The Civil uprising phase of the Syrian civil war was an early stage of protests and violence in the Syrian conflict, lasting from March to end of July 2011. The uprising evolved from initially minor protests, beginning as early as January 2011, as a response to the regional Arab Spring, government corruption and human rights abuses. The uprising phase was marked by massive anti-regime opposition demonstrations against the Ba'athist regime of Bashar al-Assad, meeting with police and military violence, massive arrests and brutal crack down, resulting in hundreds of mortal casualties and thousands of wounded.