The Arab Baath (), also known as the Arab Baath Party, was an

Arab nationalist Arab nationalism () is a political ideology asserting that Arabs constitute a single nation. As a traditional nationalist ideology, it promotes Arab culture and civilization, celebrates Arab history, the Arabic language and Arabic literatur ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

founded in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Zaki al-Arsuzi Zaki al-Arsuzi (; June 18992 July 1968) was a Syrian philosopher, philologist, sociologist, historian, and Arab nationalist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of Ba'athism and its political movement. He published several b ...

in 1940.

History

Arsuzi was previously a member of the

League of Nationalist Action The League of Nationalist Action ( ''‘Usbat al-'Amal al-Qawmi''; ), was a Syrian Arab nationalist anti-colonial political party, created in 1932–1933 by a lawyer of Homs, Abd al-Razzaq al-Dandashi. History Its founders were opposed to the ...

but left in 1939 after its popular leader died and the party had fallen into disarray, he founded the short-lived

Arab National Party The Arab National Party (, ''HaMiflaga HaLeumit HaAravit''; , ''al-Hizb al-Qawmi al-Arabi'') is a minor Israeli Arab political party in Israel led by Muhamad Kanan. Background The party was founded during the 15th Knesset when three Members of ...

in 1939 and dissolved it later that year. He formed the Arab Baath in 1940 and his views influenced

Michel Aflaq Michel Aflaq (‎, ; 9 January 1910 – 23 June 1989) was a Syrian philosopher, sociology, sociologist and Arab nationalism, Arab nationalist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of Ba'athism and its political movement; he ...

who, alongside junior partner

Salah al-Din al-Bitar Salah al-Din al-Bitar (; 1 January 1912 – 21 July 1980) was a Syrian politician who co-founded the Ba'ath Party, Baʿath Party with Michel Aflaq in the early 1940s. As students in Paris in the early 1930s, the two formulated a doctrine t ...

, founded the Arab Ihya Movement in 1940 that later renamed itself the Arab Baath Movement in 1943. Though Aflaq was influenced by him, Arsuzi initially did not cooperate with Aflaq's movement. Arsuzi suspected that the existence of the Arab Ihya Movement, which occasionally titled itself "Arab Baath" during 1941, was part of an imperialist plot to prevent his influence over the Arabs by creating a movement of the same name. A significant conflict between Arsuzi's and Aflaq's movements occurred when they sparred over the issue of the 1941 ''coup d'état'' by

Rashid Ali al-Gaylani Rashid Ali al-Gaylani (Al-Gailani)in Arab standard pronunciation Rashid Aali al-Kaylani; also transliterated as Sayyid Rashid Aali al-Gillani, Sayyid Rashid Ali al-Gailani or sometimes Sayyad Rashid Ali el Keilany (" Sayyad" serves to address hig ...

and the subsequent

Anglo–Iraqi War The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq, then ruled by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani who had seized power in the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état with assistance from Germany and ...

. Aflaq's movement supported al-Gaylani's government and the Iraqi government's war against the British, and organized volunteers to go to Iraq and fight for the Iraqi government. However, Arsuzi opposed al-Gaylani's government, considering the coup to be poorly planned and a failure. At this point, Arsuzi's party lost members and support that transferred to Aflaq's movement. Subsequently, Arsuzi's direct influence in Arab politics collapsed after

Vichy French Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...

authorities expelled him from Syria in 1941. Aflaq's next major political action was its support of

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

's war of independence from France in 1943. The two movements eventually merged in 1947 without the involvement of Arsuzi.

References

1940 establishments in Mandatory Syria 1947 disestablishments in Syria Arab nationalism in Syria Ba'athist parties Defunct political parties in Syria History of the Ba'ath Party Nationalist parties in Syria Political parties disestablished in 1947 Political parties established in 1940 {{Syria-party-stub

History

See also

References