The Great Syrian Revolt and the Rise of Arab Nationalism

by Michael Provence

Overview

The Great Syrian Revolt of 1925 was the largest and longest-lasting anti-colonial insurgency in the inter-war Arab East. Mobilizing peasants, workers, and army veterans, rather than urban elites and nationalist intellectuals, it was the first mass movement against colonial rule in the Middle East. The revolt failed to liberate Syria from French occupation, but it provided a model of popular nationalism and resistance that remains potent in the Middle East today. Each subsequent Arab uprising against foreign rule has repeated the language and tactics of the Great Syrian Revolt.

In this work, Michael Provence uses newly released secret colonial intelligence sources, neglected memoirs, and popular memory to tell the story of the revolt from the perspective of its participants. He shows how Ottoman-subsidized military education created a generation of leaders of modest background who came to rebel against both the French Mandate rulers of Syria and the Syrian intellectuals and landowners who helped the colonial regime to function. This new popular nationalism was unprecedented in the Arab world. Provence shows compellingly that the Great Syrian Revolt was a formative event in shaping the modern Middle East.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292797109
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	09/17/2009
Series:	CMES Modern Middle East Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	209
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Michael Provence is Associate Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego.

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Transliteration
• 1. Introduction
  • Greater Syria and Ottoman Rule
  • Ottoman Reform
  • The Great Syrian Revolt
  • Contrasting Narratives
  • Theorizing Insurgent and National Consciousness
  • Sources
• 2. The Hawrân Frontier
  • Settling the Frontier
  • Rural Autonomy and Commercial Integration
  • Assimilating the Countryside: Education and the Army
  • The Arab Revolt and the Hawrân Druze
• 3. Mobilizing the Mountain
  • Claiming the Mandate
  • Governing Jabal Hawrân
  • Organizing for Resistance
• 4. Mobilizing the City
  • Damascus
  • The People's Party
  • Making Contact with the Countryside
  • Hawrân Peace Negotiations
• 5. The Spread of Rebellion
  • Urban Agitation
  • Rebellion in Hamâh
  • Rebellion in Damascus
• 6. The Politics of Rebellion
  • Insurgents in the Countryside of Damascus
  • Elite Politics and Mandate Counterinsurgency
  • Military Suppression and Mandate Counterinsurgency
  • Debating Rebellion
• 7. Epilogue and Conclusions
  • Epilogue
  • Conclusions
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index

What People are Saying About This

Philip S. Khoury

I am convinced that Provence’s book will be a significant contribution to the literature on popular rebellions in the Arab world.

Editorial Reviews

Anyone wishing to understand Syrian history or learn something of value about nascent Arab nationalism will profit from this book.

The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences

Anyone wishing to understand Syrian history or learn something of value about nascent Arab nationalism will profit from this book.-- "The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences" (1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher