Iceland’s Pots & Pans Revolution; Pragmatic, Everyday Revolutionaries part 2

The 2009–2011 Icelandic financial crisis protests, also referred to as the Kitchenware, Kitchen Implement or Pots and Pans Revolution, occurred in the wake of the Icelandic financial crisis. There had been regular and growing protests since October 2008 against the Icelandic government's handling of the financial crisis. The protests intensified on 20 January 2009 with thousands of people protesting at the parliament in Reykjavík. These were at the time the largest protests in Icelandic history.

 

Protesters were calling for the resignation of government officials and for new elections to be held. Unlike every other country during this global crisis, numerous officials and bank leaders were imprisoned and the government reclaimed ownership of many industries in response.

How did this protest develop, and why was their protest so successful in comparison to other movements such as Occupy Wall Street? We chat about why average citizens got involved and lessons we can learn from this unique period in history.

 

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Sources:

Dixon, M. (2018). Economic crisis and mass protest: The pots and pans revolution in Iceland. Social Forces, 96(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soy029

Bibler, J. (2021). Iceland’s secret: The untold story of the world’s biggest con. Harriman House.