Syrian Republic
| الجمهورية السورية République syrienne |
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Jumhuriyyat as-suriyya |
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| Syrian Republic | |||||
| 1930-1963 | |||||
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| Official language | Arabic | ||||
| Capital | Damascus | ||||
| Form of government | republic | ||||
| Government system | Parliamentary government system | ||||
| Head of state | most recently President Nazem Koudsi | ||||
| Head of government | most recently Prime Minister Chaled Alazem | ||||
| surface | 189,880 km² | ||||
| population | 2,721,379 (1938) | ||||
| Population density | 14.3 inhabitants per km² | ||||
| currency | Syrian lira | ||||
| founding | 1930 | ||||
| resolution | 1963 | ||||
| National anthem | Humat ad-Diyar | ||||
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The Syrian Republic ( Arabic الجمهورية السورية Dschumhuriyyat as-suriyya , French République syrienne ) was a state that formed today's Syria from 1930 to 1958 and from 1961 to 1963. At the beginning, the French League of Nations mandate for Syria and Lebanon comprisedall of Syria without Greater Lebanon . From 1946 it became an independent republic. The era of the Syrian Republic ended with a coup by the Ba'ath Party in 1963.
Establishment of the Syrian Republic
The project for a Syrian constitution was discussed by the constituent assembly elected in April 1928 . However, since the National Bloc, which was striving for independence , had won a majority and insisted on articles which did not give priority to mandate power, the assembly was dissolved on August 9, 1928. On May 14, 1930, the state of Syria , which was itself created through the unification of the states of Aleppo and Damascus , was declared a Syrian Republic . A new constitution drawn up by Ibrahim Hanano was promulgated by the French High Commissioner - at the same time as the Lebanese constitution , the Règlement du Sandjak d'Alexandrette , the statute of the Alawite government and the statute of the Druze state . A new flag was also mentioned in this constitution:
«Art. 4 - Le drapeau syria est disposé de la façon suivante: Sa longueur est le double de sa hauteur. Il comprend trois bandes de mêmes dimensions. The bande supérieure est verte, la médiane blanche, l'inférieure noire. La partie blanche comprend trois étoiles rouges alignées à cinq branches chacune. »
“The Syrian flag should be composed as follows, the length should be twice the height. It should contain three bands of the same dimensions, the upper band green, the middle white, the lower black. The white portion should have three stars in a line, each with five points. "
In December 1931 and January 1932, the first elections were held under the new constitution - under an electoral law that guaranteed the representation of religious minorities, as provided for in Article 37 of the constitution. The National Bloc was in the minority in the new Chamber of Representatives with only 16 out of 70 MPs, which was due to the intensive selection of candidates by the French authorities. Among the MPs were three members of the Syrian-Kurdish nationalist Xoybûn ( Parti Khoyboun ), Khalil Bey ibn Ibrahim Pacha ( province of al-Jazeera ), Mustafa Bey ibn Shahin ( Jarabulus ) and Hassan Aouni ( Kurd Dagh ). Later that year there were “complementary elections”, from March 30th to April 6th.
In 1933 France attempted to negotiate an independence treaty that gave France strong advantages. It promised gradual independence, but left the Syrian mountains under French control . Mohamed Ali Bey al-Abed , the Syrian head of state, was pro-French at the time . Passionate opposition to this treaty was led by senior nationalist and parliamentarian Hashim al-Atassi , who called for a sixty-day strike in protest. Atassi's political opposition, the National Bloc , mobilized massive popular support for his appeal. Revolts and demonstrations were rampant, and the economy stalled.
Franco-Syrian Independence Treaty
After negotiations with the French high commissioner in Syria, Damien de Martel , in March, Hashim al-Atassi went to Paris and headed a delegation from his bloc. The new French government, led by the Popular Front , formed in June after the April – May elections , agreed to recognize the National Bloc as the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people and invited Atassi to negotiate independence. The resulting agreement ( accord Viénot ) called for the immediate recognition of Syria as a sovereign republic, with the granting of full independence, which was gradually guaranteed for a period of 25 years.
