Ten years since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution – WSWS
Ten years ago today, mass protests began in Egypt that led 18 days later to the fall of long-standing dictator Hosni Mubarak, electrifying workers and youth worldwide.
The Egyptian revolution was a powerful revolutionary uprising in which the working class played the central role. On January 25, 2011, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across the country, including Suez, Port Sad and Alexandria. On the so-called Friday of rage three days later, these growing masses of people defeated the regimes notorious security forces in street fighting that came to resemble civil war.
Millions demonstrated across Egypt over subsequent days. Tahrir Square, occupied by hundreds of thousands of people who came to downtown Cairo, emerged as an international symbol of the uprising, but it was the intervention of the working class that ultimately delivered the decisive blow to Mubarak. On February 78, a wave of strikes and factory occupations erupted across the country, continuing to grow after Mubarak stepped down on February 11.
At the high point of the revolution, there were an estimated 40 to 60 strikes per day. As many strikes occurred in just the month of February 2011 as in the entire previous year. Hundreds of thousands of workers in Egypts key industrial centres were on strike, including Suez canal workers, steelworkers in Suez and Port Sad, and the 27,000 textile workers at Ghazl al-Mahalla, Egypts largest industrial facility in the Nile Delta city of Mahalla al-Kubra.
The World Socialist Web Site assessed the developments in Egypt and Tunisia, where mass protests brought down the long-standing dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali days earlier, as the beginning of a new revolutionary epoch. In a perspective entitled The Egyptian revolution, David North, the chairman of the WSWS international editorial board, wrote:
The Egyptian revolution is dealing a devastating blow to the pro-capitalist triumphalism that followed the Soviet bureaucracys liquidation of the USSR in 1991. The class struggle, socialism and Marxism were declared irrelevant in the modern world. Historyas in The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels)had ended. Henceforth, the only revolutions conceivable to the media were those that were color-coded in advance, politically scripted by the US State Department, and then implemented by the affluent pro-capitalist sections of society.
This complacent and reactionary scenario has been exploded in Tunisia and Egypt. History has returned with a vengeance. What is presently unfolding in Cairo and throughout Egypt is revolution, the real thing. The most indubitable feature of a revolution is the direct interference of the masses in historic events, wrote Leon Trotsky, the foremost specialist on the subject. This definition of revolution applies completely to what is now happening in Egypt.
Ten years later, however, it is not the working class that is in power in Egypt, but a blood-soaked military dictatorship backed by the imperialist powers that lives in terror of a renewed mass uprising and suppresses every sign of social opposition. On January 22, the Egyptian Parliament, at the request of Mubaraks former general and current dictator Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, extended the state of emergency another three years. Since his coup against elected President Mohammed Mursi in 2013, more than 60,000 political prisoners have disappeared into the regimes torture chambers. Thousands have been condemned to death and executed.
Amid a renewed upsurge of class struggle around the worldfueled by the horrific consequences of the pandemic, and the bourgeoisies increasingly open resort to dictatorship and fascistic forms of rule, it is necessary to draw political lessons from these experiences. How could counter-revolution in Egypt be victorious, and what political tasks does this pose for the class battles to come? The key to answering these critical questions is a concrete study of the events and the role of political tendencies and programs. The chief problem of the Egyptian revolution was the lack of a revolutionary leadership.
One day prior to Mubaraks overthrow, David North warned in another perspective:
The greatest danger confronting Egyptian workers is that, after providing the essential social force to wrest power from the hands of an aging dictator, nothing of political substance will change except the names and faces of some of the leading personnel. In other words, the capitalist state will remain intact. Political power and control over economic life will remain in the hands of the Egyptian capitalists, backed by the military, and their imperialist overlords in Europe and North America. Promises of democracy and social reform will be repudiated at the first opportunity, and a new regime of savage repression will be instituted.
These dangers are not exaggerated. The entire history of revolutionary struggle in the Twentieth Century proves that the struggle for democracy and for the liberation of countries oppressed by imperialism can be achieved, as Leon Trotsky insisted in his theory of permanent revolution, only by the conquest of power by the working class on the basis of an internationalist and socialist program.
