Short Essay on the Egyptian Revolution

R.G. Williams

This short essay is a study of the Egyptian Revolution.

The Egyptian Revolution of 2010-2011 changed the world – literally, figuratively, permanently, and overnight. It was a major revolution. It was one of the largest revolutions in modern history. Millions of people took part in it. Millions, around the world, watched it. The vast occupation of Tahrir Square, and the massive crowds and strikes across all of Egypt, shows the social power of revolution — both in changing society and in changing the world. The Egyptian Revolution was a popular revolution. It was a popular revolution which came out of nowhere, it seems, and yet it really shows what massive popular uprisings can achieve – the real power of the people.

The Egyptian Revolution was a great revolution. Historians and political scientists will probably remember the Egyptian Revolution as the first great revolution of the 21st century. This is because it was the largest of the Arab Revolutions of 2010-2011, and because it was the first major revolution of our times. Before 2010-2011 the concept of revolution was routinely dismissed by many, as a possibility of the future. This was, mostly, because of the political developments which had emerged in the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Many, especially on the Right, often proclaimed in the 1990s and 2000s that revolution was no longer possible – as a major social development in history. Indeed, many simply believed that any future possibility for revolution was being systematically undermined by economic or political progress — towards Liberalism, Conservatism, and Neo-Liberal Capitalism. The Egyptian Revolution, as a revolution, disproved this sort of analysis. Indeed, the Egyptian Revolution, as a revolution, shows that social revolution can still happen – and will happen – in our times. While the Egyptian Revolution failed to rescue Egypt from counter-revolution, especially after 2013 (the military coup of 2013) it showed the reality and the possibility of revolution – that revolution can and will happen. The example of the Egyptian Revolution shows that revolution is still possible in the modern world — and has the potential to change the world. The real social power of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 was to show that social revolution and political revolution can occur in the 21st century.

Egypt, today, is an interesting society. It has the most revolutionary potential of any of the states of the Middle East, especially in terms of its working class and its working-class movements. The revolution in Egypt might not emerge again for decades, or it might emerge again very quickly. Indeed, we cannot really know when the next revolutionary stage of the Egyptian Revolution will break out, simply because Egyptian society is still developing from the results of 2010-2011. What can be said, however, is that Egypt is still at the revolutionary heart of the revolutionary struggle for revolution in the Middle East today. That revolutionary struggle will continue to develop, until the Revolution, itself, returns to Egypt.

Egypt, today, needs a new revolution. Egypt needs a revolution which can achieve democracy in Egypt, and possibly Socialism. Egypt, today, needs a permanent revolution — a revolution which achieves both a Democratic Revolution and a Socialist Revolution. The experience of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 proves the importance of permanent revolution. Indeed, the experience of the Egyptian Revolution proves both Marx’s theory of permanent revolution and Trotsky’s theory of permanent revolution — the need for a working-class revolution to achieve both Democratic Revolution and Socialist Revolution. The Egyptian Revolution could only have succeeded if it had become a working-class revolution. Trotsky’s theory of permanent revolution shows that the working class, in Egypt, needs to achieve both the Democratic Revolution and the Socialist Revolution, as the capitalist class of Egypt is incapable of achieving social revolution in Egypt. The working class, in Egypt, is the only class, in Egypt, which can achieve real social revolution in Egypt — a revolution which achieves democracy, liberty, equality, and Socialism. The experience of the Egyptian Revolution, and the Arab Revolution, shows the need for permanent revolution, as the basis of achieving both democracy and Socialism in Egypt and in the Arab world. Permanent revolution is the basis for real social revolution in Egypt today — a revolution which will overcome the limits of the Revolution of 2011. The theory of permanent revolution states that the working class must struggle for its own independent political interests — and this aspect of working-class struggle was clearly missing in the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. The future of the Egyptian Revolution, and the future of the Arab Revolution, rests entirely in the hands of achieving permanent revolution. The future of the Egyptian Revolution needs to be based on the theory of permanent revolution.

The Egyptian Revolution proves the revolutionary potential of Egypt. The Revolution of 2011 shows that in the correct political and social contexts the workers of Egypt can make both political revolution and social revolution. So far, the Egyptian Revolution only managed to achieve a political revolution — the overthrow of the previous regime. Today the struggle is not only against Egypt, today, shows the necessity of permanent revolution — the idea of achieving both Democratic Revolution and Socialist Revolution. Egypt is one of those societies, like all societies, which needs permanent revolution — both Democratic Revolution and Socialist Revolution.1 This is in line with both Marx’s theory of permanent revolution and Trotsky’s theory of permanent revolution.2

Revolution is never an isolated incident. Revolutions often need months, years, and decades in order to fully develop and achieve their full potential. We need to see the Egyptian Revolution as part of a longer and more effective process of revolution — a process which will necessarily have its phases of revolution and its phases of counter-revolution. Clearly the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 did not achieve all of its needed results. The Egyptian Revolution, next time, might have the power to really achieve the necessary results needed for Egypt and the wider Middle East. Egypt can learn from its revolution, in order to achieve real social progress with its next revolution. The Egyptian Revolution, today, might be asleep – but it will wake up again.

Notes

1. K. Marx, Address of the Central Committee to the Communist League, (1850)
2. L. Trotsky, The Permanent Revolution, (1930)

(2014)

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This post was written by R.G. Williams