Abstract:
Starting with the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, then moving to Egypt,
Libya, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, different revolutions for similar goals have
recently occurred. While some of these countries, such as Tunisia and Egypt, have undergone relatively peaceful transitions, Syria and Libya have been devastated by violent confrontations. Many domestic and geopolitical factors played an important role in these revolutions but to date, it remains unclear how and when different factors are important. This thesis compares the 2011 Egyptian revolution with the 1989 revolution in Poland in order to have a better understanding of the possible future of the Arab Spring. The findings of this thesis highlight the critical role of youth groups and civil society organizations in the breakdown of regimes. These findings shed light on the answers to the research questions: How did civil society and non-governmental groups in Egypt and Poland contribute to regime breakdown?
What specific roles did they have with regard to the regime breakdown? Such
questions are important to answer, in order to explain how the power for change is actually rooted in the people and society.
