Although current society is very violence based, over the past two decades peaceful revolutions have successfully taken place. From 1983-1986, the People Power Revolution took place in the Philippines. Much of the people’s anger was due to the corrupt dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Although Marcos was not technically a dictator, in 1972 he declared martial law, (which let him run for a third term as president), giving him complete control of the military and the ability to suppress freedom of speech, press, etc. Not only was the government oppressive, but the Philippine economy was also tanking. After blatantly rigged elections, the Filipinos’ anger grew and after a few events, millions of Filipinos flocked to EDSA (a central highway in the Philippines, the revolution is often referred to as the EDSA revolution). Within a few days, Marcos was forced to resign and overtime democracy was restored.
Along the same lines as the People Power Revolution, the Revolutions of 1989 were non-violent (with exception of Romania). Many scholars believe that the People Power Revolution could have inspired the non-violence of the 1989 Revolutions. Despite the case, both the Philippines and the Soviet Union shared similar problems. The Soviets had faced years of oppression and a fluctuating economy. In the years leading up to the revolution many Soviet leaders passed reforms, but the legitimacy of the government was tainted. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the head of the Soviet Union and initiated many policies such as glasnost and perestroika. His policies were liberating, and in a famous speech Gorbachev swore he wouldn’t intervene in the affairs of other Soviet nations. Alongside Gorbachev, the power of Solidarity grew, and was legalized in Poland. In a shocking election Solidarity candidate took almost all of the seats in the government, making the first revolution successful. Revolutions in Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria followed – all peacefully. In both the People Power Revolution and the 1989 Revolution, there was a general discontent among all types of people and their sheer numbers were too much of a force to put down.
The most recent peaceful revolution occurred in Egypt earlier this year. Discontent about large- scale unemployment rose, along with anger about the oppressiveness of the government. Because many young Egyptians are well educated, they were aware of the outside world and of the corruption in their government. Inspired by a revolution in Tunisia, on January 25, 2011 protests erupted through out the country. In the following weeks, millions of people gathered to protest and eventually the military refused to suppress the crowds. Like the People Power Revolution and the 1989 Revolutions, mass numbers of dissatisfied people overwhelmed their governments. All the people in each country unified and protested for one common cause – freedom.
