Nepalese Revolution Sends Shockwaves Around the World. In The Middle Of it All? Gen Z.
Written By: Dayshaun Powe, Staff-writer
The nation of Nepal has been under a watchful eye over the past few months. First gaining international traction on Sept. 4, 2025. When the government applied their nationwide ban on 26 different social media platforms. The ban was due to a failure of the platforms to register to comply with local laws and standards. This was then followed by a major rise in protest – largely led by the nation’s Gen Z population.
Although many assume that this ban on social media is the sole cause of Nepal’s Revolution, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. The ban on social media is what pushed many of the nation’s youth over the edge, as they all saw it as a new attempt by the government to find a way to censor its civilians. But the main cause that many in Nepal were actually fighting, were two commonly under-discussed topics; nepotism and corruption.
In the modern world, the discussion of “nepo children” is typically brought up on the topic of getting an unfair leg up in an industry where their parents have typically already made a name. In Nepal, it carries a heavier weight to it. As many children of government officials consistently posted pictures and videos living lavish lives, while some in Nepal struggled to find a consistent meal. The social media ban didn’t help the matter, as although all of Nepal lost access to popular social media platforms. The children of the aforementioned politicians remained unaffected.
In 1996, Nepal had a very similar revolution. It was in response to failure to properly transition the government system from its current Monarchy, to a new, people led democracy. After years of fighting, peace was eventually reached. Along with the leader of the revolution, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, known to many as Prachanda, became the Prime Minister of Nepal in 2008. But after he reached office, many still felt their values that they fought over ten years over, were being pushed to the side. Political science professor Stephen Smith said,” It’s clear the Revolution did not follow on its promises”.
But with the new age revolution in Nepal, many made it clear that they did not want to follow the mistakes of the past. Within the first few days of the revolution, attempted negotiations were already being made by protest leaders with the few members left of the nepali parliament. One of the most famous examples of these negotiations is the Gen Z lead, discord election for the new nepali Prime Minister. Among the four candidates Mahabir Pun, Harka Sampang, Sagar Dhakal, Rastra Bimochan Timalsena, known to many by his youtube and ballot name, “Random Nepali”. With the fifth being the former chief justice Sushila Karki, known for having a strong stance against corruption, went on to win the election. Becoming the first female Prime Minister in Nepali History, and achieving an overall peace between parliament and revolutionaries.
Although it was only over the span of five days, the Nepal revolution still sadly claimed the lives of more than 70 people. With a little over 2,300 people having some form of injury. But the Prime Minister has announced that all who were injured, or lost a family member during the protest, will be reimbursed in some way. Along with this news September 17, 2025 was made an official remembrance day for all who were lost in the midst of the revolution. But even on the political side, Nepal seems to have a brighter hope for their future. With Sudan Gurnung, a prominent force in the anti-government movement announcing he intends on running in their 2026 election. Smith stated, “I think it’s great we’re so interested in these young people making history”.
(Thank you to Dr.Stephen Smith for offering to interview for the Article. It should also be known that Dr.Smith is not a specialist on the matter, and was just offering insight off what he knew.)