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| Format: | Recurso digital |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Zenodo
2024
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15017587 |
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Table of Contents:
- <p><span>The Arab Spring, a series of pro-democracy uprisings that swept through the Maghreb and the wider Arab world beginning in 2010, can be understood as a relic of colonialism. The Maghreb, comprising Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania, has a long history of foreign invasions, dating back to Phoenician and Roman conquests and continuing through Arab, Ottoman, and European imperial rule. These successive invasions reshaped the region’s social, economic, and political structures, creating conditions of systemic underdevelopment, economic dependence, and political instability. French, Spanish, and Italian colonial rule further deepened economic disparities and entrenched authoritarian governance, leaving behind a legacy of poverty, corruption, and political repression.</span></p> <p><span>Post-colonial governments in the Maghreb inherited fragile state structures, marked by economic stagnation, widespread inequality, and a lack of democratic institutions. As a result, the grievances of the population—particularly youth unemployment, social injustice, and political disenfranchisement—culminated in mass protests that characterized the Arab Spring. These uprisings were not merely spontaneous movements but rather the culmination of centuries of historical injustices linked to colonial exploitation and foreign intervention. This chapter examines how the Arab Spring reflects the enduring consequences of colonialism in the Maghreb, highlighting the region's struggles for sovereignty, democracy, and socio-economic development in the post-colonial era.</span></p>