Responding to Mass Unrest: Comparing State Responses in Chile and Egypt

Events of mass unrest, such as revolutions and popular revolts, can threaten political elites by undermining their legitimacy and challenging their hold on power. In response, states employ a range of strategies to retain control and restore order, including ‘repression’, ‘discursive backlash’, ‘co-optation’ and ‘inclusion’. This paper applies frame analysis and process tracing to examine state responses to mass unrest in two cases: the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and the 2019 Chilean uprising. Despite significant differences in history, economy and political culture, we observe that in both cases the state resorted to similar short-term strategies, including ‘backlash’ (vilification, repression, counter-protests) and ‘mitigation’ (inclusion, co-optation). In both contexts, official narratives framed the police as defenders of national security and portrayed protesters as dangerous, chaotic, foreign-funded agents. Alongside ‘discursive backlash’, both states initially relied on repressive measures. However, Chile later shifted toward concessions, reflecting its distinct institutional settings and political culture. This study demonstrates that the threat of revolution prompts both autocratic and democratic regimes to adopt similar short-term responses, but these responses diverge in the medium to long term.