The Arab Spring - Essay Example

The Arab Spring describes the emergence of a revolutionary period when the Arab world engaged in violent and non-violent demonstrations, civil wars, and riots. This is a period that started in the years 2008 when most of the Arab countries rioted due to a combination of factors. A critical analysis of the Arab Spring shows that a combination of factors triggered the Great War between the government and the citizens in most countries. In countries such as Tunisia and Egypt, there riots and demonstrations were frequent and the people pushed for the overthrow of the government.  Although some researchers argue that this was a period of political assertion, it is clear that a fatal combination of population growth and unemployment triggered the Arab Spring.
Prior to the Tunisian revolution, the country suffered from a high unemployment rate within the public, leading to an increase in the poverty levels. The government of Tunisia was autocratic under the regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The rapid growth of the Tunisian population led to an increase in the percentage of people living below the poverty line. Statistics indicate that over 80% of the Tunisian population was living under the poverty line and wealth was concentrated among those affiliated with the government (Garcia, 2011). In addition, the high unemployment rate resulted to increase in the poverty level. Since the government failed to address these issues of the public, they had to rise up against the government. The Tunisian revolution started back in 2010 when the people hit the streets demonstrating against the autocratic government. As a result, they overthrew president Ben Ali and prime minister Ghannouchi (Prashad, 2012). The revolution stopped after the public achieved democratization in Tunisia.
In Egypt, population statistics are alarming, being one of the most populated countries in Africa. Before 2011, the president of Egypt Mubarak ruled for over three decades, a period that was marked by a high employment rate within the country. Over a long time, the public requested that the government address the problems of poverty in the public, to which the government remained silent over (Panara & Wilson, 2013). Corruption in Egypt resulted in preferential treatment of those people close to the government while the other part of the public continued to wail in poverty.
The president of Egypt, Mubarak, was overthrown together with his associated leaders. This paved way for a democratic government, and the development of the economic status of the country.