French Imperialism in Syria: 1927-1936

332 Pages·1998·6.981 MB·English

by  Peter A. Shambrook

F
ren ch
I m p erialism
S
in yria
I927-1936

F
r e n c h
imperialism
/ O
S
in yria
927- i 936
i
P eter A . S ham brook
With a foreword by Philip S. Khoury
ITHACA
French Imperialism in Syria
1927-1936
Ithaca Press is an imprint of Garnet Publishing Limited
Published by
Garnet Publishing Limited
8 Southern Court
South Street
Reading
RG1 4QS
UK
Copyright O Peter Shambrook 1998
All rights reserved.
No pan of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any electronic or mechanical means, including information
storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing
from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
brief passages in a review.
ISBN 0 86372 2431
First Edition
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data,
catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Jockei design by Michael Hinks
Typeset by Samantha Abley
Printed in Lebanon
In loving memory
°f
Eileen Keenan, my mother, a remarkable Irishwoman,
who demonstrated the heart
and
Leslie, my father, an Englishman of integrity
through whom I grew up
walking down the road of history
in the shoes of two quite different tribes

Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Abbreviations x
Note on Transliteration xi
Map xii
Foreword by Philip S. Khoury xiii
Preface xv
Introduction 1
1 The French search for a new policy: 5
coercion and cooperation
2 France’s imposition of a constitution 1930 41
3 Syria’s rejection of the treaty 85
4 Syrian Parliament suspended 1933-1935 141
5 General Strike in Syria, January 1936 185
6 Reflections on the period, 1927-1936 247
7 Aftermath: deception and deliverance, 1936-1946 253
Appendix 291
Bibliography 299
Index 309
[viil

Acknowledgements
I owe a particular debt of gratitude to the late William ('Bill’) Conner,
his wife Cherie, and Dr Charis Waddy - friends and mentors, who
introduced me to the past and present complexities, joys and pains of the
West s relationship with the Middle East; MM. Jean Gaulmier, Jean-Louis
Aujol and Sir Richard Beaumont, veterans of the period, whose distilled
hindsight unravelled many mysteries; to M. Pierre Foumié of the Archives
Department at the Quai d’Orsay and MM. Pascal Even and Bruno Ricard
of the Centre for Diplomatic Archives at Nantes, for their wholehearted
cooperation; Maurice and Angela Nosley, for their kind hospitality in
Nantes over many months; to Arthur and Helen Lodge» my parents-in-law,
for their love and support and, not least, Alison, Patrick, Teresa and
Anthony for happily surviving the whole pilgrimage.
[ix]
Abbreviations
CADN Centre des Archives Diplomatiques de Nantes
CADN/B Centre des Archives Diplomatiques de Nantes, fonds
Beyrouth (not paginated)
CHEAM Centre de Hautes Etudes Administratives sur l'Afrique et
l'Asie Modernes (Paris)
DDF Documents Diplomatiques Français
FO Foreign Office (London)
MAE Ministère des Affaires Etrangères (Pâlis)
MAE/SL Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, Série Syrie-Liban
MD Ministère de la Défense (Vincennes)
PREM Prime Minister/Minister of Defence files
PRO Public Record Office (London)
SPRS Spears Papers, St Antony’s College, Oxford, and Churchill
College, Cambridge.
H