discontent in the voting booth, using their political rights to effect change. Almost half of the world’s population cast ballots in 2024, despite the fact that democracies differ in their nature and status across the globe. Citizens also rebelled in cultures where authoritarians ruled by force or crooked elections, thereby enacting change that many political observers had not anticipated at the start of the year.
Voters, demonstrations, and uprisings throughout the world have demonstrated this year that the status quo is unacceptable. Although it is unclear what will happen next, 2024 will go down in history as the year that the status quo that has ruled the world since the conclusion of the Cold War ended.
A perfect storm of unhappiness
Not all of the changes that occurred in 2024 happened at once. The established order that had developed since the conclusion of the Cold War was undermined by the events that the Global Financial Crisis had triggered. Despite governments spending trillions to support economies and safeguard populations, the Covid-19 epidemic, a once-in-a-century calamity, exacerbated dissatisfaction.
A major factor was the cost of living problem brought on by rising energy costs following the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as widespread inflation, which was partly brought on by the magnitude of the stimulus that was released globally. As the cost-of-living problem worsened, people living paycheck to paycheck suffered while those with money became richer due to skyrocketing asset values, particularly in the West.
This then created the conditions for 2024 to be a year of significant transformation, particularly among global democracies.
A major factor was the cost of living problem brought on by rising energy costs following the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as widespread inflation, which was partly brought on by the magnitude of the stimulus that was released globally. As the cost-of-living problem worsened, people living paycheck to paycheck suffered while those with money became richer due to skyrocketing asset values, particularly in the West.
This then created the conditions for 2024 to be a year of significant transformation, particularly among global democracies.
The message was clear: Americans were fed up with the political establishment. Trump won by a sizable electoral margin, reversing trends that had favored Democrats in the previous election cycle and winning over demographics that Republicans had long found difficult to win over, such as black men and Hispanic voters. In places like Michigan, a sizable Muslim population, disgusted with the Biden administration’s policy toward Palestine, voted for a candidate who had implemented a Muslim ban in his first term.
However, the political establishment was defeated in other democracies outside the US. For the first time since the end of apartheid, the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa lost its majority. In sharp contrast to its historical dominance, when it regularly received over 60% of the vote, the ANC’s share of the vote fell to just 45%. The party finally fell victim to decades of corruption and broken promises, which caused a dramatic change in the political landscape of the country.
Keir Starmer of Labour came to power in the UK, defeating Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives in a decisive win that gave the party its biggest majority since 1997. Macron’s centrism lost ground in France, where the far-left and far-right gained ground, and in Germany, Olaf Scholz’s coalition failed the vote of confidence due to popular outrage over the country’s energy and economic problems.
Even though Narendra Modi was elected to a third term as prime minister, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India, the largest democracy in the world, acknowledged that resentment was growing against its policies as well. The BJP and its supporters were unable to achieve its declared objective of gaining more than 400 seats in India’s lower house of parliament due to worries about minority rights, youth unemployment, and democratic backsliding.
Change is not only found in democracies.
Democracies are transparent, so everyone can see how messy they are. Discontent is shown in real time by transparent institutions and a free press. But 2024 also rocked authoritarian regimes to their core.
This was never more evident than in Bangladesh, where resentment over election tampering and corruption erupted into rallies that overthrew Sheikh Hasina’s ruling government in a matter of weeks. In Dhaka, student demonstrators spearheaded the movement, and hundreds of people were killed in the streets as a result of the police’s harsh tactics. Hasina attempted to resist as dissatisfaction grew but was forced to flee to India, where she is still today.
Unrest was exacerbated by the economic slump brought on by policies implemented during the pandemic; thus, even China was not immune to the upheaval. Attacks in China during the past several weeks have unsettled the government and opened the door for a bigger stimulus package aimed at promoting growth and calming the populace.
Growing dissatisfaction has also been observed in Russia, where reports indicate that as economic sanctions tighten and the cost of the war in Ukraine increases, people are beginning to doubt Vladimir Putin’s plans.
The biggest surprise was saved for last, when the tyrannical Assad dynasty in Syria was overthrown in 2024. The Syrian revolution was brutally put down by the Assad administration, which ruled with an iron grip and used Russian jets and Hezbollah and Iranian fighters to slaughter their own people.
Assad has even deployed chemical weapons on his own people out of a desperate attempt to maintain control. The Syrian resistance forces appeared exhausted by the beginning of 2024, and Arab nations were rehabilitating Assad. But before the end of 2024, the regime abruptly fell, ending a violent rule that had killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians over the years.
A year of change for some, but not everyone
Even though 2024 brought about significant change, millions of Americans also did not receive what they expected. In a nation like Pakistan, whose people exercised their democratic right in the general elections held in February 2024, the status quo effectively thwarted their decisions.
These elections took place while former Prime Minister Imran Khan was still in prison, and they were unconstitutionally postponed by several months. Even though the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had its emblem removed on election night, the party’s candidates nevertheless received a sizable turnout of voters.
But the status quo prevailed, bringing a coalition that appears to be supported and preferred by the nation’s military establishment to power. The regime has stepped up its repression rather than reform, blocking the internet and threatening opposition leaders, journalists, and activists while ruling without a democratic mandate.
The regime’s continued existence shows that, even in the face of strong public opposition, the status quo can occasionally reverse the trend and push back against popular will. Nonetheless, data from nations all over the world, particularly in South Asia, indicates that authoritarian leaders can only last so long in the absence of popular backing.
The 2024 activities highlight the strength of group effort. People sought accountability and change through elections, demonstrations, or revolutions. Authoritarian governments showed their fractures, democracies struggled with their weaknesses, and the political landscape of the world drastically changed.
One thing is certain as the dust settles: 2024 was the year that disgruntled individuals changed the course of history, demonstrating that the most potent force for change is still the voice of the people. It remains to be seen what will happen next, particularly in a nation like Pakistan where the general populace is growing more and more resentful of being governed against their will and wants to use their right to vote.
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