The 1936 Syrian general strike () 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 with the National Bloc.

Overview

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

Ibrahim Hananu Ibrahim Hananu (1869–1935) was a Syrian revolutionary and former Ottoman municipal official who led a revolt against the French colonial presence in northern Syria in the early 1920s. He was a member of a notable landholding family of Kurdish ...

, 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 Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, 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 ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

Hama Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...

and

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

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

Nasib al-Bakri Nasib al-Bakri (; 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 independence and unity of the Otto ...

Jamil Mardam Bey Jamil Mardam Bey (; ; 1895–1960), was a Syrian politician. He was born in Damascus to a prominent aristocratic family of Turkish origins. He is a descendant of the Ottoman general, statesman and Grand Vizier Lala Mustafa Pasha and the penulti ...

Lutfi al-Haffar Lutfi al-Haffar () (18 February 1885 – 4 February 1968) was a Syrian businessman and politician. He was a founding member of the National Bloc and served as Prime Minister of Syria in 1939. Early career Al-Haffar was born into the wealthy mer ...

and Faris al-Khoury actively participated and organized demonstrations against the French occupation and the French-appointed president, Taj al-Din al-Hasani, and demanded the reinstatement of the 1930 constitution that was suspended in 1933. The

League of National 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 ...

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 Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

to Damascus to handle the situation, and General

Charles Huntziger Charles Huntziger (; 25 June 1880 – 11 November 1941) was a French Army general during World War I and World War II. Biography He was born at Lesneven ( Finistère), in Brittany of a family which settled in the region, after the Prussian inv ...

, commander of the

Army of the Levant The Army of the Levant () identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied, and were in part recruited from, the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, French Mandated territories in the Levant during the interwar period and ...

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 Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

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 ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

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 Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence.

References

{{Authority control Arab rebellions General strikes in Asia 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 Labor disputes in Syria Massacres in 1936 Massacres committed by France Massacres in Syria Massacres of protesters in Asia 1936 riots 1936 protests Riots and civil disorder in Syria 20th-century mass murder in Syria