forced to use dangerous weapons to fight their opponents. Those working, for example, the people in Oman, engaged in strikes to demand higher pays for their work. Lastly, they used self-immolation processes to demand their rights. A young fruit vendor committed suicide by burning himself.
IMPACTS
The Arab Spring left a legacy in countries affected. Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya were the role players in the rebels. The Arab states create by the actions taken by the Protestants. They had major impacts on the land of these countries. In Yemen, a leader was thrown out of power after enduring an injury. The man had organized a war against his people from Libya. He was forced out of the throne by influential individuals in the Arab state. A king in Jordan decided to make his ruling Democratic and promised to have a fair ruling. He started by giving more power to the prime minister at the time. Individuals in Oman where oil is mostly produced, Protested and demanded higher wages. Although the place was going through a lot of developments, the poor felt urged by the Protestants in the Arab Spring to fight for what was rightfully theirs. The leader of the time known as Qaboos promised to create more employment benefits to the area.
People in a small Island by the name Bahrain were also initiated into forming a demonstration. A multitude of individuals planted themselves in the streets of the Island (Marcavitz 1-96). They were around one million. Unfortunately, it did not end well for them. The Police were reinforced to wipe them out. In some places, women were given a chance to vote and also rule people. A few government seats were set aside for them.
CONCLUSION
The Arab Spring as discussed above, it likened to equality. It is related to many aspects such as freedom, expression, and democracy. The just and unjust and that which is perceived as right and wrong. In other words, it is that which creates peace among us. Every individual and society have their view on equality and how they would like it to be expressed. The most important thing to consider is the ability of the rights and freedoms to maximize benefits and reduce on negatives. The negatives are the opposite of equality. The things that cause war and violence among people. The measures taken to deal with any forms of inequality must be free of any violence regardless of the circumstances. Leaders must also be elected carefully through an organized criterion that is free of any bias.
 
Works Cited
Anderson, Lisa. “Demystifying the Arab Spring: parsing the differences between Tunisia, Egypt,
and Libya.” Foreign Affairs (2011): 2-7.
Campante, Filipe R., and Davin Chor. “Why was the Arab world poised for revolution?
Schooling, economic opportunities, and the Arab Spring.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 26.2 (2012): 167-187.
Howard, Philip N., and Muzammil M. Hussain. Democracy’s fourth wave?: digital media and
the Arab Spring. Oxford University Press on Demand, 2013.
Marcavitz, Hal. The Arab Spring Uprisings. 1st ed., United States, Referencepoint Press, Inc.,
2014,.
Stepanova, Ekaterina. “The role of information communication technologies in the “arab
spring”.” Ponars Eurasia 15 (2011): 1-6.