Why did the Arab Spring happen?

The Arab Spring emerged from structural conditions that had been building for decades — the spark was sudden, but the fuel had been accumulating for a generation.

Demographic pressures were enormous. The Arab world had one of the youngest populations on Earth — roughly 60% under age 30 in many countries. These young people were better educated than any previous generation, connected to the wider world through the internet and satellite television, and acutely aware of the opportunities available elsewhere. Yet they faced chronic unemployment, with youth joblessness exceeding 25% across the region. The social contract of authoritarian regimes — stability and basic services in exchange for political acquiescence — was breaking down as governments could no longer deliver economic opportunity.

Corruption was endemic. Ruling families and their cronies controlled vast wealth while ordinary citizens struggled with rising food prices, inadequate housing, and deteriorating public services. In Tunisia, the Ben Ali family's corruption was legendary. In Egypt, Mubarak's crony capitalism enriched a small elite while half the population lived near the poverty line. The gap between the rulers' lifestyles and the people's realities was visible and enraging.

Political repression had blocked all legitimate channels for change. Elections were rigged, opposition parties were banned or co-opted, media was censored, and security services surveilled and tortured dissidents. When every peaceful avenue for political participation is closed, frustration builds until it can only express itself through mass protest.

Technology was the accelerant. Social media platforms — particularly Facebook and Twitter — enabled rapid organization and coordination outside the reach of state-controlled media. Al Jazeera and other satellite channels broadcast protests across borders in real time, creating a demonstration effect: when Tunisians toppled their dictator, Egyptians saw it was possible. The viral spread of Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation — an act of desperation by a man humiliated by petty bureaucratic corruption — crystallized diffuse grievances into focused rage.

The Arab Spring happened because authoritarian systems that had maintained themselves through a combination of repression, patronage, and external support had hollowed themselves out internally. When the surface cracked, the accumulated pressure exploded simultaneously across multiple countries — a reminder that stability maintained through repression is always provisional.