The treaty was unanimously ratified by the Syrian parliament but did not go through the French parliament ; the government anticipated a rejection by the Senate . However, the treaty allowed the autonomous Druze Mountains , the Alawites (now called residents of Latakia ) and Alexandretta to be accepted into the Syrian Republic in the following years. The Greater Lebanon (now Republic of Lebanon ) was the only state that did not join the Syrian Republic. Hashim al-Atassi , who was prime minister under King Faisal's rule (1918–1920), was to be elected president under a new constitution that was to be adopted after the independence treaty on December 22nd.
The establishment of Greater Syria was not carried out because Lebanon negotiated a similar treaty with France in November. The Franco-Syrian Treaty also promised to cut French interventions in Syrian foreign policy, as well as to reduce French troops , personnel and military bases in the Syrian Republic. In return, the Syrian Republic undertook to support France in times of war, to make the use of its airspace available and to allow France to operate two military bases on Syrian territory. Other political, economic and cultural commissions were also included.
With this triumph, Atassi returned to Syria on September 27, 1936 and was elected president in November.
The emerging threat from Adolf Hitler led to fear of being outflanked by Nazi Germany if France abandons its colonies in the Middle East . This, coupled with creeping imperialist leanings at some levels of French government, led France to reconsider its promise and refuse to ratify the treaty.
In September 1938, France separated the Syrian sanjak from Alexandretta - whose territory was guaranteed in the treaty as part of Syria - and transformed it into the state of Hatay . The following year (June 1939) the state of Hatay joined Kemalist Turkey in order to secure Turkey's neutrality in anticipation of war against Germany . Syria did not recognize Hatay's incorporation into Turkey. Riots broke out, Atassi resigned.
Second World War
With the defeat of France in June 1940 , the Syrian Republic came under the control of the Vichy government . This Second World War was catastrophic for France's authority - not only because of the German victory over France, which weakened the French quasi-colonial authorities in Syria, but also because of the fighting in Syria against Vichysts and also against Gaullists . This loss of authority was particularly important in regional strongholds that were believed to be pro-French .
On June 8, 1941, General Catroux , head of the Free French Forces (FFL) in the Orient, solemnly proclaimed the independence of the Syrian Republic and Lebanon ; this ended the mandate in the Levant . Syria was still dominated by France.
Also on June 8, 1941, British and Free French troops began the Syrian-Lebanese campaign against the French troops stationed there . An armistice was signed on July 14, 1941; General Henri Dentz , delegated by the Vichy regime , and English authorities had negotiated it in the presence of General Catroux . With British help, the two territories were handed over to the Free French Forces (FFL); the High Commission became the General Delegation of Free France in the Middle East . Charles de Gaulle said in Beirut (Lebanon) and Damascus in July 1941 :
«La France a le devoir et la possibilité d'établir ces États dans leur indépendance. »
"France has the task and the opportunity to establish these states in their independence."
In 1945, the Ba'ath Party created teams of Jihad nationale ("National Jihad ") to agitate against French authority. On May 29, 1945, after ten days of uninterrupted demonstrations, the French under General Oliva-Roget bombed Damascus for 36 hours; numerous civilians were injured or killed. Part of the city was completely destroyed by the bombing, including the Syrian Parliament . At the same time, Prime Minister Faris al-Churi was at the founding conference of the United Nations in San Francisco and represented Syria's claim to independence from the French mandate.
The British government called for an end to the fighting and intervened on June 1st to end the repression. In July 1945 the command of the army resigned at the request of the Syrians and on April 17, 1946 the last foreign soldier left the Syrian Republic.
Independent republic until 1958
The archives of the High Commissioner (Political Cabinet, Secretary General, Diplomatic Bureau, services de renseignements et de la presse , archives de souveraineté ) have all been ordered back to Paris . However, the dossiers of the delegations and the various administrative services (such as the judiciary, agriculture, post and telegraphs) have been left in the Syrian Republic.
One year after independence, the first parliamentary elections took place in July 1947 . The National Party that emerged from the National Bloc received 21.1% of the vote, making it the strongest party. The Syrian-Lebanese Communist Party did not participate in the election.
