An Intro to the Arab Spring: 2011-Present

Directions: Read a short “big idea” about the Arab Spring.

The Arab Spring

The Arab Spring refers to the wave of pro-democracy protests that took place in the Middle East and North Africa beginning in 2010 and 2011. The people were protesting to challenge their authoritarian, long-standing harsh and authoritarian leaders that took over after Europeans decide to stop governing the region in the early 1950s. Demonstrators expressed anger toward governments that did not give people many freedoms. Governments responded violently to many of the protesters.

In January and February 2011, protests erupted in Egypt and Tunisia, two countries in North Africa. In a few weeks, their leaders were overthrown. Many were surprised when this happened because the governments of Egypt and Tunisia were believed to be stable.

Directions: TTYL the map to identify what were the outcomes of the Arab Spring uprisings

Directions: Read about the nations of Tunisia and complete the chart for Tunisia. Then, read about Egypt and complete the chart about Egypt. Do this for Yemen and Libya and how the Arab Spring unfolded within their nations.

Tunisia

The first demonstrations took place in December 2010. They started after a 26-year-old worker named Mohamed burned himself alive. He was protesting his treatment by local officials. A protest movement quickly spread through the country. The government attempted to end the unrest by offering the protesters some of what they wanted. The government also tried using violence. Protests soon became overwhelming, and President Zine Ben Ali stepped down and left the country in January 2011. New leaders were chosen in elections. They took office in December 2011, one year after the protests began, and still rule today.​

Egypt

Huge protests broke out in late January 2011. A turning point came when the Egyptian army announced that it would refuse to use force against protesters. President Hosni Mubarak left office February 11, 2011 after nearly 30 years. He handed power to a council of military officers, and the new military government started out with great public support. However, people were angered when the new government did not want to hold elections. It also used force against protesters. Still, elections proceeded as scheduled. The newly elected People’s Assembly met for the first time in late January 2012.

People supported the new government at first. They were upset when the government used force against protesters, though. Still, elections were held. Egypt's new government met for the first time in January 2012. A group called the Muslim Brotherhood won elections in 2012. Many in the country were hopeful then. But things soon turned chaotic.

​Yemen

The first protests started in late January 2011. They called for President Saleh to step down, due in part to the widespread poverty and starvation happening in Yemen. Negotiations failed, and there were clashes in the largest city. In February 2012, Vice President Hadi took over the government. An election was held, but Hadi was the only candidate on the ballot.

Political transition in Yemen has not gone well. Fighting soon broke out between a number of groups. Hadi resigned in 2015 and eventually fled to neighboring Saudi Arabia. Many still recognize him as the country's leader, though. Saudi Arabia still recognizes him as Yemen's leader and has been bombing armed rebel groups in Yemen. As a result of the fighting, the country has not had a functional government.

Libya

Protests against President Muammar al-Gaddafi began in mid-February 2011. They quickly escalated. Gaddafi ruled Libya for more than 40 years. Other countries, including the United States, came together to help the rebels. Gaddafi was forced from power in August 2011. Gaddafi was killed in October 2011 as rebel forces took control.

After Gaddafi's death, a new government took power that was meant to be temporary. It struggled to make life better for Libyan people. They also had difficulty controlling the many small armies that had participated in the fight against Gaddafi. A number of armed groups continue fighting for control over parts of Libya. The country has no effective government.

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