Ancient Egypt: The Mubārak Uprising

In 2011, after 30 years of poverty, extreme rates of unemployment, corruption and political repression, the people of Egypt justifiably broke through fear and revolted. The uprising forced the longest reigning leader, President Ḥosnī Mubārak, out of power. As groups of protesters grew, the violence increased. The Mubārak regime resorted to “extreme violence”(Human RIghts Watch, 2017) to suppress the uprising; nevertheless, protests continued and, after three brutal weeks, Mubārak stepped down as president. The Egyptians overcame suppression because of their passionate desire for change. While Mubārak was leader, 25.2 percent of Egyptians were living under the national poverty line(Lesch, 2011). Another reason the Egyptians overthrew their
Dictator, was because of the extreme censorship of all media, but especially the internet. In an attempt to have full control and quell protests, Egypt experienced an “internet shutdown”(Queeney, 2015). Consequently, Egyptians became more irate with their leader and fought back harder. Although Mubārak was called their president, he was a dictator. He refused any request to reform the constitution, and established laws to avoid opposition parties. The greed for power encouraged widespread corruption among local government officials. Moreover, he would denounce anyone who opposed him or his policies, and occasionally protesters or individuals who contradicted him would ‘disappear’. Egyptians revolted because they wanted change and democracy, both legitimate reasons to have a revolution.