FRENCH IMPERIALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST: SYRIA IN THE PERIOD OF THE FRENCH MANDATE ADMINISTRATION (1920-1946)

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 69 - 89, 31.12.2019

Ali Demirel

Abstract

This study examines the imperialist the policies of French mandate power
covering the period from 1920 to 1946, with particular attention being given to
the administrative, financial and cultural policies of France. The work also
aims to display the relations of France with Arab nationalist leaders and the
minorities, and even the political engagement of urban elites in Syria during
the mandate era.

As one of the great powers, France’s interests in the Middle East
focused on to preserve her centuries-old ties with the Catholics of Syria, to
gain a strategic and financial base in the eastern Mediterranean, to ensure a
cheap supply of cotton and silk, and prevent Arab nationalism from spreading
her North African empire. Eventually, the Supreme Council of the League of
Nations announced on April 24-26, 1920 that Syria was to be divided into the
two French Mandates of Lebanon and Syria. Then French troops advanced towards
Damascus and defeated irregular Arab forces under Youssef al-Azma at the Battle
of Maysalun on July 24, 1920. A day later, French army captured Damascus,
Faisal was expelled and Syria became the French mandate.

After the establishment of Greater Lebanon, French authorities tried to
form suitable conditions in order to ensure its mandate regime by implementing
the policy of ‘dive and rule’ in Syria. They firstly established two different
states of Damascus and Aleppo in 1920. The Sanjak of Alexandretta, with its
important Turkish population, was largely autonomous administration within the
Aleppo state. Moreover, French announced in 1922 that Jabal Druze was a
separate unit under French protection, its own governor and elected congress.
In the same way, the mountain region in Latakia, with their large Alawite
population, was declared an autonomous state. However, in 1922, French
authorities decided to establish a Syrian Federation uniting the Damascus,
Aleppo and Alawite states. The system of Syrian federation continued a short
time and it was dissolved by the end of 1924. Instead, the State of Syria
including Damascus and Aleppo and separate Sanjak of Alexandretta was created
by France. It is certain that French mandate regime incited the ethnic and
denominational separatism and conflict among the Syrian people by creating
different regional states. Indeed, this division and conflict triggered by
French authority have been affecting the situation in Syria even nowadays.

The French authority in Syria was considered as ‘illegitimate’ and
‘instable’ because Syrian people did not recognize French as a legitimate
overlord, as the Sultan-Caliph of the Ottoman Empire had been. Thus, the rigid
control of the French mandate administration over the political, judicial,
economy and religious institutions caused to the outbreak of a combination of
local revolts during 1920s. Especially, great revolt of Druze in 1925 took
approximately twelve months to be suppressed. French forces could suppress the
revolt in 1926 by bombarding Damascus and killing thousands of people. After
the suppression, France had to recognize autonomy of Lebanon.

As for financial policies, France, which pursued a policy of protecting
large landowners during the mandate administration, enabled French merchants to
make more profits from the cereals production in Syria. In addition, France has
managed the markets and paved the way for French tradesmen to gain more wealth
imports-exports.

In addition, French Government placed their own ‘‘Frank’’ at the center
of international trade in Syria, and left the management of the monetary
mechanism in the hands of the French bankers, not the Syrians. In addition, the
ports, customs, railways, tobacco regime and many other revenue-generating
institutions of Syria and Lebanon were directly linked to the financial
department of the French High Commissioner. In fact, the French administration
in Syria focused on exploitation rather than its development.

During the mandate period, French also dominated the educational and
cultural activities in Syria. Actually, most of the secondary and higher
education institutions in Syria and Lebanon were in the hands of European and
American missionaries. Particularly in Lebanon, most of the education system
and almost all of the higher education was under the French control.

The lessons given in France were also taught in French schools in Syria,
and French language became compulsory in schools. Furthermore, they rearranged
the curriculum and put books related to French classics, French history and
geography instead of Arab-Islamic culture. All these attempts indicate that
French authorities aimed to exterminate the traces of Arabic consciousness and
identity.

