A Comparison of the Egyptian Revolutions of 1952 and 2011

The 2011 uprisings across the Arab world directed the attention of the international community to the Middle East once again. Millions of people took to the streets to demonstrate against their autocratic regimes. This was an important indication of the Arab people’s desire for change, along with an opportunity to restore their dignity. Although, over time, these movements weakened, they gave rise to discussions of politics, economy, social organisms, and civil-militia relations. To understand this phenomenon, various theories, including revolutionary ones, were discussed. The revolutionary experiences of these countries are important to examine as these very countries had similar waves of change over 50 years ago. The Arab countries of Egypt, Tunis, Libya, Syria and Yemen had gone through coup d'etats and leader changes during the 1950s and ‘60s. Comparing these two periods may provide very useful insights to understand the demands of people and how they act to reach these goals. This book will particularly analyze the revolutionary periods of Egypt in the 1950s and 2010s. As such, it will be useful not only to scholars and students of Middle Eastern studies, but also to people who want to understand the nature of the demands for change in this region.