Egyptian workers take the lead¶
Core Argument¶
The mass demonstrations that erupted in Egypt initially failed to dislodge Mubarak, producing a stalemate that threatened to dissipate revolutionary energy. Yet the entry of the Egyptian working class onto the political stage transformed the situation entirely. Strikes and occupations spread across industrial cities—Suez, Mahalla, Quesna—as new layers of society joined the struggle: unemployed youths, public sector workers, even liver patients demanding treatment. Their demands fused economic grievances with political insurrection: wages, rights, and Mubarak’s removal.
The regime, having failed to clear Tahrir Square by force on 2 February, shifted to negotiation. Vice President Suleiman offered talks, seeking to co-opt moderate opposition elements, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, whose leaders remain embedded within the capitalist system and fear the revolutionary masses. The regime hoped to stall the movement, isolate the square, and let it fizzle out. But the workers’ uprising changed the dynamic, producing the largest protests yet on 8 February.
The revolution faced a mounting danger: economic chaos threatened popular support. The economy lost €300 million daily in tourist revenue alone; bread grew scarce; wages went unpaid. The regime attempted to restore normalcy by reopening businesses and banks while clearing streets of debris. The most revolutionary wing of the opposition refused negotiation with Mubarak, whom they accused of hiding "a dagger behind his back."
Leadership is essential to any struggle, including revolutions. The youth, free from older generations' prejudices and fear, played the key role. However, to advance the Revolution, the working class had to intervene through an all-out general strike. A wave of strikes and factory occupations was already underway—telecom, cement, textile, oil, and transport workers walked out, often demanding the fall of the regime. Workers expelled corrupt union officials and began self-managing enterprises. The Iron and Steel Workers of Helwan advanced demands including Mubarak's removal, confiscation of corrupt wealth, nationalisation of privatised companies, workers' committees to supervise production, and a constituent assembly elected without negotiations with the old regime.
Citizens' militias had formed to protect neighbourhoods after the police collapsed, representing the embryo of an alternative state power. Suleiman considered a coup, but the army was already split. The imperialist powers, worried about the Suez Canal through which 40% of world freight passes, sent U.S. forces to the Bitter Lake in an attempt at intimidation. The movement’s leaders, by confining action to demonstrations, allowed the initiative to slip, risking the same fate as the Paris Commune. The revolution cannot stand still; it must advance or be lost.