Syrian Mandate

The French Mandate of Syria and its Effect on the Political State of Syria Today

TheBlewn

31 May 2013

The Effect of the French Mandate of Syria on the Political State of Syria Today
The French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon was established by the League of Nations after World War One during the partition of the Ottoman Empire. This mandate, which was created in 1920, divided greater Syria along lines that the French claimed were determined by what the population of greater Syria desired. In reality, these lines often supported French aspirations and prevented nationalist rebellions. Many large
The mandate system that was created by the League of Nations was a system in which a “more advanced” country would attempt to teach a “less advanced” country how to rule itself. The terms of the mandate were discussed by both the principal allied powers, France, Britain and Italy, and the Council of the League of Nations. After the terms were discussed, they were imposed upon the mandatee. There were three levels of mandates, A, which were considered sufficiently advanced that their tentative independence was recognized, though they were still subject to Allied control until they were fully able to stand rule themselves, B, which were completely under the administrative control of the allied powers, but had certain rules in place to protect the rights of the people, and C, which were under complete and total control of the allied
In 1922, the French decided the Jabal al-Druze region would be an area of its own, with a separate governmental system, including an elected congress and governor (BBC). Also, in a region near Latakia, which had a large Alawite population, the French created a special administrative system of government, heavily monitored by the French (Fildis). This was a strong aid in the weakening of nationalist forces which were not in favor of the French. There were several other groups also forced to become separate governmental systems. During the time of the mandate in Syria, Damascus was made it’s own separate state with many small regions within, including Homs and Hama (see map). Although the French allowed some areas to maintain an older type of government, in more modern areas they imposed a new system, with a French influence on the rule. This caused separation to grow between groups even in this small area. When the region of Aleppo was occupied it was cut off from its main area of trade and therefore the economy of the area became stagnant and in poor condition (Khoury, 104). This lead to a stressed economic situation that carried many years into the future, interfering with attempts to make a stable government. The regions of Homs and Hama were also made into separate states