French Revolution and Egyptian Revolution

1. Compare / Contrast Louis XVI and Mubarak.

Mubarak	Louis XVI
-ruled Egypt for 30 years	-ruled France for 17 years
-career officer in Egyptian air force before entering politics	-found guilty of high treason and executed
-received Bachelor's degree in Military sciences	-beloved at first but then seen as a tyrant
-married with two sons	-weak monarch in volatile situation
-survived six assassination attempts	-taxed the poor
-some corruption led to the imprisonment of political figures and young activists without trials	-France's debt was half that of England's
- supported Arab efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the region	-wife was almost assassinated
-maintained one-party rule under continuous state of emergency	-suffered from depression
-economy and employment rate was bad	-married with four children
-absolute monarch	-absolute monarch
-failed to improve financial situation	-failed to improve financial situation

2. In each case, WHY were the people protesting? (Cite primary sources).

In the Egyptian Revolution, the people were protesting because Mubarak had become too much of an absolute ruler, and they wanted an end to corruption and police repression. In the French Revolution, there was a large population ruled by a small elite. The third estate consisted of the most people with the least amount of money but they were being taxed the most. France's economy was terrible.

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/insidestory/2011/02/20112129855470107.html

http://history.hanover.edu/texts/cahiers3.html

3. What role did women play?

In the French Revolution, women marched on Versailles and Olypme deGouge wrote a pamphlet expressing her thoughts about women's rights. In Egypt, women were active in protesting.

4. What concerns are there about the current situation in Egypt? How might they relate to the days

following the fall of Louis XVI?

The wealthy in Egypt are afraid of change and fear that they have a lot to lose. One man thought that the Revolution would bring more instability than good. The nobles and wealthy were not in favor of the French Revolution. However, after the Revolution, titles and privileges of the nobility were gone, so those who were nobles could also have been fearful of change. They also definitely did lose a lot in regards to their lifestyles and privileges.

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/02/201121342026569954.html

5. How did/are people express(ing) their views?

In Egypt, fireworks are heard and seen and "every street is filled with people cheering, celebrating, honking, dancing. Indescribable" (Twitter). Before Mubarak stepped down, there were marches, rallies, and street demonstrations. During the French Revolution, the women marched on Versailles in order to demonstrate that women need the same rights as men. The Terror also occurred during the Revolution, which was the killing of anyone who was anti-revolution.

6. Are the current protests violent?

"As of 29 January, at least 105 deaths had been reported, and those injured number 750 policemen and 1,500 protesters." Cairo was described as a war zone during the protesting. The government imposed a curfew for the protesting, but that was not followed. Watch groups were organized to protect neighborhoods.

7. What do people on the ground in Cairo think is going to happen now? (Directly contact reporters and bloggers in Egypt via Twitter during this class period).

According to Twitter updates, every street was filled with cheering and celebrating. Fireworks were going off constantly. It didn't seem like many people in Cairo were worried about what was going to happen next, they were just thrilled at the result of their protests. One person said that pro-democracy protesters want all political detainees to be immediately released. Police now rally in Egypt to demand better wages and health care.

8. Based on your study of the French Revolution and your current observations of the situation in Egypt, what do you think are possible outcomes? How are the possible outcomes in Egypt alike or different with outcomes in France -- both in the short and long term.

Egypt is definitely better off without Mubarak, but now they need a good government system and person in charge to restore stability and order. Their protests are not going to benefit them if the country continues in disorder. The situation was similar in France. There was no longer an absolute monarchy and feudalism was gone, but without a guiding force to lead France back to success, there would be no improvement in the economy or lifestyles of the people.