Syrian Revolution Day Date in the current year: March 18, 2025

The Assad family began ruling Syria in 1970 when Hafez al-Assad, then Minister of Defense, overthrew the government of Salah Jadid in a military coup known as the Corrective Revolution. Although the ruling Ba’ath Party remained in power, it came under Assad’s control. Assad quickly consolidated power by appointing family members and loyalists to key positions in all areas of society and developing a cult of personality.

After Hafez’s death in 2000, he was succeeded by his son, Bashar al-Aassad. Initially, people were cautiously optimistic that a new leader would bring positive change. A reform movement known as the Damascus Spring emerged, led by prominent intellectuals who called for democratic reforms. However, Bashar continued his father’s political course, arresting hundreds of pro-reform intellectuals. In the decade that followed, hopes for reform were dashed, and the Assad family and their allies tightened their grip on Syrian society.

In December 2010, thousands of Tunisians took to the streets to protest high unemployment, corruption, inflation, poor living conditions, and a lack of political freedoms. Soon the protests spread from Tunisia to other Arab countries, including Syria. This wave of unrest became known as the Arab Spring.

Protests in Syria began as early as January 2011 when Hasan Ali Akleh set himself on fire in Al-Hasakah to protest the government. The protests had become widespread by March. On March 15, dubbed the “Day of Rage”, hundreds of people protested in Damascus, demanding Assad’s resignation and democratic reforms. Simultaneous protests took place in other cities and towns across Syria. In response, the government ordered a crackdown and arrested hundreds of protesters.

Despite the crackdown, the protests continued, and on March 18, government forces killed four unarmed protesters in the city of Daraa. The protests intensified, as did the crackdowns, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. The protests soon evolved into a revolution, which later escalated into a full-scale civil war, in which various insurgent groups fought against the Assad regime. The civil war lasted more than thirteen years, ending on December 8, 2024, when rebels captured Damascus in a series of offensives and overthrew Bashar al-Assad.

In October 2025, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new president of Syria, updated the country’s official holiday calendar. He removed four dates tied to the Assad era: March 8 Revolution Day, Teachers’ Day, Tishreen Liberation War Day, and Martyr’s Day. In their place, he added two new national holidays: Syrian Revolution Day, which marks the start of the 2011 revolution, and Liberation Day, which marks the fall of the Ba’athist regime and the end of the Assad family’s rule.