Arab Spring
Protests and revolutions in the Arab world in the 2010s / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Arab Spring (Arabic: الربيع العربي, ar-rabīˁ al-ˁarabī) is a wave of protests and demonstrations that happened in the Middle East and North Africa starting on 17 December 2010. The self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi ignited the Tunisian Revolution, which quickly spread all over the MENA region.
Arab Spring | |
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Date | 17 December 2010 – 2012 |
Location | North Africa, Middle East (i.e. MENA or "Arab world")
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Casualties | |
Death(s) | 61,080+ (International estimate; see table below[broken anchor]) |
Almost all Arab countries were affected by the Arab Spring, through varying degrees of social and political unrest. In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrein and Syria, the influence of the Arab Spring is the most notable. However, major protests also occurred in many other Middle Eastern states.[12]
People went to protest out of anger against corruption and their often oppressive and authoritarian leaders. The demands of the protester were similar throughout the region. Common demands were freedom, justice, equal rights, economic opportunities, and democracy.[12][13]
Protestors were very efficient in mobilising people, communicating, and providing information. The methods they used strongly contributed to the course of the Arab Spring.[14] Moreover, pan-Arab TV programmes, social media and other forms of pan-Arab Internet networks contributed to the high degrees of synchronisation of the protests.[12]
The Arab Spring heavily altered the political environment of the Middle East. By 2012, most of the governments involved had either been defeated and replaced or had suppressed the protests. However, in most countries, the demands of the protestors were not met, leaving them discontent and leaving the country in a state of unrest and instability.