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The History of Syria under French Rule
During French rule, the French divided Syria into a multi-decade mandate.
In July 1919, the first Syrian National Congress was held in Damascus. The assembly called for the recognition of Syria, including Palestine, as an independent sovereign state, rejection of the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration, and rejection of the proposed mandate. The Paris Peace Conference turned a deaf ear.
In March 1920, the Second Syrian National Assembly declared Syria’s independence and established Faisal as king. In April, the Allied Supreme Council convened the San Remo Conference and decided that Syria and Lebanon would be mandated by France. On July 14, French commander H.-J.-E. Guro issued an ultimatum to Faisal to accept the French mandate unconditionally within a time limit. The French then moved on to Damascus. Syrian soldiers and civilians fought fiercely with French troops in Messelon. On the 25th, the French army entered Damascus, deposed Faisal, and Syria and Lebanon fell into the hands of France.
In order to divide the anti-French forces, the French colonial authorities divided Syria and Lebanon into several independent zones. The French High Commissioner dominates everything, and local power is entirely in the hands of the High Commissioner’s representatives and French-friendly elements. The colonial authorities provoked religious and ethnic disputes, banned political parties, and severely suppressed patriots. At the same time, they forced Syrians to learn French, and in some areas banned Arabic. French capital controls the lifeline of Syria’s national economy, extracting a lot of profits, leading to a decline in production and a decline in people’s livelihood.
The Syrian people fought heroically against the French colonists, and armed uprisings continued in various places. In particular, the national uprising led by Atlash and Abdur Rahman Shahbandel from 1925 to 1927 dealt a heavy blow to the French rulers (see the Syrian uprising). In order to ease the anti-French struggle of the Syrian people, the French rulers have repeatedly played tricks such as recognizing Syria’s independence, implementing the constitution, and establishing an autonomous government, such as the “French-Syrian Treaty” signed in 1936.
In 1939, France took advantage of the looming tensions of World War II to abolish the constitution and restore military rule over Syria. In 1940, the French Vichy government surrendered and Syria and Lebanon came under German control. From June to July 1941, the British army and the free French army of Charles de Gaulle entered Syria and Lebanon, driving out the German fascist forces. In September, the French commander-in-chief G. Catroux declared Syria’s independence.
In July 1943, Syria restored its constitution, held parliamentary elections, and established its own government. On April 17, 1946, the British and French troops were forced to withdraw from Syria. Syria has designated this day as Independence Day and National Day.
