The Makers of Modern Syria: The Rise and Fall of Syrian Democracy 1918-1958

329 Pages·2018·26.131 MB·English

by  Sami Moubayed

Sami Moubayed is a Syrian historian and journalist. From 2012 to
2013,hewasavisitingscholarattheCarnegieMiddleEastCenterin
Beirut,Lebanon.HisarticlesonMiddleEastaffairshaveappearedina
variety of newspapers, including al-Ahram Weekly, al-Hayat, Gulf
News,TheDailyStar,WashingtonReportonMiddleEastAffairs,andAsia
Times. He is the author of Syria and the USA: Washington’s Relations
with Damascus from Wilson to Eisenhower and Under the Black Flag:
AnExclusiveInsightintotheInnerWorkingsofISIS(bothI.B.Tauris).
‘This is a well-written history of Syria in the early to mid-twentieth
centuryasseenprimarilythroughthelivesofHajjUthmanSharabati
andhis son Ahmad,both influential figures duringFrench mandate
Syriaandintheearlyindependenceperiodfollowing1946.Thebook
is meticulously researched, and Sami Moubayed has mined and
unearthedpreviouslyunknownprimarySyriandocumentstotellthe
stories of the lives of a number of prominent twentieth-century
Syrianpoliticiansandpoliticalinfluencers.’
DavidW.Lesch,EwingHalsellDistinguishedProfessor
ofHistory,TrinityUniversity
‘The Makers of Modern Syria is a moving tribute to the aristocrats
whosoablypilotedSyriatoindependence.Theiraccomplishments–
andeventheirfailings–areheldupasaGoldenAgeofSyrianHistory
by Sami Moubayed, a leading Syrian historian. He has carried out
many interviews, paged through archives and steeped himself in
the published and unpublished memoirs to write a fast-paced and
dramatic narrative of triumph and heartbreak. All Syrians will find
wisdomandperhapsinspirationinthiscollectivebiographyabouta
seminalturningpointinSyrianhistorywhenparliamentarylifewas
vigorouslycontestedandledbytalentedandeducatedmen.’
JoshuaLandis,DirectoroftheCenterforMiddleEastStudies,
UniversityofOklahoma
THE MAKERS OF
MODERN SYRIA
The Rise and Fall of Syrian Democracy
1918–1958
S M
AMI OUBAYED
Publishedin2018by
I.B.Tauris&Co.Ltd
London(cid:129)NewYork
www.ibtauris.com
Copyrightq2018SamiMoubayed
TherightofSamiMoubayedtobeidentifiedastheauthorofthis
workhasbeenassertedbytheauthorinaccordancewiththeCopyright,
DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsinareview,thisbook,
oranypartthereof,maynotbereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoa
retrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,
mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withouttheprior
writtenpermissionofthepublisher.
Everyattempthasbeenmadetogainpermissionfortheuseofthe
imagesinthisbook.Anyomissionswillberectifiedinfutureeditions.
Referencestowebsiteswerecorrectatthetimeofwriting.
LibraryofModernMiddleEastStudies200
ISBN: 9781784538637
eISBN:9781786724557
ePDF: 9781786734556
AfullCIPrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
AfullCIPrecordisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:available
TypesetinStoneSerifbyOKSPrepressServices,Chennai,India
PrintedandboundbyCPIGroup(UK)Ltd,Croydon,CR04YY
TothecourageousSyrianpeoplewhofoughtforanindependent,democratic
andequitableSyriannation.Theseoutstandingmenandwomenenvisioned
apeacefulandprosperousSyria.Maytheirresolveandsacrificeserveasa
sourceofinspirationandhopetotoday’sgenerationofyoungSyrians.
ThisbookisalsodedicatedinlovingmemoryofAhmadand
SkaidraSharabatibytheirfamily.

Contents
ListofPlates x
Acknowledgements xii
Maps xiv
1. HandsThatGive,NeverTake 1
ASelf-madeMan 3
ASeasonedBusinessman 5
2. DamascusOccupied 9
EyewitnesstoHistory 11
TheMaysalounTragedy 14
CharlesCraneinDamascus 18
FundingandFoundingthePeople’sParty 23
TheAUBandMITInfluence 24
BirthofaPoliticalClass 26
3. SyriainRevolt 28
TheFirstShellingofDamascus 33
FundraisingfortheRevolt 34
LifeinEgypt 36
AssessmentoftheGreatRevolt 39
4. TheLeagueofNationalAction 41
TheNationalBloc 42
LifeinDamascus 45
TheLeagueofNationalAction 47
viii The Makers of Modern Syria
SadTidings 56
WhytheLeagueofNationalActionMatters 62
5. EncounterofaLifetime 65
WelcometoDamascus 67
ANewHome 70
6. TheEnemyofMyEnemy 73
SyriaandWorldWarII 75
TheFallofFrance 78
TurningtheNaziTide 84
TheSpearsMission 87
RestoringtheSyrianPresidency 90
7. ANewDawn:August1943 97
RooseveltandtheSyrians 104
TheElectionCampaign 107
TheFourthPresidentofSyria 109
ReachingouttotheWorld 112
SyriagoestoWaragainstHitler 114
RepositioningSyria 117
8. BlessedaretheEducators 119
TheEducationalScenein1945 121
TheSharabati-HusariReforms 124
ScoutsandSummerCamps 128
DamascusUniversity 130
GreatAccomplishments 132
WiseWordsandBraveDeeds 133
BaathismandEducation 134
9. Evacuation 136
RainbeforetheStorm 137
The2008Documents 147
Freeatlast 149
10. DarkClouds 151
MardamBeyReturns 157
FraudandRiggedElections 160
Contents ix
TheRiseofAkramal-HawraniandtheBaath 162
TheSyrianArmybefore1948 165
11. OntheBrinkofWar:TheSharabatiPapersI 175
TheThree-wayPartitionofPalestine 179
TheArmyofDeliverance 189
12. TheNakba:TheSharabatiPapersII 196
HighlyClassifiedandConfidential 201
MilitaryPreparations 204
SyrianWeapons 206
Abdullah’sSeparateTrack 209
TheFightingBegins 211
TheBattleofSamakh 213
UnjustAccusations 223
13. TheDictatorofDamascus 228
Al-Za’imandIsrael 234
OilandtheMiddleEast 236
ANewLife 239
BackinSyria 241
14. TheUnitedArabRepublicanditsAftermath 243
TheUnitedArabRepublic 247
SecessionfromtheUAR 255
TheEnd 257
DramatisPersonae 265
Notes 268
Bibliography 286
Index 297