The National Bloc ( ar, الكتلة الوطنية ''Al-Kutlah Al-Wataniyah'';
French: ''Bloc national'') was a Syrian political party that emerged to fight for Syrian independence during the
French Mandate of Syria
The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (french: Mandat pour la Syrie et le Liban; ar, الانتداب الفرنسي على سوريا ولبنان, al-intidāb al-fransi 'ala suriya wa-lubnān) (1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate foun ...
period.
History
The party was created after a national conference in 1928, by
Ibrahim Hananu.
It was not a structured party but rather a coalition of parties hostile to the French presence in Syria. The Bloc was led by notable conservatives; land owners, tradesmen, lawyers, etc. This coalition gathered the fifty most rich and powerful families of Syria.
The political involvement of these notable people in the struggle for independence is reminiscent of the political struggle carried out in their youth against the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. The National Bloc had no precise ideology, nor a social and economic agenda. The main objective which drove the movement forward was to return Syria's independence through diplomatic and non-violent actions.
Legacy
Full independence for Syria, the National Bloc's aim, was achieved by 1946 at which point the party could not withstand personal and regional rivalries. The party was dissolved in 1947 and split into two parties: the
National Party, based in
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
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, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
, and the
People's Party, based in
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, image_map1 =
...
. Whereas the People's Party was friendly to the interests of
Hashemite
The Hashemites ( ar, الهاشميون, al-Hāshimīyūn), also House of Hashim, are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz (1916–1925), Syria (1920), and Iraq (1921 ...
Jordan and Iraq, the National Party was opposed to them. Both parties were major players in Syrian politics until the
1963 Syrian coup d'état
The 1963 Syrian coup d'état, referred to by the Syrian government as the 8 March Revolution ( ar, ثورة الثامن من آذار), was the successful seizure of power in Syrian Republic (1946-63), Syria by the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ...
which brought the
Ba'ath Party
The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...
to power and drove most political parties underground. Following the
Damascus Spring
The Damascus Spring ( ar, ربيع دمشق, ) was a period of intense political and social debate in Syria which started after the death of President Hafiz al-Asad in June 2000 and continued to some degree until autumn 2001, when most of the act ...
, there was speculation that such parties might be revived. With the onset of the
Syrian Civil War, a new National Bloc appeared claiming the heritage of the original party. The new movement was co-founded by
Mustafa Kayyali, grandson of one of the historical leaders,
Abd al-Rahman al-Kayyali
Abd al-Rahman al-Kayyali (1887 – 13 September 1969) was a physician from the city of Aleppo and member of the Syrian independence movement who served as the Minister of Justice for two terms.
Biography
Born in Aleppo, al-Kayyali studied me ...
.
Bibliography
*
Pierre Guingamp, ''Hafez El Assad et le parti Baath en Syrie'', Editions L'Harmattan, 1996,
See also
*
Munir al-Ajlani
Munir al-Ajlani (Dr. Munir Ajlani, منير محمد علي العجلاني) (August 1912 or 1914 – 20 June 2004) (nationality: Syrian/Saudi) was a politician, writer, lawyer, and scholar. He made history as the youngest Syrian minister. He ...
References
Links
National Bloc
{{Syrian political parties
Defunct political parties in Syria
Nationalist parties in Syria
Secularism in Syria