Arab Spring

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Arab Spring: Egypt's January 25 Revolution

Yemeni demonstrators in Sanaa calling for an end to the government of Pres. ʿAlī ʿAbd Allāh Ṣāliḥ in January 2011.

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History & Society

Arab Spring

pro-democracy protests

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 25, 2024 • Article History

Tunis, Tunisia: Jasmine Revolution

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Category: History & Society

Date:: December 2010 - 2013

Location:: Bahrain; Libya; North Africa; Syria; Tunisia

Participants:: Arab

Major Events:: Jasmine Revolution; Libya Revolt of 2011; Yemen Uprising of 2011–12; Syrian Civil War

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Arab Spring, wave of pro-democracy protests and uprisings that took place in the Middle East and North Africa beginning in 2010 and 2011, challenging some of the region’s entrenched authoritarian regimes. The wave began when protests in Tunisia and Egypt toppled their regimes in quick succession, inspiring similar attempts in other Arab countries. Not every country saw success in the protest movement, however, and demonstrators expressing their political and economic grievances were often met with violent crackdowns by their countries’ security forces. For detailed coverage of the Arab Spring in individual countries, see Jasmine Revolution (Tunisia), Egypt Uprising of 2011, ...(100 of 1394 words)

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