Revolution - American vs Arab Spring

So I've been thinking a lot about revolutions since my Enjoy the Revolution blog post. 


When we think about revolution we can't help but think of the Beatles:

How do revolutions start? What is the relationship between different revolutions? In particular, what are the relationships between the Arab Spring and the American Revolution? 

Growing up in Cambridge, MA I had a lot of exposure to the history of the American Revolution. My house is less than a mile from where George Washington took control of the Continental Army (Cambridge Common). I went to the different reenactments such as the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington and Concord on Patriots day, visited the Bunker Hill Memorial, walked the Freedom Trail, visited the Old North Church, etc.  


I lived and breathed the American Revolution.


Maybe that is part of the reason why I have been so interested in the Arab Spring.  Everyone has heard about the Arab Spring. Here is a good NY Times article that summarizes the Egyptian Revolution. We've heard about the successes in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, and we're still hearing about the attempts to overthrow the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.


Here's a list of characteristics that the American Revolution and the Arab Spring share:

• Religious people
• Lack of representation
• New Mass Media
• Economies suffered
• External support
• Slow results after initial success.

Religion


The peoples involved in both uprisings were very religious. The Arab Spring has been heavily dominated by Muslims. The Muslim Brotherhood was the main group that led the people of Egypt into revolution. The Founding Fathers were Protestants and for the most part were descendants of those who fled England for religious freedom.

The religious fervor of both groups helped them be passionate about another cause, revolution.


Lack of Representation


"No Taxation Without Representation." 

This was the slogan of the beginning of the American Revolution. Unfortunately, the Tea Party Movement has turned it into a fad. 


The tax burden that the Motherland placed on the American Colonies was tremendous. But the colonists had no say in it because despite many efforts they were not represented in England.


This was a main issue for the Arab Spring. The people didn't feel represented. They wanted to be heard, not told what to do by a dictator. The Tunisian vote was a milestone for the Arab Spring marking the first of the elections carried out, Fairvote.org & NY Times.  The elections had a %80 participation rate! Their crave for democracy should inspire us all.


Mass Media


The 1700's marked the beginning of a new mass media medium.  The printing press had existed for a while but newspapers and periodical began to emerge. This is a blog post from my professor, Dr. Gideon Burton on the topic.  This increase in communication helped ideas spread like wildfire.  This helped kindle the American Revolution.

The Arab Spring was also kindled by a new mass media medium, that of online social networking.  The new phenomenons of Facebook and Twitter have completely changed how our society functions.  They enabled the protesters to spread ideas, organize, and ultimately overthrow governments.


Economic Suffering


When I was in Egypt I asked regular people, like taxi drivers, what they thought about the Revolution and they said they understood why it occurred but didn't like it because it was destroying their livelihoods. 


All the countries of the Arab Spring are suffering. Egypt can't get its tourism numbers back up. Foreign investors pulled out of Tunisia. Libya can't get it's oil pipes pumping (Economist source).


The US economy barely survived the American Revolution because of the heavy debt incurred.
"The new estimates imply that America’s real income per capita dropped by about 22% over the quarter century 1774-1800, a decline almost as steep as during the Great Depression between 1929 and 1933, and certainly longer." - Peter Lindert UC-Davis.


External Support


During the Revolutionary War we received essential help from the French.  The Libyan movement was clearly supported by NATO.  Additionally, there were claims made that the other revolutions were spurred, in part, by US based non-profit groups that promote democracy, such as the International Republican Institute.


Slow Results


The Revolutionary War lasted from 1775 to 1783. The Constitution was not ratified until September 17, 1787, more than 11 years after "Independence Day." The countries involved in the Arab Spring were able to win their "freedom" in a much quicker time, most avoiding war completely. Egypt is the closest.  They held their first session of democratic parliament on Jan 23, 2012 just under a year after the beginning of the revolution.  It was not very smooth and the military still has control over the state.


Time will tell if and when stable democratic governments can be instituted. 

In Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, the author, Ellis, explains the fragility of the situation surrounding the development of the then-new republic of the United States.  He explains that one of the main reasons the United States government succeeded was because of the strength and intelligence of the first president, George Washington. 


He was the logical choice to be president after the Constitution was ratified. The great war general who was the symbol of the Revolution. He won with practically no challengers.


The American people would have made George Washington King if he had let them but he understood the importance of democracy and change in leadership. He set a precedent for the rest of the government by choosing not   to run for office again.


I hope that the Arab countries can elect strong leaders who will be willing to step down at the end of their terms in order to strengthen democracy.