Mandatory Syrian Republic (1930–1946) The first Syrian constitution On 14 May 1930 the French high commissioner promulgated a constitution for the Syrian State. On 22 May 1930 the
State of Syria was declared the Republic of Syria and a
new Syrian Constitution was promulgated by the French High Commissioner, in the same time as the Lebanese Constitution, the ''Règlement du Sandjak d'Alexandrette'', the Statute of the
Alawi Government, the Statute of the Jabal
Druze State. A new flag was also mentioned in this constitution: The Syrian flag shall be composed as follows, the length shall be double the height. It shall contain three bands of equal dimensions, the upper band being green, the middle band white, and the lower band black. The white portion shall bear three red stars in line, having five points each. During 20 December 1931 and 4 January 1932, the first elections under the new constitution were held, under an electoral law providing for "the representation of religious minorities" as imposed by article 37 of the constitution. Among the deputies were also three members of the
Syrian Kurdish nationalist
Xoybûn (Khoyboun) party, Khalil bey Ibn Ibrahim Pacha (
Al-Jazira Province), Mustafa bey Ibn Shahin (
Jarabulus) and Hassan Aouni (
Kurd Dagh). There were later in the year, from 30 March to 6 April, "complementary elections". On 11 June 1932 the Syrian Chamber of Deputies elected
Muhammad 'Ali Bay al-'Abid as president, the
Syrian State was renamed the
Republic
of Syria in July 1932. In 1933, France attempted to impose a treaty of independence heavily prejudiced in favor of France. It promised gradual independence but kept the Syrian mountains under French control. The Syrian head of state at the time was a French puppet,
Muhammad 'Ali Bay al-'Abid. Fierce opposition to this treaty was spearheaded by senior nationalist and parliamentarian
Hashim al-Atassi, who called for a
50-day strike in protest. Atassi's political coalition, the
National Bloc, mobilized massive popular support for his call. Riots and demonstrations raged, and the economy came to a standstill.
Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence and the Sandjak of Alexandretta After negotiations in March with
Damien de Martel, the French High Commissioner in Syria,
Hashim al-Atassi went to Paris heading a senior National Bloc delegation. The new
Popular Front-led French government, formed in June 1936 after the
April–May elections, had agreed to recognize the National Bloc as the sole legitimate representatives of the
Syrian people and invited al-Atassi to independence negotiations. The resulting treaty called for immediate recognition of Syrian independence as a sovereign republic, with full emancipation granted gradually over a 25-year period. In 1936, the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence was signed, a treaty that would not be ratified by the French legislature. However, the treaty allowed Jabal Druze, the Alawite region (now called
Latakia), and Alexandretta to be incorporated into the Syrian Republic within the following two years. Greater Lebanon (now the
Lebanese Republic) was the only state that did not join the Syrian Republic. Hashim al-Atassi, who was Prime Minister during King
Faisal's brief reign (1918–1920), was the first president to be elected under a new constitution adopted after the independence treaty. The treaty guaranteed incorporation of previously autonomous Druze and Alawite regions into
Greater Syria, but not
Lebanon, with which France signed a similar treaty in November. The treaty also promised curtailment of French intervention in Syrian domestic affairs as well as a reduction of French troops, personnel and military bases in Syria. In return, Syria pledged to support France in times of war, including the use of its
air space, and to allow France to maintain two military bases on Syrian territory. Other political, economic and cultural provisions were included. Atassi returned to Syria in triumph on 27 September 1936 and was elected
President of the Republic in November. In September 1938, France separated the Syrian
Sanjak of Alexandretta, despite its territory being guaranteed as part of Syria in the treaty, and transformed it into
Hatay State, which joined
Turkey in June 1939. Syria did not recognize the incorporation of Hatay into Turkey and the issue is still disputed until the present time. The emerging threat of
Nazi Germany induced a fear of being outflanked by it if France relinquished its colonies in the Middle East. That, coupled with lingering imperialist inclinations in some levels of the French government, led France to reconsider its promises and refuse to ratify the treaty. Riots again broke out, Atassi resigned, and Syrian independence was deferred until after
World War II.
