The last year has played host to an escalating sense of social unrest, with scenes of violent clashes and anti-establishment protests dominating the international news agenda.
Stunning photos from the streets of Hong Kong, Bangkok and Cairo show how young activists are effecting change in whichever way they can; seizing back power from oppressive government regimes and knocking down rigid social paradigms.
The aims of these movements vary but what remains a constant is that students lie at the heart of them. In small pockets around the world, they are looking to chip away at and reshape the global socio-political landscape.
As 2014 draw to a close, HuffPost UK takes a look back at some of the year's most memorable - and world-changing - student protests.
Student Movements From Around the World
Venezuela -- June(01 of14)
Open Image ModalEscalating crime, an economy spiraling out of control, and a botched attempt to clamp down on dissent were the ingredients that sparked a series of anti-government demonstrations - the most prominent in a decade. Students were the first to protest in February, but the roots of the movement can be traced to the killing of Miss Venezuela 2004 Monica Spear in January. The middle-classes and anti-government campaigners have since joined the students as the civil unrest threatens to spill into 2015. Pictured (in June), university students and government opponents marched in the east of the capital to protest the government of President Nicolas Maduro and demand the release of people who have been arrested in street demonstrations in recent months. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spain -- October(02 of14)
Open Image ModalStudents protest during a strike against the financial cuts to education in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014, Spain. Students took part in a general strike to protest government education reform and cutbacks plan. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Italy -- October(03 of14)
Open Image ModalStudents take part in a demonstration organised by the Italian trade union CGIL to protest in Rome against the Italian government's plans to overhaul labor market laws. CGIL, Italy's largest trade-union federation, call an anti-government rally in Rome to protest against labor reforms proposed by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to stimulate the economy by changing employment laws. (credit:Pacific Press via Getty Images)
Hong Kong -- October(04 of14)
Open Image ModalDubbed the Umbrella Revolution, Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement has inspired tens of thousands to occupy key districts, fast-gaining the support of all quarters of society. Its student leaders have embarrassed the Chinese government, which has been struggling to maintain its international reputation since the protests sparked. (credit:Paula Bronstein via Getty Images)
Hong Kong -- December(05 of14)
Open Image ModalThe protests have been growing increasingly violent as the weeks have spanned. Pro-democracy protesters clashed with police as they tried to surround Hong Kong government headquarters, stepping up their movement for genuine democratic reforms after camping out on the city's streets for more than two months. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mexico -- November(06 of14)
Open Image ModalA man dressed as the grim reaper and carrying a poster with the photos of the missing participates in a march to protest the disappearance of 43 students of the Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa in the state of Guerrero, in Mexico City, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014. The poster reads in Spanish, "They took them alive!" Supporters of the missing students, refusing to believe that the missing students are dead, have kept up the protests that have blocked major highways and set government buildings ablaze in recent weeks. The 43 teachers-school students disappeared at the hands of a city police force on Sept. 26 in the town of Iguala. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mexico -- November(07 of14)
Open Image ModalAfter the bodies of 43 student teachers who went missing in September were found buried in a mass grave, a tidal wave of protests led by students has rocked the Mexican establishment. As the nation stands on the brink of chaos, evidence has come to light that the 43 were murdered and their charred remains thrown into a ditch, with the Iguala city police force said to be responsible. (credit:Miguel Tovar/STF via Getty Images)
Mexico -- November(08 of14)
Open Image ModalProtesters set fire on a police vehicle as they march near the airport in Mexico City,Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. Mexico City is bracing for demonstrations as caravans of students and family members of 43 missing college students converge on the capital after several days crisscrossing the country. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
London -- November(09 of14)
Open Image ModalStudents take part in a protest march against fees and cuts in the education system on November 19, 2014 in London, England. A coalition of student groups have organised a day of nationwide protests in support of free education and to campaign against cuts. (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
London -- November(10 of14)
Open Image ModalA police officer clashes with protesters outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after a march against student university fees in central London on November 19, 2014. The demonstration organised by the Student Assembly Against Austerity, alongside the Young Greens and National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts demands free education and an end to tuition fees, education cuts and student debt. (credit:JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)
Turkey -- November(11 of14)
Open Image ModalTurkish students, members of Turkey Youth Union, TGB, stage a rally to protest against the visit of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. Biden on Saturday called on Europe to continue diversifying its energy supplies to reduce dependence on Russia. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Turkey -- November(12 of14)
Open Image ModalRiot police use pepper spray to disperse a protest by dozens of students near Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's new, contested 1,000-room palace in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014. Police used shields and pepper spray to prevent the students from marching to the palace that has become an emblem of Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian style of governing. Video footage showed one officer punching a student in the face as he was being held by another officer. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Egypt -- November(13 of14)
Open Image ModalStudents protest against the dismissal of the murder case against toppled President Hosni Mubarak over the killing of protesters during Egyptâs 2011 uprising, at Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014. Judge Mahmoud al-Rashidi dismissed the case on a technicality, saying Mubarakâs referral to prosecution ignored an earlier decision by prosecutors not to try him. Al-Rashidi did, however, find Mubarakâs security chief and six of his top aides not guilty on charges of ordering the killings, a ruling that implicitly absolves Mubarak. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Thailand -- December(14 of14)
Open Image ModalThai student activists have adopted the Hunger Games' three finger salute as a sign of defiance agains the totalitarian military-led goverment which seized power in May. Pictured are three students making the banned gesture in front of the Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as he speaks in Khon Kaen province, northeast of Bangkok, Thailand. Five university students were arrested after giving the salute during the speech by Prayuth, who led the coup as army commander. One cinema chain in the country's capital cancelled all screenings of the film after a student group planned an anti-coup protest outside one of its theaters. Activists say police pressured the chain to halt the showings. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The most iconic of all student-led movements is undoubtedly Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution, dubbed-so for the umbrellas protesters carried in order to protect themselves against police tear gas. The umbrella has now risen to become a symbol.
