Past and Present... and Future?: Russian Revolutions and Egypt Revolutions

Following the overthrow of the Tunisian government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a series of unrest, revolution and civil war has spread across the Arab World and shook the world. One particular country which went into crisis was Egypt which resulted in a popular uprising against the Mubarak government with reasons ranging from raising food prices, desire for democratisation and exploitation of human rights. Eventually, the uprising caused the overthrow of the President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. A year later in June 2012, Mohammed Morsi became the first freely elected president in the Egypt. Another year later in July 2013, he was ousted by the army, rendering the country into further crisis.

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Despite the promises made by the newly elected Mohamed Morsi, he failed to achieve these promises and therefore resulted in several days of protests and finally another overthrow of the government. It is said that the main weaknesses with Mohamed Morsi was the fact that he couldn't handle the economy due and could neither improve the on-going problems of human rights and social justice. These limitations were the causes of the ongoing protests which seemed similar from only two years ago. Furthermore, Morsi gave himself unlimited powers in order to protect the nation. This proved to be particularly unpopular as it seemed like the country simply changed from one dictatorship to another. And under his dictatorship, the disastrous economic crisis of Egypt worsened and unrest increased until the army ousted President Morsi. Following Morsi's dismissal, Adly Mansour took charge of Egypt as interim president, yet the crisis has not improved but worsened with violence erupting between different opposition groups including the killing of 51 people pro-Morsi supporters on the 8th of July.

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Interestingly, the revolution in Egypt is comparable to the significant Russian Revolutions in 1917. In Russia during that time, living conditions were particularly terrible for the majority of the Russian population, the peasants, under the leadership of the repressive Tsar Alexander II, like President Hosni Mubarak. In March (February for the Julian Calendar which was used during Russia during that time), the revolution resulted in the abdication of the Tsar and the formation of the Provisional Government. Like the Morsi government, the Provisional Government was particularly incompetent in handling the catastrophic economy, with living standards decreasing and unemployment increasing. Again, just like the Morsi government, the Provisional Government became more and more unpopular and unrest increased during this time. Eventually, the Bolshevik party, led by Lenin, seized the opportunity and stormed into the Winter Palace where the remaining Provisional Government officials were stationed in order to take power of Russia in the same year in November (October for the Russian calendar). The Bolsheviks' power was not fully consolidated yet and Civil War followed which the Bolsheviks eventually became the victors and were able to establish the Soviet Union, but not after heavy casualties.

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Now, what is interesting and similar about these two events is the sequence of how one leader was overthrown soon after another for not living up to the expectations of the general public. The timing of Morsi's coup d'état after Mubarak was overthrown resembles largely with the Bolshevik seize of power over the Provisional Government set up after the Tsar abdicated. Plus, the question about whether the Bolshevik seize of power was a popular uprising or not has been hugely debated among historians such as liberal historians viewing it as an attempt by a small minority led by the successful leadership of Lenin and Trotsky while Marxist historians believe the revolution was a popular uprising. This question has been raised again on whether the overthrow of Morsi was a popular uprising or not. Despite the comparisons, there are some differences among the two events as well such as the Bolshevik seizure of power being virtually bloodless with little violence involved, although the Civil War which followed slightly soon after resulted in the deaths of at least two and a half million people, while the army's coup d'état was followed by violence. The extent of this violence cannot determined fully yet as it is an ongoing problem and it is too soon to make a conclusion. However, solutions for this violence does not seem to be appearing anytime soon and further casualties are likely to occur in Egypt. In an extreme view, a civil war could perhaps occur in Egypt among different political groups in Russia, although it is highly unlikely to be of the same extent as the Russia Civil War mainly because of the size difference of Russia compared to Egypt. Nonetheless, the crisis does not seem to have an end nearing anytime soon and it would not be surprising to see the crisis unfold further on the news.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Morsi
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/05/morsi-final-days-egypt-president
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/feb/17/what-caused-egyptian-revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Egyptian_revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_revolution
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18371427
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23250567
Evans, David, and Jane Jenkins. Years of Russia, the USSR and the collapse of Soviet communism. 2nd ed. London: Hodder Murray, 2008. Print.
Gauci, Joe. Ib history: origins and development of authoritarian and single-party states.. S.l.: Oxford Study Courses, 2010. Print.