The Russian Revolution was a revolution against economic oppression; it started out as a revolution for democracy. However this is not always the case, the basis of any revolution initiates from motivation for change. This motivation is found when society is unsatisfied with the circumstances or status that they are given, therefore the basic revolution conditions are similar. Revolution’s occurred because a class of category of people are considered inferior, and are downtrodden by members of a higher autonomous stance. Whether this sense of dissatisfaction arouses from lack of food, like in Russia, or respect and equality, like in the American Civil Rights movement, basic human needs need to be met so that society can run harmoniously.
The desire for change has clearly been exemplified by the occurrences in the Russian Revolution, and more recently in the current events in the Middle East and Northern Africa, the movement towards democracy indicates a progression and desire in the direction of change. The uprisings consisted of mainly campaigns of non-violent, civil resistance, which featured demonstrations and labour strikes. Millions of protesters from a variety of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of the Egyptian Presidents regime. These protestors are fighting for a change, a solution to what they are questioning and because the government eradicates that desire for change, society revolts and confronts the situation.
Even though the Egyptian constitution provides for the universal freedom of speech, the government frequently authorized home raids and arrests of bloggers and reporters who criticize the government. Under the current state of laws, they are able to censor anything if it is considered a threat to “public safety and national security”. After groups on social media pages were created and Twitter updates which called for mass demonstrations, the Egyptian government shut down all internet access in the hopes to cripple the protestors’ main tool to obstruct the flow of news.
Uprisings have now taken on a life of its own with similar demonstrations occurring throughout the Middle East and North Africa in countries such as Tunisia, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Yemen, Lebanon and Bahrain. Media has over-simplified the nature of these movements as being the people’s revolution brought on by a desire for democracy. However, none of these demonstrations can be traced back to a single issue. In Tunisia, they were overthrown because of mass corruption within the government. The uprising in Egypt originated as a cause of unemployment and increased costs of daily necessities. In Bahrain, there is a divide in equality between Islamic denominations.
The population of these countries have realized the impact and influence that they have made through the protests and demonstrations. Their initial goal was to attain an answer, some sort of response in regards to the issue’s they face, but once the notion that their debate has been taken to attention and even if they are unsuccessful, their impact on society’s preconceived notions of their ability to develop a change.
A revolution does not happen overnight. It is a gradual development of the grassroots in a society. It starts off with a group of ‘unknown people’ with the same incentive and goal, and who have a likeminded opinion. It arises similarly to a government triangle, you have to start from the very bottom and slowly confront each layer before reaching a point where you are able to acquire power over the rest.
Validated in the obituary of Howard Zinn,
“His primary concern was "the countless small actions of unknown people" that lie at the roots of "those great moments" that enter the historical record -- a record that will be profoundly misleading, and seriously disempowering, if it is torn from these roots as it passes through the filters of doctrine and dogma.”
Zinn’s opinion was that the launch of great revolutions formed from the actions of regular people who began to voice their opinion, who started to question their authority and justice of their leaders. He believed that success was measured in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his community.
People have different perspectives of a perfect society. In correspondence to Lenin’s theories during the Russian Revolution, there was a huge gap in the functions of communism because it did not support the human nature. Some people work harder than others, and this is why society is always directed to a leader and followers. Lenin sacrificed the money and land of the rich, powerful and educated, and evenly though it was evenly distributed, there was a loss of experience. In government, everyone is split according to their ability, to better distribute the responsibility in a community. People emerge as leaders because they have organizational skills and are educated.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.
Through the obituary of Howard Zinn, we are able to deduct that he was a very influential person, and he carried the role of representing a common voice for society. He served as the mediator in protests and negotiations, and he undoubtedly made an indelible affect on a large percentage of the civil rights movement through his speeches and writings. He developed a fundamental message about the crucial role of the people who constantly struggle and fight for what they believe, and how those ‘ignored or forgotten’ people have played such a meaningful role in creating a better world.
The social media revolutions, sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have quickly become the most influential factors in socio-political organizations. The Revolution in Egypt has gained international publicity over such a short period of time due to the boom in media tools. This is another prominent reason why the Egyptian revolution is considered unique in contrast to any revolutionary movement in history. The revolution itself was organized and inspired and executed by Egyptian youth who utilized social networking sites to implement their ideas for a tangible and political change.
The most valuable aspect of social media is its ability to make social groups’ opinions communicated much more effectively. Individuals are able to share common idea’s and therefore groups with the same incentives were established. This led to a huge controversy for the government because people began to question the veracity of the information published. Global audiences were no longer able to be kept in the darkness about the occurrences in a country, because there are too many interconnected people who now use social media to create a transnational network filled with reliable information through the eyes of the social parties themselves.
This newfound access to communication through social media has tremendously boosted the spread of information, blogs can be broadcasted and videos can be uploaded at any given place and time through to the rest of the world. The movements of the Jasmine revolution have all developed in a matter of months; what they have been able to accomplish, would have taken parties in the Civil rights movement and Russian revolution years of bloodshed and violence, because of a lack in communication tools. Now governments are unable to spew propaganda, and regular people are able to voice themselves. Hence, protestors and revolutionaries in the Middle East have had the advantage of social media.
When people create an opposition; the government eliminates or threatens the leader of that group. This is what influences people for a reaction. When people suffer, they begin to vocalize. There is a huge potential intact in the people that are experiencing change for becoming invested in the political process. It starts when citizens in low income communities start to focus on key decisions that deeply impact their lives. When they start asking questions on those decisions, they discover previously unnoticed connections between their own lives and the decisions that ‘someone else, somewhere else’ has made for them. This is when people realize their untapped ability to conspire a change.