An obstacle on the way to a functioning parliamentary democracy was the Zuama essence (zuʿamāʾ - Mz. Von zaʿīm: leader). Zuama were influential personalities to whom a group of people - a city district, one or more villages - was dependent, but who conversely were also committed to their “ clientele ”. If this represented the actual means of exercising power, a seat of parliament served for many members of the National Party and “independents” only to cover up the situation.
First coup
After the Arab-Israeli War of 1948 , Colonel Husni az-Za'im carried out a bloodless coup d'état supported by the CIA on March 30, 1949, and ended the parliamentary system in Syria; it was the first coup in the Arab world . Zaim briefly imprisoned President Shukri al-Quwatli and then exiled him to Egypt .
One of the causes of the military coup was poor food for the Syrian army . The coup was also supported by the Greater Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), although Zaim himself was not a member of the party.
Zaim's coup and his subsequent reign were not repressive or violent, he only detained a few opposition members and did not carry out any executions. However, his secular policies and his commitment to women's rights met with opposition from the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic clergy in general. His decision to raise taxes disappointed many businessmen, and his plan to sign a peace treaty with Israel and participate in a pipeline construction with an American company irritated many Arab nationalists .
After the departure of the leader and founder of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, Antun Sa'ada , from Lebanon , Zaim offered him asylum with the promise to protect him. But Zaim had to break his promise and left Antun Sa'ada to the Lebanese authorities. After a brief trial, Sa'ada was executed on July 8, 1949 - a day that his supporters consider a great day of mourning.
Second coup
As late as the 1950s, the duration of parliamentary success in Syria was linked to the art of acknowledging and considering public opinion. Traditional rights lived in it, such as that of Arab hospitality, which Zaim Sa'ada first granted, only to then fraudulently withdraw it from him in violation of a trait of Arab pride. After his alleged “betrayal”, Zaim himself was the victim of a coup d'état by Colonel Sami al-Hinnawi , who was an official member of the Social Nationalist Party, on August 14, 1949 . He overpowered Colonel Zaim, had him arrested and executed the same day. The following day, Hashim al-Atassi was appointed head of state. Sa'ada's wife received a letter from al-Hinnawi in which he testified that her husband's death had been avenged. The coup took place with the help of SSNP members and the military Adib al-Shishakli , who later turned away from al-Hinnawi. As president, he executed the members of the government allegedly responsible for Sa'ada's death. In addition to Zaim, Prime Minister Muhsen al-Barazi was also executed in the Mezze prison in Damascus .
On November 16, 1949, a constituent assembly was elected , at which the nationalist people 's party became the strongest force; the Muslim Brotherhood , the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and the Ba'ath Party received few seats. The Syrian constitution was thus determined by only one political force. Al-Hinnawi, who came from Aleppo, worked towards the realization of the old Aleppine desire for unity with Iraq, a request that all Syrian politicians supported in their statements, but which the Damascene people actually had something against.
Third coup
In December 1949 Shishakli removed Sami al-al-Hinnawi from office, thus taking revenge on him. He declared himself President of the Republic in 1951 and dissolved parliament in the same year. On December 3, 1951, Hashim al-Atassi resigned from his post and was replaced by Fausi Selu . The United States and the United Kingdom had great interest in Shishakli; the British government ( Churchill III cabinet ) hoped that Syria could join the Baghdad Pact . The US government ( Truman's cabinet ) hoped he would conclude a peace treaty with Israel and offered him substantial economic and military aid.
In return, the United States wanted the Syrian government to take in the Palestinians who had fled to their country: During the negotiations between Syria and the United States in 1952, the American government offered $ 400 million to allow Syria to host 500,000 Palestinians in the fertile plains of the al- Dschasira ( Djézireh ) settled.
Some Syrian parties , especially the "Arab Socialist Party" by Akram Hourani and the Baath Party of Michel Aflaq , braced themselves violently against this proposal, which they believed to be a sell-out of the right of Palestinians to their return to Palestine.
The new Arab-Socialist Ba'ath Party , created by the union of the Hourani Socialist Party and the Aflaks Ba'ath Party, tried to overthrow Shishakli. Because of this excitement, Shishakli rejected the agreement with the United States.
