The National Bloc ( ar, الكتلة الوطنية ''Al-Kutlah Al-Wataniyah'';
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
: ''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
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 ...
.
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 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 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, 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
Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى
, Muṣṭafā) is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world.
Given name Mou ...
, 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
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
, ''Hafez El Assad et le parti Baath en Syrie'', Editions L'Harmattan, 1996,
See also
*
Munir al-Ajlani
References
Links
National Bloc
{{Syrian political parties
Defunct political parties in Syria
Nationalist parties in Syria
Secularism in Syria