Explanation:
The heavy sense of dictatorship and memories of the 1980s made Syrians think the wave of change in the region would never come to their country.
But it did happen. At first, people were surprised, but above all shocked that their government would fire on peaceful protesters in Deraa. Every day, the death toll increased and in reaction more people took to the street.
The movement started as protests calling for more freedom and dignity. The way the government handled the events since those first days drove more and more people to oppose President Bashar al-Assad.
At first, no-one was calling for the regime to fall. Many people had hopes that the young president would respond to their calls and punish those of the security forces who killed innocent civilians.
But the wave of killings and arrests, torture and humiliation targeting people who were not even involved in the demonstrations drove many who steered clear of politics to join the protest movement.
As you know, Germany was an absolute mess after World War I. Citizens were starving, and thousands of Germans had lost their job. Adolf Hitler saw this as an opportunity to manipulate Germans into thinking it was the Jews who had caused all their troubles. People were desperate and hopeless. They need someone to tell them what to do, and how to fix this mess. They needed someone to tell them who to blame for their starvation and their losses. Adolf Hitler, unfortunately, rose up and became that person.
"First, I want you to starve.
Then I want you to lose your job.
Now you're looking for someone to blame?
That's when I step in and start to dictate."