Over the course of the Egyptian Revolution, this assessment was confirmed. All factions and parties of the bourgeoisie and their Stalinist and pseudo-leftist appendages showed their essentially counterrevolutionary character. They collaborated with the imperialists and defended Egyptian capitalism and its institutions. This is as true of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is now banned again as it was under Mubarak, as it is of Nasserist or liberal parties. As the ruling party before the coup, the Brotherhood conspired with the military, banned strikes and protests, and supported imperialist interventions in Libya and Syria,
One can mention a few prominent examples. Mohamed El Baradei, the former leader of the National Association for Change, became the first vice president in Sisis military junta. Independent trade union leader Kamal Abu Eita became Labor Minister. Hamdeen Sabahi, the leader of the Nasserist Egyptian Popular Current, publicly defended the juntas massacres. When the army murdered at least 900 coup opponents, including women and children, while breaking up protests by Mursi supporters in Rabaa El-Adaweya Square in Cairo, Sabahi declared on television: We will stay hand in hand, the people, the army and the police.
A particularly corrupt tendency that paved the way for the counterrevolution, however, was the so-called Revolutionary Socialists (RS), a pseudo-left group in Egypt with close ties to the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in Britain and the Left Party in Germany, among others. At every stage of the revolution, they insisted that workers could not play an independent role but had to subordinate themselves to one faction or another of the bourgeoisie to struggle for their democratic and social rights.
After Mubaraks fall, the RS fueled illusions in the military, which had taken power under the leadership of Mubaraks former defense minister, Muhammed Tantawi. Writing in Britains Guardian, RS activist Hossam el-Hamalawy said, young officers and soldiers are our allies, declaring that the army will eventually engineer the transition to a civilian government.
As the army cracked down on protests and strikes and calls for a second revolution emerged, the RS revived their earlier support for the Muslim Brotherhood. In party statements, they called the Islamists the right wing of the revolution, advocating a vote for Mursi in the 2012 presidential election. They then celebrated Mursis victory as a victory for the revolution and a great achievement in pushing back the counterrevolution.
When new strikes and protests erupted against Mursis anti-worker and pro-imperialist policies, the RS reoriented themselves once again toward the military. They supported the Tamarod Alliance, backed and funded by El Baradei, Egyptian multibillionaire Naguib Sawiris and former officials of the Mubarak regime, among others, and which called for the military to overthrow Mursi. In a statement, published on May 19, 2013, the RS hailed Tamarod as a way to complete the revolution and declared their intention to fully participate in this campaign.
The RS response to the July 3 military coup fully confirmed its counterrevolutionary nature. They celebrated the coup as a second revolution, calling on protesters to protect their revolution. While the military restored the Mubarak regimes repressive apparatus, the RS once again spread the fairy tale that the military government could be pressured to obtain democratic and social reforms. In their July 11 statement, they called for pressure on the new government to take measures immediately for achieving social justice for the benefit of the millions of poor Egyptians.
Since then, the RS have been primarily concerned with covering their tracks. In his own article on the anniversary of the revolution published in the SWP paper Socialist Worker, Hamalawy writes of the counterrevolutionary conspiracy: The military in secret reached out to the secular opposition (leftists, Arab nationalists, liberals), and secured its backing for a coup in July 2013. What followed were the biggest massacres in Egypts modern history, amid the cheering of the Egyptian leftists.
Hamalawy studiously conceals the fact that among these Egyptian leftists who cheered on Sisis massacres were his own organization.
The crucial lesson of the Egyptian Revolution is the necessity to build a revolutionary leadership in the working class before mass struggles break out. Only in this way can the political independence of the working class be established from the bourgeoisie and its petty-bourgeois stooges, and the masses be armed with a socialist program and the perspective of permanent revolution to overthrow capitalism.
The ICFI and its sections are guided by the conception that also guided the Bolshevik Party and its leaders Lenin and Trotsky before the October Revolution in Russia. In the resolution adopted at the Second National Congress of the SEP (US) in 2012, one year after the Egyptian revolution, we wrote:
It is not enough to predict the inevitability of revolutionary struggles and then await their unfolding. Such passivity has nothing in common with Marxism, which insists upon the unity of theoretically guided cognition and revolutionary practice. Moreover, as the aftermath of Mubaraks downfall demonstrates all too clearly, the victory of the socialist revolution requires the presence of a revolutionary party. The Socialist Equality Party must do everything it can to develop, prior to the outbreak of mass struggles, a significant political presence within the working classabove all, among its most advanced elements.
Amid a renewed upsurge of the class struggle worldwide, this work must now be pursued with renewed energy. This is the task of the ICFI and its sections and sympathizing groups.
See the rest here:
Ten years since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution - WSWS
- Daughter of Cuban exiles says Democratic socialism is wonderful in theory but miserable in practice - Fox Business - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Readers sound off on vilifying socialism, Trumps retaliation and a snipers victims - New York Daily News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Socialism is a fantasy politicians are selling and doesnt work: Editor - NewsNation - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- As a New York Resident Here Is My Biggest Worry About Mamdanis Socialism - The Daily Signal - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Opinion: The secularism-socialism debate is a fight over words, not essence - The News Minute - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Winklevoss and Armstrong Warn: Socialism Punishes the Poor the Most - Bitcoin.com News - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- The siren song of socialism - The Highland County Press - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- How Bezos and Snchez Just Delivered a Pitch-Perfect Ad for Socialism - The Daily Beast - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Zohran Mamdani and the Rise of Hipster Socialism - City Journal - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- From MAGA Marxism to NY Socialism, something is happening in America - AL.com - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- GMR Today: Can socialism win at the ballot box? - Communist Party USA - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- A City Not Of Socialism: Eric Adams Takes Shot At Zohran Mamdani As He Launches Reelection Bid - The Daily Wire - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Eric Adamss Common Sense Will Save New York From Radical Socialism - The New York Sun - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Socialism in practice: Private land was 32.4 times as productive as public land in the Soviet Union - Stephen Hicks.org - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- NYCs Zohran Mamdani Tries Selling Socialism to the Home of Wall Street - Bloomberg.com - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- In todays US, saying be careful with crypto sounds like socialism - The Irish Times - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Ahead of Shreveport Rally, Louisiana Says No Thanks to Bernies Socialism and Tax Hikes - Bossier Press-Tribune - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Despite the Pain in the World, Socialism Is Not a Distant Utopia: The Twenty-Fifth Newsletter (2025) - thetricontinental.org - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- The Cuban regime now says that to build socialism, a "well-structured economic system" is needed - CiberCuba - June 18th, 2025 [June 18th, 2025]
- We are heading for economic disaster: say goodbye to virtue-signalling socialism - The Telegraph - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Party for Socialism and Liberation holds NATO protest in Dayton - Cincinnati Enquirer - May 26th, 2025 [May 26th, 2025]
- Anti-U.S. Extremist Party For Socialism And Liberation, Linked To DC Jewish Event Shooter, Celebrates Hamas Attacks In NYC On October 8, 2023: The... - May 26th, 2025 [May 26th, 2025]
- STUC general secretary accused of 'champagne socialism' over second home - Yahoo News UK - May 26th, 2025 [May 26th, 2025]
- Under the socialism umbrella: Labor torched over pie in the sky super reform - MSN - May 26th, 2025 [May 26th, 2025]
- Socialism dressed up in the politics of empathy - The Spectator Australia - May 26th, 2025 [May 26th, 2025]
- Daz-Canel: "The fight against homophobia and transphobia is part of the ideals of socialism in Cuba." - CiberCuba - May 19th, 2025 [May 19th, 2025]
- Left turns toward socialism, and America must be on guard - The Mountaineer - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- Join the Trotskyist movement to fight for socialism - World Socialist Web Site - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- "Socialism, yes... but with an hourly rate": The wave of memes about the rental of the Anti-Imperialist Tribune - CiberCuba - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Economic Nationalism Divides Us. World Socialism Is the Answer | Opinion - Newsweek - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Class struggle and identity politics in the era of Trump - International Socialism - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Breaking European socialism will solve Americas drug pricing gap - Washington Times - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- We will intensify campaign for socialism: Chair Prachanda - The Rising Nepal - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Cuba and Vietnam walk together in the construction of socialism - Granma - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- The trade deals will be wasted unless Sir Keir rejects socialism - The Telegraph - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, and the sausage line - Stephen Hicks.org - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Ending the Gaza genocide requires the fight for socialism - World Socialist Web Site - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Trumps dictatorship, global war, and the fight for socialism - World Socialist Web Site - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- The Illusion Of Choice: Capitalism, Socialism, And The Suppression Of Religion In The Modern Era - Kashmir Reader - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Parroting of socialism: Merely in words, not in action - The Himalayan Times - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- The end of post-socialism and the opportunity for a European public service media house - New Eastern Europe - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Socialism, the only alternative in the face of danger - Granma - April 18th, 2025 [April 18th, 2025]