World War II and independence With the fall of France in 1940 during World War II, Syria came under the control of the
Vichy Government until the
British and
Free French invaded and occupied the country in July 1941. Syria proclaimed its independence again in 1941 but it was not until 1 January 1944 that it was recognized as an independent republic. On 27 September 1941, Free France proclaimed, by virtue of, and within the framework of the Mandate, the independence and sovereignty of the Syrian State. The proclamation said "the independence and sovereignty of Syria and Lebanon will not affect the juridical situation as it results from the Mandate act. Indeed, this situation could be changed only with the agreement of the Council of the
League of Nations, with the consent of the Government of the United States, a signatory of the Franco-American Convention of 4 April 1924, and only after the conclusion between the French Government and the Syrian and Lebanese Governments of treaties duly ratified in accordance with the laws of the French Republic. Bengt Broms said that it was important to note that there were several founding members of the United Nations whose statehood was doubtful at the time of the San Francisco Conference and that the Government of France still considered Syria and Lebanon to be mandates. Duncan Hall said "Thus, the Syrian mandate may be said to have been terminated without any formal action on the part of the League or its successor. The mandate was terminated by the declaration of the mandatory power, and of the new states themselves, of their independence, followed by a process of piecemeal unconditional recognition by other powers, culminating in formal admission to the United Nations. Article 78 of the Charter ended the status of tutelage for any member state: 'The trusteeship system shall not apply to territories which have become Members of the United Nations, relationship among which shall be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality.'" So when the UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, after ratification of the
United Nations Charter by the
five permanent members, as both Syria and Lebanon were founding member states, the French mandate for both was legally terminated on that date and full independence attained. In late May 1945, tensions between Syrian nationalists and French authorities erupted into open conflict during the final months of the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon. On 29 May, French forces bombarded sections of Damascus and stormed the Syrian parliament in an attempt to arrest elected government leaders, including President
Shukri al-Quwatli and Speaker
Saadallah al-Jabiri, both of whom narrowly escaped capture. The assault caused extensive damage to the city and resulted in civilian casualties, marking a pivotal episode in the struggle for Syrian independence, later referred to as the
Levant Crisis or Damascus Crisis. At the time of the French attack on Damascus, Syrian Prime Minister
Fares al-Khoury was attending the founding conference of the United Nations in San Francisco to advocate for Syrian independence from French rule. The crisis drew international attention and provoked British diplomatic and military pressure. British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill warned the French government and ordered British forces stationed in Transjordan to intervene if necessary to stop further French military action against Syrian nationalists. Syria’s independence was formally recognized on 24 October 1945, coinciding with its acceptance as a founding member of the United Nations. Continued pressure from Syrian nationalist movements, alongside diplomatic intervention, led to the withdrawal of the last French troops on 17 April 1946, a date commemorated in Syria as Evacuation Day.
Independent First Syrian Republic (1946–1950) After the withdrawal of French troops on 17 April 1946, Syria entered the era of the First Syrian Republic as a fully independent state, though it continued using and amending the Constitution of 1930, which had been promulgated under the French Mandate and later revised. In 1947, Syria joined the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and pegged its currency, the Syrian pound, to the U.S. dollar at a fixed rate of 2.19 pounds to 1 dollar, a rate maintained for more than a decade as part of efforts to stabilize the early post‑mandate economy. Politically, the republic faced significant challenges following independence. In 1948, Syria participated in military operations as part of the
Arab League’s intervention in the newly declared
State of Israel. Syrian forces, which were small, poorly equipped, and lacked the capacity for large-scale independent operations, engaged in limited actions along the northern front in coordination with other Arab armies. They were unable to achieve significant strategic gains, and armistice agreements signed in 1949 left Israel firmly established. Thus also resulted in the forced expulsion and flight of many
Palestinian Arabs during the
Nakba, some of whom crossed into Syria, creating social and economic pressures for the young republic. The outcome highlighted the weaknesses of Syria’s military and exposed limitations in the civilian government’s ability to prepare and manage national defense, contributing to growing dissatisfaction with parliamentary politics and setting the stage for the first military coup in March 1949. On 30 March 1949, Brigadier General
Husni al-Za'im led the first military coup in Syria’s modern history, overthrowing President
Shukri al-Quwatli's democratically elected government and dissolving parliament. The coup marked a turning point, introducing military intervention as a recurring feature in Syrian politics and reflecting broader dissatisfaction with civilian leadership after the setbacks of the 1948 war. Al-Za'im's rule was brief. On 14–15 August 1949, Colonel
Sami al-Hinnawi led the second military coup, overthrowing al‑Za'im and restoring civilian politicians under the presidency of
Hashem al-Atassi before he, in turn, was ousted later that year by Colonel
Adib Shishakli in a third coup. These successive coups illustrated deep divisions within the officer corps and persistent challenges to establishing stable parliamentary governance in the young republic. Despite recurring instability, a new constitution was drafted and adopted on 5 September 1950, replacing the amended 1930 constitution and inaugurating the
Second Syrian Republic. The 1950 Constitution expanded civil liberties and reinforced parliamentary authority, although political turbulence continued in the early 1950s as Syria grappled with military influence and fragile civilian governance. ==Notes==