In the months since the Chinese government picked its shortlist of preferred candidates for the Hong Kong elections, tensions between pro-democracy activists and the authorities have escalated. The student leaders have been calling for
Now, China risks damaging its international reputation; footage of violent clashes between an aggravated police force and a resilient core of student activists broadcast around the world threatens to sour ties with Western trading partners.
Escalating crime, an economy spiralling out of control, and a botched attempt to clamp down on dissent were the ingredients that sparked a series of anti-government demonstrations in Venezuela - the most prominent in a decade.
Students were the first to march in February, but the roots can be traced to the killing of Miss Venezuela 2004 Monica Spear and her ex-husband in January. The middle-classes and campaigners positioned against the socialist government have been sucked in, joining the students as the demonstrations threaten to spill into 2015.
Thailand’s military-led administration has been clamping down on dissent ever since it staged a coup d’état in May. The draconian range of measures have even extended to a ban on citizens making a three-finger salute borrowed from the Hunger Games films. Activists have adopted the symbol to signify government oppression.
In November, five students were arrested for making the gesture in front of the Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the military commander who led the coup. The film has attracted huge controversy in the country with one cinema chain cancelling all screenings after a student group was thought to be planning an anti-coup protest outside one of its theatres.
Thousands of students marched for three consecutive days in October to call for an end to the centre-right government’s plans to cut scholarships and raise university fees. The protest followed a series of similar marches staged throughout the year.
Parents and teachers joined the students as they demonstrated in 43 cities, also calling for the minister of education, culture and sports to resign. According to the general secretary of Spain’s union of students, the ongoing action has a 90 per cent approval rating with the general public.
Spanish politics faces such staggering levels of disillusionment that a left-wing populist party known as Podemos (translated ‘We Can’) has skyrocketed to lead in the opinion polls after being founded only this year.
The disappearance of 43 student teachers in September during a protest that turned violent caused a rumble. But it wasn’t until their charred remains were found hidden in bags on the bank of river that a nationwide movement erupted.
Three detained members of a drug cartel have since testified to murdering the students after they were handed over by a corrupt local police department. Drug-related violence is not a new phenomenon but this revelation struck a nerve with the public, as Mexico descended to become a state in crisis almost overnight.
Egypt has never been at rest since Hosni Mubarak’s government was overthrown in 2011. The country has since cycled through administrations, with power recently changing hands through the force of a military coup.
Students have been protesting on university campuses since a recent court verdict cleared Mubarak of killing protesters during the 2011 revolution. They are pairing with hard line ‘ultras in what commentators are referring to as a “university uprising”.
Repressive measures imposed by the leadership designed to curtail dissent are bringing small pockets of the nation’s youth together against what they see as an illegitimate military regime.
Turkey is finding it increasingly difficult contain seemingly never-ending domestic strife, with anti-government protests verging on breaking into a third successive year.
With Islamic State perched on the Syrian border, this vaguely anti-establishment movement is finding every reason to challenge the leadership. Recently, students gathered to rally against the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Ergoden’s new $350m 1000-room palace that he built in Ankara.
The police reaction has been heavy-handed. Water cannons are a regular feature during demonstrations, as are canisters of tear gas used to suppress protesters. Footage from one protest against Ergoden’s palace shows a policeman punching one student in the face as another officer restrained him.
Students and workers clashed with riot police as they marched through cities across Italy in November to protest the soaring unemployment and the volatile state of the nation’s finances. This follows a march (pictured) in October which saw hundreds of thousands rally against new labour laws.
The government’s disastrous economic performance has seen rampant job losses, with an imposed austerity programme souring the mood for Italy’s youngsters.
Youth unemployment is close to 50% while one in 10 are without a job. The recession has also had an impact on racial tensions. Anti-immigration rhetoric is rising as migrants are regularly fingered for the government’s failure to implement a sustainable economic policy.
Thousands of students from across the UK marched through London in November as part of a long-standing campaign to abolish tuition fees and end government-imposed austerity measures.
Since November’s rally, local protests have been widespread on university campuses. Most notable was a recent wave of occupations that were staged in response to alleged police violence during a sit-in at the University of Warwick.
A number of student groups, including the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) and the Young Greens are planning a number of similar events for the coming months as the country gears up for the 2015 general election.