How the Assad family stayed in power in Syria for more than 50 years

The Assad family's rule in Syria began in 1971 when Hafez al-Assad, who had led a military coup the previous year, became president. He would go on to establish a one-party dictatorship and a cult of personality around himself and his family. After Hafez died in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad inherited the leadership, continuing a legacy of iron-fisted rule. On December 8, 2024, following 13 years of civil war, Syrian rebel forces captured the capital Damascus and ousted president Bashar al-Assad. In a dramatic turn, Assad fled to Moscow, marking the abrupt end of over 50 years of his family’s dominance characterised by relentless suppression of dissent and widespread turmoil in the country.