AnarWiki/markdown/Syrian_Revolution_(2011).md

The **Syrian Revolution** was a
[revolution](List_of_Libertarian_Socialist_Revolutions "wikilink") in
[Syria](Syria "wikilink") in
[2011](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Western_Asia "wikilink").
Although intially optimistic about the potential for social change, it
catalysed into the most tragic conflict of the 21st century - the
[Syrian Civil War](Syrian_Civil_War "wikilink").

## Background

Following Syria's [decolonisation](decolonisation "wikilink") by the
[French Empire](French_Empire "wikilink") in 1946, it enjoyed a brief
period of [representative
democracy](Representative_Democracy "wikilink") before the military took
over in a controversial coup in 1949 (with [alleged CIA
help](Timeline_of_US_Imperialism "wikilink")). Frequent coups, military
revolts, civil disorders and bloody riots dominated the country until
the Ba'ath party took power in a military coup in 1963 and ruled as a
secular one-party state until the revolution. This led to a rise in
opposition from not only democracy activists but also leftists and
Islamists.

Increasing economic stagnation triggered by privatisation of the economy
in the 1990s, high unemployment and a severe drought (triggered by
climate change) led to mass migration into cities from rural areas.
These factors combined with the governments restriction of civil
liberties and lack of political democracy led to the perfect ingredients
for a revolution. Once the Arab Spring was triggered by revolutions in
[Tunisia](Tunisian_Revolution "wikilink") and
[Egypt](Egyptian_Revolution_\(2011\) "wikilink"), it soon followed in
Syria.

## Events

Major unrest began on the 15th of March in Damascus, Syria's capital
city following the arrest and torture of 15 young students who had been
caught writing anti-government graffiti in the city. A 13-year-old boy,
Hamza al-Khateeb, was tortured and killed. Protesters clashed with local
police, and confrontations escalated on the 18th of March after Friday
prayers. Security forces attacked protesters gathered at the Omari
Mosque using water cannons and tear gas, followed by live fire, killing
four. Minor protests broke out across the country. Protesters demanded
the release of political prisoners, the abolition of Syria's 48-year
emergency law, more freedoms, and an end to pervasive government
corruption. The events led to a "Friday of Dignity" on 18 March, when
large-scale protests broke out in several cities, including Banias,
Damascus, al-Hasakah, Daraa, Deir az-Zor, and Hama. Police responded to
the protests with tear gas, water cannons, and beatings. At least 6
people were killed and many others injured.

On the 20th of March, protesters burnt down the Ba'ath Party
headquarters and other public buildings in Damascus, leading to police
shooting at crowds, leading to protesters fighting back. In two days, 15
protesters and 7 police officers were killed. On the 25th of March, mass
protests spread nationwide, as demonstrators emerged after Friday
prayers. At least 20 protesters were reportedly killed by security
forces. Protests subsequently spread to other Syrian cities, including
Homs, Hama, Baniyas, Jasim, Aleppo, Damascus and Latakia. Over 70
protesters in total were reported killed. The government claimed the
protesters were foreign agents and terrorists.

The government began to arrest tens of thousands of people without trial
in order to attack political activists. Many of those detained
experienced ill-treatment. Many detainees were cramped in tight rooms
and were given limited resources, and some were beaten, electrically
jolted, or debilitated. Checkpoints were installed and large amounts of
police were deployed to destroy [protest camps](Protest_Camp "wikilink")
while at the same time offering political reforms such as shorter
conscription time, firing corrupt officials, releasing political
prisoners, cutting taxes, creating jobs, lifting restrictions on the
press and raising wages of public sector workers. These reforms were
never implemented, however, the government did reverse the ban on
wearing the Niqab at school and granted citizenship to thousands of
Kurdish people and tried to hold a national dialogue that protesters
refused to attend.

In April, the government began to deploy the military against
protesters. Soldiers conducted house to house searches and executed
protesters. Tanks were used for the first time against demonstrators,
and snipers took positions on the rooftops of mosques. Mosques used as
headquarters for demonstrators and organizers were especially targeted.
The military began shutting off water, power and phone lines, and
confiscating flour and food. Armed protesters and defecting soldiers
fought back, killing hundreds of people, but the protests had largely
been suppressed by the 5th of May.

Opposition fighters soon became better equipped and organised and two
senior military officers defected. Angry protesters on the 4th of June
in Jisr ash-Shugur, set fire to a building where the army had fired on a
funeral demonstration. Eight soldiers died in the fire as demonstrators
took control of a police station, seizing weapons. Clashes between
protesters and the army continued in the following days. Soldiers began
defecting after the secret police executed soldiers who refused to kill
civilians. 10,000 people soon fled into Turkey, an [eery foreshadowing
of what was to come](Syrian_Refugee_Crisis "wikilink"). The next few
weeks were filled with small skirmishes between opposition fighters and
defected soldiers against the government.

On the 29th of July, a group of defected officers announced the
formation of the [Free Syrian Army](Free_Syrian_Army "wikilink").
Composed of defected Syrian Armed Forces personnel, the rebel army seeks
to remove dictator Bashar al-Assad and his government from power. With
such a significant defection from the state, a [civil
war](Civil_War "wikilink") had begun.

## Results

The revolution saw a [mutiny](List_of_Mutinies "wikilink") by much of
the army into a democratic opposition (although this soon became a mix
of all anti-government sentiments including
[leftists](Leftism "wikilink"), [Islamists](Islamism "wikilink"),
[capitalists](Capitalism "wikilink"), [liberals](Liberalism "wikilink")
and [fascists](Fascism "wikilink")) that led to the conflict becoming
the [Syrian Civil War](Syrian_Civil_War "wikilink"), of which the main
positive developments are the [Rojava
Revolution](Rojava_Revolution "wikilink") and the negative developments
are half a million dead, 12 million refugees and a complex proxy war
between [Russia](Timeline_of_Russian_Imperialism "wikilink") and the
[USA](Timeline_of_US_Imperialism "wikilink").

## References

[Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") - [Civil uprising phase of the Syrian
Civil
War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_uprising_phase_of_the_Syrian_Civil_War)