As a consequence, after the Second World War, France had to recognize
independence of Syria and Lebanon, and French forces were withdrawn from both
countries on April 15, 1946. The period of French mandate in Syria is very
important period in which many crucial developments affecting the country in
many dimensions emerged. Also, this period is significant in terms of laying
the foundations of today's Syrian state structure and including the
determination of its borders.

Among the institutions left behind by the French administration, the
army has a special place in the forthcoming years with respect to its
effectiveness in shaping the country's future. In fact, the Syrian army, built
on the basis of minorities during the French mandate, played an active role in
how the political life in the country would be shaped after the independence.
In addition, the mosaic structure of the army has also affected the recent
disintegration of the Syria as ‘opposition group’ and ‘pro-regime’ officers.

In fact, this study is crucial in the sense of shedding light on the
recent developments in the Middle East with the civil war in Syria. There is no
doubt that the French policies triggering the sectarian and ethnic separatism
and their approach to the minorities affected the civil war in Syria. In other
words, French sowed the seeds of ethnic and religious based conflict among the
Syrian people and this fact prepared the ground for conflict in Syria even
after a long period of time. Thus, the era of French administration in Syria
has a good historical laboratory for the international community that wants to
construct order and stability in Syria today.

Keywords

The Middle East, French Imperialism, French Mandate, Economy in Syria, Political Life, Arab Nationalism

ORTADOĞU’DA FRANSIZ EMPERYALİZMİ: FRANSIZ MANDA YÖNETİMİ DÖNEMİNDE SURİYE (1920-1946)

Abstract

Bu
çalışma, 1920-1946 yılları arasında Fransız mandası olarak yönetilen Suriye'de,
Fransız idaresinin uyguladığı siyasi, ekonomi ve kültür politikalarını
incelemektedir. Suriye'deki siyasi, sosyal ve iktisadi hayatın her alanına
nüfuz eden Fransız politikalarının temel odak noktasını, etnik ve mezhepsel
ayrılıklar ve bölgesel çatışmalar oluşturmuştur. Genel olarak 'böl ve yönet'
anlayışıyla hareket eden Fransız yönetimi, Suriye'de farklı etnik ve mezhepsel
temellere dayanan dört bölgesel devlet kurmuşlar ve böylece, Suriyelilerin
siyasi birlik ve bütünlük içinde kendilerine karşı harekete geçmelerini
engellemeyi hedeflemişlerdir. Fransız yönetimi, manda yönetimi boyunca
Suriye’deki bütün ekonomik faaliyetlerin denetimini de kendi ellerinde tutmuş,
kendi para birimi olan Frank'ı ticari faaliyetlerin merkezine koymuştur.
Fransız manda yönetiminin yön verdiği ekonomik sistemde sadece büyük toprak
sahipleri kâr edebilmiş, küçük toprak sahipleri ve köylüler ise çok kötü
şartlarda yaşamak zorunda kalmışlardır. Ayrıca, yirmi beş yıldan fazla bir süre
Suriye'de kalan Fransız idaresi, bölgede uyguladıkları eğitim ve kültür politikalarıyla
halkı adeta kültürel asimilasyona maruz bırakmışlardır. Okullarda Suriye tarihi
yerine, Fransız tarihinin okutulması ve Fransızcanın belli bir süre zorunlu dil
haline getirilmesi, Fransız manda idaresinin Suriye'de beyin yıkama
politikalarından sadece birkaçıdır.

Bu
makalede, Fransız manda idaresinin 1920-1946 yılları arasında Suriye’de
uyguladığı sömürge politikaları analitik bir bakış açısıyla ele alınmıştır.
Ayrıca, üzerinden yaklaşık yüz yıl geçmiş olmasına rağmen, bu politikaların
etkilerinin bölgede hala nasıl hissedildiği ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu
noktadan hareketle söz konusu çalışma, yaklaşık on yıldır devam eden
Suriye’deki iç savaşın temel sebeplerini ve bölgede meydana gelen diğer
gelişmeleri, Fransız idaresinin sömürge politikaları ışığında, çok daha farklı
bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

Ortadoğu, Fransız Emperyalizmi, Fransız Mandası, Suriye’de Ekonomi, Siyasi Hayat, Arap Milliyetçiliği

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