Major Mass Movements of 2011
The world saw many mass protests in 2011 - some threw the existing ones off the power, some initiated greater levels of discussions and some lit the flame of hope. It was an year of happenings, an year of anxiety, revolution, anger and protests. Let us look at some of the major mass movements across the world in 2011.
Anti-Corruption Movement in India
People from across the country regardless of its deep rooted diversity, lined behind an ex-army man called Anna Hazare to protest against the gravest course the country has been going through – Corruption. The movement spread like wild fire to almost every state in the country and the result was seen quite evidently. Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption was ranked in ‘Top 10 News Stories of 2011" list. His struggle began to gain momentum as he began his first hunger strike on April 5, 2011 in New Delhi. Though the recent attempts to go fasting did not draw much atttention, this anti-corruption movment is defnitely a significant milestone in the history of modern India. Anna Hazare with his Satyagrahas once again showed the world what Gandhism stands for, how powerful it 0bring changes and how relevant is the peaceful rovolutionist idoelogy is to the modern world.
The nationwide protest that began on September 17 at New York's Zuccotti Park grew out of proportion beating the political calculations of the Obama government. The movement was initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters. The protesters agitated against the growing unemployment in U.S., greed of the rich, social and economic inequality as well as corruption. It was an ultimate outrage against the undue influence of corporations, especially from the financial services sector. The growing inequality of income and wealth was reflected on the slogan of the protesters which read – We are the 99 percent. The main target was the Wall Street for its alleged role in the 2008 economic downturn as the protesters strongly believed that it was the faulty lending practice of the Wall Street that ultimately lead to the Great Recession and they condemned the economic bailout provided by the government. The support was outpouring from different corners of the society as many, rich and poor, unknown and famous, layman and professionals came in support of the protesters. The protest spread in a real fast rhythm as it similar movements were seen in many cities in U.S., UK, Germany and many nations in Europe.
The beginning of Arab Spring was the end of many dictators. The Tunisian Revolution, also called as the Jasmine Revolution, was began in the month of December 2010 but got strong in first month of 2011 which marked the ouster of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Many were the reasons including corruption, unemployment, inflation and lack of freedom of speech and political freedom. The suppressed sense of civil rights were born again in the Arab folks sparked by the Jasmine Revolution which later spread to and resulted in the falls of the regimes of Egypt and Libya. There were severe civil up springing in the whole of Arab countries including Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen. The Yemenis Prime Minister was resigned and there were severe protests in other countries such as Morocco, Oman, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia and the clashes are still continuing in many of the countries.
Anti-Corruption Movement in IndiaPeople from across the country regardless of its deep rooted diversity, lined behind an ex-army man called Anna Hazare to protest against the gravest course the country has been going through – Corruption. The movement spread like wild fire to almost every state in the country and the result was seen quite evidently. Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption was ranked in ‘Top 10 News Stories of 2011" list. His struggle began to gain momentum as he began his first hunger strike on April 5, 2011 in New Delhi. Though the recent attempts to go fasting did not draw much atttention, this anti-corruption movment is defnitely a significant milestone in the history of modern India. Anna Hazare with his Satyagrahas once again showed the world what Gandhism stands for, how powerful it 0bring changes and how relevant is the peaceful rovolutionist idoelogy is to the modern world.
Occupy Wall Street
The nationwide protest that began on September 17 at New York's Zuccotti Park grew out of proportion beating the political calculations of the Obama government. The movement was initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters. The protesters agitated against the growing unemployment in U.S., greed of the rich, social and economic inequality as well as corruption. It was an ultimate outrage against the undue influence of corporations, especially from the financial services sector. The growing inequality of income and wealth was reflected on the slogan of the protesters which read – We are the 99 percent. The main target was the Wall Street for its alleged role in the 2008 economic downturn as the protesters strongly believed that it was the faulty lending practice of the Wall Street that ultimately lead to the Great Recession and they condemned the economic bailout provided by the government. The support was outpouring from different corners of the society as many, rich and poor, unknown and famous, layman and professionals came in support of the protesters. The protest spread in a real fast rhythm as it similar movements were seen in many cities in U.S., UK, Germany and many nations in Europe. Arab Spring
The beginning of Arab Spring was the end of many dictators. The Tunisian Revolution, also called as the Jasmine Revolution, was began in the month of December 2010 but got strong in first month of 2011 which marked the ouster of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Many were the reasons including corruption, unemployment, inflation and lack of freedom of speech and political freedom. The suppressed sense of civil rights were born again in the Arab folks sparked by the Jasmine Revolution which later spread to and resulted in the falls of the regimes of Egypt and Libya. There were severe civil up springing in the whole of Arab countries including Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen. The Yemenis Prime Minister was resigned and there were severe protests in other countries such as Morocco, Oman, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia and the clashes are still continuing in many of the countries.
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