Background

Egypt has a long history of governmental oppression. Since World War I there have been many instances of martial law being imposed. The most recent period lasted from the assassination of President Sadat on October 6, 1981 through Egypt's revolution in January and February of 2011.[1]

On January 25, 2011, thousands of Egyptians took to the streets in Cairo calling it "a day of rage". Towns throughout the country saw similar protests. According to Al Jazeera, social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter played a large role in the protests.[2]

References

"Egypt and The Impact of 27 years of Emergency on Human Rights" from The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
"Timeline: Egypt's revolution" from Al Jazeera English