Features of the Post-Colonial Period
Declaring its independence in 1946 , Syria entered a new phase of the postcolonial period . After the abolishment of the French mandate , Syria encountered a few significant challenges in terms of state development . Certainly , the Syrian people enjoyed considerable freedoms , but there were also several restrictions on basic liberties imposed by the French colonizers . This period is mainly characterized by continuous political instabilities , including a temporary unification with Egypt , tensions and wars with Israel , as well as consecutive military coups that have posed a serious challenge to the stability of the political landscape in Syria .
The role of the army increased following popular protests . Husni al-Za ' im , chief of staff of the armed forces , the leader of the Syrian army , played a significant role in this process . Under his leadership , Syria experienced its first military coup as an independent state on March 30 , 1949 . This gave him a positive reputation , and Za ’ im was soon elected as the new president . He enforced military dictatorship in the country . Za ’ im ’ s military career started during the years of the French mandate when he served in the French army . He also managed to establish a good relationship with the representatives of the American Embassy in Syria 8 , which substantiated his image as a pro-western politician .
However , his leadership was interrupted by a second military coup . The snap parliamentary elections of 1949 allowed the National Bloc Party to come to power , which played a critical role in the second military coup and strongly supported the toppling of the government . Another concept , that of “ Greater Syria ”, once again shook the state-building processes of Syria , which sought the unification of Syria , Lebanon , Jordan , and Iraq . This did not become a reality because of a third military coup , which was yet another challenge to the newly independent state of Syria . Carried out by Colonel Adib Bin Hassan Al-Shishakli on 19 December 1949 , this third military coup affected both the internal and foreign policies of Syria , since the new leaders took down the restrictions against French and American monopolies introduced by the previous nationalist leaders .
Only two years after the third military coup , starting 29 November 1951 , Shishakli was ready to carry out a fourth one — aiming to overthrow Al-Atasi ’ s government . This period , which lasted until 1957 , has been characterized as another crisis phase for Syria 9 . As soon as Shishakli became the leader of the country , his policy of military dictatorship became even more evident . Eventually ,
8
Mullenbach Mark , Syria ( 1946-Present ), ( University of Central Arkansas : UCA , 2013 ).
9
Mullenbach , Syria , 2013 .
8