French and Egyptian Revolution

1. Compare and Contrast Louis XVI and Mubarak.
   Louis XVI:
   Became king in 1774
   Weak king
   In his 20s when he became king
   Married Marie Antoinette
   Bad economy and agricultural income when he came into power
   In power during the French Revolution
   Died during his reign.
   
   Mubarak:
   Became president of Egypt in 1981
   Very controlling president
   53 when he became president
   Became president after the assassination of the previous president during a military
   parade
   Won three relections
   
   
2. In each case, why are the people protesting?
   Louis: The Third Estate was extremely poor and couldn't pay anymore taxes, even though they were the only estate that was forced to pay the taxes. They wanted a new constitution and to be equal with the the first and second estates.
   Mubarak: The people wanted a new government. They wanted new people running Egypt, including Mubarak. The people wanted everyone out, and to start on a clean slate and create a new democratic government.
   
   
3. What role did women play?
   Louis: women attacked Versailles and overthrew it. They lead the way to siege the palace, which was a great role because the men were mainly the people who were at the front of the line,
   Mubarak: women were protesting right along side the men about the government problem in the Tahrir Square. They were not afraid to speak their minds against the government.
   
   
4. What concerns are there about the current situation in Egypt? How might they relate to the days following the fall of Louis?
   That people will not keep up with the push for a democracy and equality, and end up falling back into a dictation problem. This related to after the fall of Louis because of the chaos brought about in order to get a new king on the throne.
   
   
5. How did/are the people expressing their views?
   The Egyptians were rioting throughout this whole process. It was peaceful and then became violent, with the police being forced to use tear gas on the people. They want to show that they are not backing down, and that they want this democracy to go through.
   
   
6. Are the current protests violent?
   Not at the moment no, because of the celebration of Mubarak's resignation. There was some where tear gas and weaponry were used to stop the outburst, but the protests are mostly peaceful. This is good because this means that there is no problems with what is actually going on.
   
   
7. What do the people on the ground in Cairo think is going to happen now?
   The people believe that the transition of power will go peacefully and without chaos. Everything is peaceful at the moment from what the reporters on the ground say, and hopefully it will stay that way, because if more problems open up, Egypt is going to erupt and create a catastrophe and the surrounding countries and trade allies are going to be affected by it.
   
   
8. Based on your study of the French Revolution and your current observations of the situation in Egypt, what do you think are possible outcomes? How are the possible outcomes in Egypt alike or different with outcomes in France -- both in the short and long term.
   Based on what has been seen, the outcome could go both ways. It could either be good or bad. Things could go peacefully or there could be another full blown riot. The people of France argued a great deal about who would take the throne, because there were so many different groups of people who wanted their leaders to take the throne. This would be the worst thing that could happen for Egypt, but it is not likely based on the fact that people want a new power to rise, and they are working hard for this to go how they want it to.