“When Revolutions become Non-Violent: Democratic Change in Tunisia and Egypt.” The paper examines the trajectories and mobilization strategies of the pro-democracy revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia. The two states were notorious for their authoritarian regimes and coercive policies that institutionalized for a repressive police state. These two regimes have stifled the opposition, dis-empowered civil society, and restricted the avenues of change. The paper examines the constraints of the political environment, the repressive techniques of Mubarak’s and Ben Ali’s regimes, and the reasons behind the success of the pro-democracy protests despite the watchful eyes of the state. It addresses the strategies the political actors used for popular mobilization and the channels they created to engage the larger populace in grass-roots, pro-change movement. It explains the methods of mobilization and coalition-building that made these revolutions possible. The paper makes the argument that despite their sudden eruption, these revolutions are actually the result of a cumulative process and years of organization and popular action of certain actors who managed to successfully create channels of change despite the constraints of their political environments. Remarkably, the pro-democracy revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia have been non-violent. This fact will have a direct impact on the type of political system and institutional arrangements in the post-revolution phase. The paper argues that when revolutions are nonviolent they have a better chance of success and of mobilizing popular support. They are also more likely to lead to the establishment of a democratic system and consensual institutional structures. The paper uses a variety of research methods to substantiate the main arguments. Primary sources will include interviews, published statements, literature and websites of political actors. Secondary sources will benefit from the scholarly work on social movements, mobilization and state-society relations.