The mass movement that has changed the history of the world
History testifies that the cry of exploitation never stopped without movement and struggle. It is as if the relationship between the exploiter and the exploited is two flowers in the same stalk. It is said that rights do not come by chance; rights have to be realized. In the struggle for rights, some people gladly give their lives, sometimes taking the lives of others. If we keep an eye on the pages of history, we can see how diverse the process of realizing that right is. Sometimes protests become so terrible that they change the map of a country, revolutionize society, Influence the whole world. Today we will learn about five movements in the world that shook the whole world.
March on Washington, 1963
On August 28, 1963, the people held a massive political rally in Washington DC to protest racial discrimination and support the pending Civil Rights Act in Congress. It is known in history as the ‘Washington March’ or ‘March on Washington’. Its purpose was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial that day, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “I have a dream” speech and called for an end to racism.
About two and a half lakh people participated in the rally. It is estimated that 75-80% of the protesters were blacks who spoke out against apartheid. The rally is the most significant political rally for human rights in U.S. history.
Berlin Wall, 1989
The Berlin Wall is a dividing line between socialism and capitalism. After World War II, Germany was virtually divided into four. The Federal Republic of Germany comprises the active western part of France, Britain, and the United States. They formed the Democratic Republic of Germany with the occupied eastern part of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, West Germany gradually became a capitalist state and achieved great prosperity.
On the other hand, East Germany, which was formed in imitation of the Soviet financial system, lags far behind economically. As a result, the people of East Germany became attracted to West Germany and began to migrate. So, in 1961, the East German government erected a border wall in Berlin, and barbed wire fences separated many Berlin families.
Later, on November 9, 1989, when the mass movement over the Berlin Wall began, the East German government was forced to declare that there would be no more travel restrictions between the two countries, allowing them to cross the border whenever they wished. Eventually, they tore down the Berlin Wall, and the barbed wire people returned to their families, and they reunited the two countries.
Protests against the Iraq war, 2003
In 2003, 60 million people took to the streets to save the world from an unjust war. Some anti-war organizations initially started the anti-war protests in Iraq. The state organized the protests in Arab countries. The largest gathering of protesters in Europe is in Rome, where three million people gather. It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest anti-war rally of all time.
The Orange Revolution, 2004
In democracies, there has been a revolution but no bloodshed — this is unthinkable. The same thing happened in Ukraine, a former member state of the then Soviet Union. In 2004, a democratic revolution took place in Ukraine, known as the ‘Orange Revolution.
Investigating foreign organizations, including the country’s election management body, have accused pro-Russian Yanukovych of rigging the 2004 presidential election in Ukraine. On the other hand, the people of Ukraine took to the streets in support of the opposition candidate Victor Yushchenko. This revolution lasted from November 22, 2004, to January 23, 2005.
Black Lives Matter, 2013
Black Lives Matter is a human rights movement that protests against violence against blacks and racism. The movement began in 2013 when George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of African-American teenager Trevon Martin. Zimmerman saw the 17-year-old black girl in Florida and killed the suspect. When the young woman was found innocent after the murder, the conscious citizens erupted in anger. Then there was a massive response on social media using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. That was the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Then, in 2014, when two more blacks were killed, the movement gained national momentum in the United States. Protesters took to the streets. On May 20, 2020, the movement rocked the world when George Floyd, a black man, was tortured to death by police. The use of this hashtag has caused a great deal of controversy around the world.