E-BOOK: Migration Biographies - Europe on the move December 2020 | Page 14

Programme Erasmus + Europe on the move : Migration Biographies
Theses
70 and 100 A . D .. 8 In 313 A . D . Emperor Constantine released the Edict of Milan , a proclamation which “ established religious toleration for Christianity ” 9 and made the development of Christianity possible without intervention . In 391 , Catholic Christianity was declared as the state religion by emperor Theodosius . In the following decades the Roman Empire broke apart and Islam developed as a new religion . 10
11 12
At the beginning of the 7th century , the Arabs conquered the Byzantine Empire and started a new era . Under the rule of the Arabs , Islam developed and later divided into different religious sectors such as the Sunnis and Shiites , in which the Shiites were oppressed by the Sunnis for the next few decades . Another change was Baghdad being chosen as the new Islamic centre after Damascus came to an “ economic decline ” 13 14 15
.
In the 11th century the crusaders led the first crusade followed by six other crusades , which lasted until 1270 , leaving many killed and injured as well as considerable destruction . Around the same time , in 1260 , the Mongols conquered Syria but were banished by the Mamluks . The Mamluks-dynasty ended in 1516 after Syria was conquered by the Ottoman Empire . Some described this era as “ relatively peaceful and stable ”. 16 The province of Syria also experienced a growth period for politics , the economy and culture . 17
In 1916 , during the First World War , France and Great Britain made a secret deal , called the Sykes-Picot- Agreement , which decided which parts of the Arab countries became French and British “ spheres of influence ” 18 . In 1918 French and British troops occupied the Empire of Surya . France took control of Syria and Lebanon in 1920 as dictated by the Sykes-Picot-Agreement . The French reign led to protests among Syrians , ending with the Great Syrian Revolution of 1925-1927 , in which Syrians fought together against the French during their occupation . In 1936 negotiations between France and Syria were held and led to a treaty of independence , in which Syria could continue to be independent but France kept the power over their military and economy . In the Second World War Syria was again under French and British occupation , but afterwards , in 1946 Syria gained its independence . 19 Only after many years , the hard-fought independence was accepted
20 21 22 by the public and the repeated government coups stopped .
In the last few decades , Syria was seen as an outstanding example of the possibility of multiple religions and cultures living peacefully together 23 whilst still being proud of its old traditions which were a result of its complex history . The different occupations left various cultural and social influences , forming an idiosyncratically Syrian culture and giving many religions and different groups a home . 24
2.1.2 . Causes of the conflict nowadays
The civil war began in 2011 , inspired by the events surrounding the “ Arab Spring ” movement , which encouraged Syrians to oppose the regime that had been ruling for more than 50 years . 25 26 The causes of the conflict have their origins in the military coup on the 9th of March in 1963 . 27
8 ( Schweizer 2015 , 491 )
9 ( The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica 2019 )
10 ( Schweizer 2015 , 492 )
11 ( Schweizer 2015 , 493 )
12 ( History . com Editors 2017 )
13 ( History . com Editors 2017 )
14 ( Schweizer 2015 , 493 )
15 ( History . com Editors 2017 )
16 ( History . com Editors 2017 )
17 ( Schweizer 2015 , 495-497 )
18 ( History . com Editors 2017 )
19 ( Lange 2013 , 3 )
20 ( History . com Editors 2017 )
21 ( Schweizer 2015 , 502 )
22 ( BBC 2019 )
23 ( Schweizer 2015 )
24 ( Schweizer 2015 )
25 ( Bender 2012 , ix )
26 ( van Dam 2017 , xi )
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