Roots of domination: political institutions and social structures in Syria from the French Mandate to Hafiz Al-Asad

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Title Roots of domination: political institutions and social structures in Syria from the French Mandate to Hafiz Al-Asad
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Humanities
Department World Languages & Cultures
Author Smuin, Benjamin James
Date 2011-08
Description The history of modern Syria is often divided into brief periods, relating to a specific topic, such as authoritarianism in the early years of independence, the emergence of nationalism after the end of World War I, and so on. This thesis is the end result of a careful reading and application of two particular assertions made by the late Albert Hourani, specifically that, as historians, we often divide up the past into somewhat perilous periodisiations; and that even if there were no ‘Syrian' people, the Syrian lands would still be ripe with problems. Thus, this thesis examines the effects of rule by non- Syrians, then traces these effects through the first thirty years of independence. These ‘non-Syrians,' especially the French, made several broken promises, which led to a very specific desire to see Syria ruled by Syrians. While the rule of the various military governments and their successors from 1946-1969 was by no means free of strife, it could be argued that by 1970 the only option for any semblance of security and stability was the authoritarian rule of Hafiz al-Asad. The present work is an attempt to break up the periodisations to show that indeed, whether under French or Ottoman control, Syrian politics were problematic, and, unfortunately, a precursor to the repressive regime that has been in place in the country since 1970.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Asad; Bilad al-Sham; Syria; French mandate; Baath Party
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Master of Arts
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Benjamin James Smuin 2011
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 1,104,675 byteds
Identifier us-etd3,48789
Source Original housed in Marriott Library Special Collections, DS3.5 2011 .S68
ARK ark:/87278/s6cz3nvs
Setname ir_etd
ID 194299
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6cz3nvs
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