- Study group: What are the prospects for socialism in the U.S.? - Freedom Socialist Party - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Debunking the Not Real Socialism Myth - New Ideal - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Capitalism versus Socialism: The Confusion of Knight, the Clarity of Mises | Peter J. Boettke - Independent Institute - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Dilemmas of Humanity: Socialism is the only way, says Vijay Prashad during the conferences opening - Brasil de Fato - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Brinda Karat interview: Socialism is only alternative to capitalism, loot, American hegemony - The Federal News - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Letters: "The bandwagon of vindictive socialism [against farming] rolls on" - Farmers Guardian - April 3rd, 2025 [April 3rd, 2025]
- Leipzig Book Fair 2025: David North to present the German edition of his book Sounding the Alarm: Socialism Against War - WSWS - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Democrat Party Imploding as Bernie Sanders and AOC Embark on Fight Oligarchy Socialism Tour - Megyn Kelly - March 28th, 2025 [March 28th, 2025]
- Trump's tariffs fly like socialism in the face of free enterprise capitalism | Letters - The Columbus Dispatch - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Cybernetics with Chinese Characteristics: How big data is eliminating poverty and building socialism - People's World - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- The defense of science requires a fight for socialism! - WSWS - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Womens liberation and the fight for socialism are inseparable - Counterfire - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Faced with Trumps tariffs: working class unity and international socialism - In Defence of Marxism - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- The Dialectics of Ecology: Socialism and Nature book review - Counterfire - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Oklahoma Republican says prohibiting hitting disabled kids is socialism and violation of scripture - Heartland Signal - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Talk to tell forgotten history of socialism in West Norfolk town - Lynn News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Red Reviews: Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR - Fight Back! Newspaper - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Socialism at the Milk Bar - Tribune magazine - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- To Fight The Right, Fight For Socialism - Socialist Alternative - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Like the GDR, GAA must balance socialism and capitalism - The Irish News - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Jenny Erpenbeck: There is a place in the world for socialism - Hindustan Times - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- AIs growth will pave the way for socialism - The Times of India - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- Boomers, its time to hand over your dosh and kill millennial socialism - The Telegraph - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- System change not climate change Socialism and the fight to save our environment - Socialist Worker - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- A Deputy claims that young Cubans want to stay in Cuba to "build socialism." - CiberCuba - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Milei becomes a symbol of the global far right: We must put an end to the garbage of socialism once and for all - EL PAS USA - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- John Bellamy Foster: The Dialectics of Ecology: Socialism and Nature Book Review - MR Online - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Socialism holds its ground and grows stronger with Chinas contribution - Workers World - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- LETTER: Provincial, federal governments have 'drifted toward socialism' - BurlingtonToday.com - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Yall called it socialism: The internet calls out Republicans hypocrisy over American healthcare - The Mary Sue - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Andrew Wilkes Is Convinced That the Gospel and Socialism Go Together - Sojourners - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Socialism Today editorial: Trumpism and its limits - Socialist Party - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Editorial: Neither free trade nor protection but socialism - Morning Star Online - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Socialism, Coach Doherty & More On The Brett Winterble Show - WBT - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Inclusion of socialism, secularism into Preamble didnt reflect the will of the people - India Legal - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- The Fight for Palestine and the Fight for Socialism is The Same - CounterPunch - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- Students for Socialism hold press conference near the Arch - Red and Black - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- No Evidence Obama Suggested Gradually Bringing Socialism to US 'Without the People Realizing' - Snopes.com - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]