The 1936 Syrian general strike ( ar, الإضراب الستيني) was a 50-day strike that was organized as a response to the policies of the French occupation of Syria and Lebanon. The strike action paralyzed the country for two months and forced France to negotiate the

Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence The Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence, also known as the Viénot Accords, was a treaty negotiated between France and Syria to provide for Syrian independence from French authority. History In 1934, France attempted to impose a treaty of indep ...

with the National Bloc.

Overview

On 11 January 1936, the National Bloc held a commemoration for one of its leaders,

Ibrahim Hananu Ibrahim Hananu or Ibrahim Hanano (1869–1935) ( ar, إبراهيم هنانو, Ibrāhīm Hanānū) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman municipal official and later a leader of a Hananu Revolt, revolt against the French presence in northern Syria. He w ...

, who had died in November 1935. The meeting featured several speeches that lamented and attacked the French occupation. Soon thereafter the French mandate authorities closed the office of the National Bloc in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, and arrested two prominent nationalist leaders from the party, Fakhri al-Baroudi and Sayf al-Din al-Ma'mun. In response, the Bloc called for strike action against the French occupation policies. The strike, which started on 20 January with work stoppages and student protests in Damascus,

Homs Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...

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and

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

, soon spread to all major towns. Leaders from the National Bloc, including

Nasib al-Bakri Nasib al-Bakri ( ar, نسيب البكري; 1888–1966) was a Syrian politician and nationalist leader in the first half of the 20th century. He played a major role in establishing al-Fatat, an underground organization which sought the independe ...

, Jamil Mardam Bey,

Lutfi al-Haffar Lutfi al-Haffar ( ar, لطفي الحفار) (18 February 1885 – 4 February 1968) was a Syrian businessman and politician. He was a founding member of the National Bloc and served as 11th Prime Minister of Syria in 1939. Early career Al-Haff ...

and

Faris al-Khoury Faris al-Khoury ( ar, فارس الخوري, Fāris al-Khūrī) (November 20, 1877 – January 2, 1962) was a Syrian statesman, minister, prime minister, speaker of parliament, and father of modern Syrian politics. Faris Khoury went on to become p ...

actively participated and organized demonstrations against the French occupation and the French-appointed president,

Taj al-Din al-Hasani Taj al-Din al-Hasani ( ar, تاج الدين الحسني, Tāj ad-Dīn al-Ḥasanī; 1885 – 17 January 1943) was a French-appointed Syrian leader and politician. He was born and raised into a family of Muslim scholars in Damascus. His father ...

, and demanded the reinstatement of the 1930 constitution that was suspended in 1933. The

League of National Action The League of Nationalist Action ( ar, عصبة العمل القومي ''‘Usbat Al-'Amal Al-Qawmi''; french: Ligue d'action nationaliste), was a Syrian Arab nationalist anti-colonial political party, created in 1932–1933 by a lawyer of Homs ...

supported the strike and participated in organizing marches and protests in Damascus. The civil disobedience action paralyzed the economy and quickly brought the country to the "verge of a complete shutdown."

French response

The French High Commissioner, Damien de Martel, was urgently recalled from Beirut to Damascus to handle the situation, and General Charles Huntziger, commander of the

Army of the Levant The Army of the Levant (french: Armée du Levant) identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied, and were in part recruited from, the French Mandated territories in the Levant during the interwar period and early Wor ...

was tasked with restoring calm. Several Bloc leaders including

and Mardam Bey were exiled, and more than 3,000 people were arrested. In an effort to disperse the demonstrations, French troops opened fire on the protesting crowds, leaving dozens dead. However, the measures failed to quell the uprising which garnered support from other Arab countries as people protested on the streets of Iraq, Lebanon,

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and Jordan in solidarity with the Syrian people. The French government also came under severe pressure inside France from the leftist media and the emerging Popular Front which called for a complete re-haul of its policy in Syria and Lebanon.

Resolution

On 2 March the French authorities relented and agreed to start negotiations with the National Bloc. They also granted a general amnesty for those arrested or exiled during the crisis. The Bloc called off the strike on 6 March after the release of its arrested leaders. Later that year, a delegation from the National Bloc travelled to Paris and signed the

References

{{Authority control Arab rebellions General strikes Syrian General Strike, 1936 1936 labor disputes and strikes Rebellions in Mandatory Syria Labor in Mandatory Syria Protests in Mandatory Syria Resistance to the French colonial empire