People Power Revolution: Marcos Falls in the Philippines
The People Power Revolution of February 22–25, 1986 ended Ferdinand Marcos's twenty-year rule through four days of nonviolent mass protest on EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) in Manila. The immediate trigger was snap elections called by Marcos that returned a fraudulent result against opposition candidate Corazon Aquino — widow of the assassinated Benigno Aquino Jr. Outrage at the fraud combined with military defections led by Defence Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and General Fidel Ramos, who called on civilians to protect them from Marcos loyalists. Millions of Filipinos gathered on EDSA; priests and nuns confronted tanks; Marcos's forces refused to fire. The United States withdrew its support, and Marcos fled to Hawaii on February 25 with his family and a reported suitcases of gold and jewellery. The People Power Revolution became a global model for nonviolent democratization and directly influenced democratic transitions from South Korea to Eastern Europe.
- Year: 1986 CE
- Category: Political
