many political parties and institutions were dissolved , and political involvement was forbidden for civil servants , members of trade unions , students , and representatives of other social groups . Nevertheless , Adib al-Shishakli ’ s legitimacy decreased drastically . Major protests were being organized against him by both local groups such as the people of Jabal Druze , Aleppo and Latakia , and movements supported by international powers like America , France , and Britain . After almost four years of struggle , Shishakli had no choice but to resign and found asylum in Lebanon , Saudi Arabia and France 10 .
Syria achieved relative stability when Shukri al-Quwatli was elected president in August 1955 . Quwatli focused on improving relations with neighboring countries by entering into several agreements with other Arab countries due to continuous pressure . Syria was able to finally establish relative sovereignty and ease external pressures 11 .
Another important regional development that affected Syria ’ s state-building was its unification with Egypt and the establishment of the United Arab Republic . This soon turned into an expansion of Egypt ’ s control over Syria . Through unification , the government sought to help Syria stabilize its foreign policy and improve living conditions for Syrian citizens , but this did not last . As a result , the unification with Egypt was a major threat to the political stability of Syria , presenting yet another challenge for the independent state . In September 1961 , Syria ’ s military occupied Damascus , and intense demonstrations took place all across the country .
A milestone in Syria ’ s political history was the revolution of 1963 , also known as the Baath Revolution . Carried out by the Socialist Baath Party , the Baathists attempted to abolish class divisions . The revolution succeeded in overthrowing the former government and brought Hafez al Assad to power . The ideology behind the initiation of the movement and later the establishment of the party is rooted in the years of the French Mandate in Syria , when a considerable rise of nationalist tendencies could already be noted that is substantiated by the fact that Michel Aflaq , the founder of the party , studied at the University of Sorbonne , France . He had firm connections with active French leftist political members 12 .
10
Voblikov Dmitrij , Noveyshaya istoriya arabskikh stran [ Modern History of Arab States ]. Glavnaya regaktsiya vostochnoy literaturi . Nauka . 9 ( I ) 7N72.1969 . 260-265 .
11
Hovhannisyan Nikolay , Arabakan yerkrneri patmutyun IV [ History of Arab States IV ]. The National Academy of Sciences of the RA . Institute of Oriental Studies . “ Zangak ” 93 / 99 63.3 854 . Yerevan , 2007 . 480-482 .
12
Robert Benewick and Philip Green , The Routledge Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Political Thinkers ( London : Routledge , 1998 ).
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