On July 11, 1953 Shishakli also removed Fausi Selu from his offices; he remained president.
Fourth coup
On February 25, 1954, Shishakli was overthrown by a military junta and replaced by the President of the Constituent Assembly, Maamoun al-Kouzbari . Eventually Hashim al-Atassi became President of the Republic again; on September 6, 1955, however, he resigned for health reasons. Free parliamentary elections took place in autumn 1954 . The electoral process implemented by Prime Minister Said al-Ghazzi against opposition from the People's and National Party was considered revolutionary for Syria and the entire Arab world. Shukri al-Quwatli was elected President of the Republic.
Union with Egypt and Second Republic
From 1958 to 1961, the Syrian Republic united with Egypt to form the United Arab Republic under President Gamal Abdel Nasser ; the last Syrian prime minister, Sabri al-Asali , became vice-president.
However, on September 28, 1961, a group of separatist Syrian officers carried out a coup with the aim of restoring the Syrian Republic. Izzat an-Nuss became the interim president between November 20 and December 12, 1961. On December 12 of the same year, Nazem Koudsi was elected President of the Republic.
The restoration of the republic did not last very long, however, as on March 8, 1963 officers of the Ba'ath Party put a coup against the alleged "separatist regime " and established the Syrian Arab Republic under its one-party rule .
literature
- Stephen Hemsley Longrigg: Syria and Lebanon under the French Mandate. London 1958.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Population in 1963. Accessed December 23, 2011 .
- ^ Youssef Takla: Corpus juris du Mandat français . In: Nadine Méouchy, Peter Sluglet (Eds.): The British and French Mandates in Comparative Perspectives . Brill, 2004, ISBN 90-04-13313-5 , pp. 91 (French, book in Google Book Search [accessed April 1, 2012]).
- ↑ a b The 1930 constitution is reproduced in its entirety: A. Giannini: Le costituzioni degli stati del vicino oriente. Istituto per l'Oriente, 1931, accessed March 31, 2012 (French).
- ^ Salma Mardam Bey: La Syrie et la France: bilan d'une équivoque, 1939-1945 . Editions L'Harmattan, Paris 1994, p. 22 (French, book in Google Book Search [accessed April 1, 2012]).
- ↑ Vahé Tachjian: La France en Cilicie et en Haute-Mésopotamie: aux confins de la Turquie, de la Syrie et de l'Irak, 1919–1933 . Editions Karthala, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-84586-441-8 , pp. 354 (French, book in Google Book Search [accessed April 1, 2012]).
- ↑ Jordi Tejel Gorgas: Le mouvement kurde de Turquie en exile: continuités et discontinuités you nationalisme kurde sous le mandat français en Syrie et au Liban (1925-1946) . Peter Lang, 2007, ISBN 978-3-03911-209-8 , pp. 352 (French, book in Google Book Search [accessed April 1, 2012]).
- ^ H. Duncan Hall: Mandates, Dependencies and Trusteeship. Carnegie Endowment, 1948, pp. 265-266.
- ↑ Chronique du XXème siècle (2013), p. 1915 .
- ↑ Chronique du XXe siècle. P. 581.
- ^ Pierre Guingamp: Hafez El Assad et le parti Baath en Syrie . Editions: L'Harmattan. 1996, ISBN 2-7384-4678-7 , pp. 48 .
- ↑ Johannes Reissner: Ideology and Politics of the Muslim Brotherhood. From the elections in 1947 to the ban under Adīb aš-Šīšaklī in 1952. In: Klaus Schwarz (Ed.): Islamkunde. Volume 55, Freiburg 1980, p. 26.
- ^ Alford Carleton: The Syrian Coups d'État of 1949 . In: The Middle East Journal, 4 (1950) 1, pp. 9-10.
- ↑ Malcolm Yapp: The Near East since the First World War. - (A history of the Near East) , Harlow 1991, p. 100.
- ^ Patrick Seale: The Struggle for Syria. A study of Post-War Arab Politics 1945–1958. London 1965, 2nd ed. 1986, p. 173.
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