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Hashim al-Atassi
هاشم الأتاسي
4th President of Syria
In office 21 December 1936 – 7 July 1939
Prime Minister	Jamil Mardam Bey Lutfi al-Haffar Nasuhi al-Bukhari
Preceded by	Muhammad 'Ali Bay al-'Abid
Succeeded by	Bahij al-Khatib
In office 15 August 1949 – 2 December 1951
Prime Minister	Nazim al-Qudsi Khalid al-Azm Hassan al-Hakim Zaki al-Khatib Maarouf al-Dawalibi
Preceded by	Sami al-Hinnawi (Military Rule)
Succeeded by	Adib Shishakli (Military Rule)
In office 28 February 1954 – 6 September 1955
Prime Minister	Adib Shishakli Sabri al-Asali Said al-Ghazzi Fares al-Khoury Sabri al-Asali
Preceded by	Maamun al-Kuzbari (Acting)
Succeeded by	Shukri al-Quwatli
2nd & 25th Prime Minister of Syria
In office 3 May 1920 – 28 July 1920
Monarch	Faisal I
Preceded by	Rida Pasha al-Rikabi
Succeeded by	Aladdin Al-Droubi
In office 17 August 1949 – 24 December 1949
Preceded by	Muhsin al-Barazi
Succeeded by	Nazim al-Kudsi
President of the Constituent Assembly
In office 11 August 1928 – 6 September 1928
Preceded by	Badi' Muwayyad
Succeeded by	Faris al-Khoury
Speaker of the Syrian National Congress
In office 11 December 1919 – 17 July 1920
Preceded by	office established
Succeeded by	Badi' Muwayyad
Personal details
Born	(1875-01-11)11 January 1875 Homs, Syria Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died	5 December 1960(1960-12-05) (aged 85) Homs, Syria, United Arab Republic
Political party	National Bloc (1928–1947) People's Party (1948–1960)
Parent	Khaled al-Atassi

Hashim al-Atassi (Arabic: هاشم الأتاسي, romanized: Hāšim al-ʾAtāsī; 11 January 1875 – 5 December 1960) was a Syrian politician and statesman who served as the President of Syria on three occasions from 1936 to 1939, 1949 to 1951 and 1954 to 1955.

Background and early career

He was born in Homs in 1875 to the large, landowning and politically active Atassi family. He studied public administration at the Mekteb-i Mülkiye in Istanbul, and graduated in 1893. He began his political career in 1888 in the Ottoman vilayet of Beirut, and through the years, up to 1918, served as Governor of Homs, Hama, Baalbek, Anatolia, and Jaffa, which included the then-small suburb of Tel Aviv. In 1919, after the defeat of Ottoman Turkey during World War I, he was elected chairman of the Syrian National Congress, the equivalent of a modern parliament.

On 8 March 1920 that body declared independence as a constitutional monarchy, under King Faisal I. He became prime minister during this short-lived period, for French occupation soon followed under the terms of the Sykes-Picot Agreement and a League of Nations Mandate (Also see: San Remo conference). During his tenure, Atassi appointed the veteran independence activist and statesman Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar, one of the leaders of the Syrian nationalist movement against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, as Foreign Minister. He delegated Shahbandar to formulate alliances between Syria and Europe, in a vain attempt to prevent the implementation of a French Mandate. France moved quickly to reverse Syrian independence.

The French High Commissioner Henri Gouraud presented Faisal with an ultimatum, demanding the surrender of Aleppo to the French Army, the dismantling of the Syrian Army, the adaptation of the French franc in Syria, and the dissolution of the Atassi Government. Shahbandar's efforts to compromise with Gouraud proved futile, and Atassi's cabinet was dissolved on 24 July 1920, when the French defeated the Syrian Army at the Battle of Maysalun and imposed their mandate over Syria.

The French Mandate

After the dissolution of the Kingdom by the French, Atassi met with a group of notables in October 1927 and founded the National Bloc, which was to lead the Syrian nationalist movement in Syria for the next twenty years. The Bloc was a political coalition movement that sought full independence for Syria through diplomatic rather than violent resistance. It founders were a group of landowners, lawyers, civil servants, and Ottoman-trained professionals from Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and Lattakia. Atassi was elected permanent President of the National Bloc. In 1928, he was also elected President of the Constituent Assembly, and charged with laying out Syria's first republican constitution. The assembly was dissolved by the French high commissioner in May 1930 because of its adherence to the 1920 proclamation, and Atassi was imprisoned by the French for several months at Arwad Island. After being freed, he renominated himself for the presidency but lost the first round of elections and dropped out of the second, giving his endorsement to the independent Mohammad Ali al-Abid, who became president in the summer of 1932. In 1928 and 1932, he became a deputy for Homs in Parliament.

First President of the Republic

Atassi initially supported the Abid government but became disenchanted from the new President when Abid appointed two French stooges, Haqqi al-Azm as Prime Minister and Subhi Barakat as Speaker of Parliament. In 1934, Abid negotiated a treaty with France that promised gradual independence from the mandate but kept the Syrian Mountains under French control. Atassi severely criticized the treaty, arguing that no independence was valid unless it encompassed all of Syria's territory. He called for a 60-day strike to protest Abid's proposed treaty. The Bloc mobilized massive street-wide support for Atassi's call, and most shops and enterprises closed down and riots raged daily, crippling the economy and embarrassing Abid before the international community.

In defeat, the French government agreed to recognize the National Bloc leaders as the sole representatives of the Syrian people and invited Hashim al-Atassi for diplomatic talks in Paris. On 22 March 1936, he headed a senior Bloc delegation to France, and, over 6 months, managed to formulate a Franco-Syrian treaty of independence. Atassi's treaty guaranteed emancipation over 25 years, with full incorporation of previously autonomous territories into Greater Syria.

In return, Syria pledged to support France in times of war, offer the use of her air space, and the right for France to maintain military bases on Syrian territory. Other political, cultural, and economic attachments were made and Atassi returned to Syria in triumph on 27 September 1936. Hailed as a national hero, he was elected President of the Republic by a majority vote in November 1936, the first head of state of the modern state of Syria.

World War II

However, by the end of 1938 it became clear that the French government had no intention of ratifying the treaty, partly due to fears that if it relinquished its colonies in the Middle East, it would be outflanked in a war with Nazi Germany that was brewing in Europe. Atassi resigned on 7 July 1939 as the French continued to procrastinate about full Syrian independence and the withdrawal of French troops, and public discontent at the delay boiled over onto the streets. Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar returned to Syria at this time and agitated against Atassi and the National Block for failing to secure French ratification.

Atassi's resignation was also influenced by the French decision to cede the Syrian province of Alexandretta (current day Iskenderun in Hatay Province) to Turkey, enraging Syrian nationalists. The ex-President retired to his native Homs and spent one year in seclusion, refusing to take part in political activity. Following his resignation, several years of instability and French military rule followed. The 1940s overall were dominated by the politics and machinations of World War II and its aftermath. Syria was occupied by British and General Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces, which did not leave until 1946.

In an attempt at appeasing the Syrians, de Gaulle promised independence and visited Syria to elicit support for France. He visited Hashim al-Atassi in Homs and invited him to resume the presidency, assuring the veteran leader that France wanted to turn a new page in her relations with Syria. Atassi refused, however, claiming that his recent experience showed that France could not be trusted in its promises of independence. In 1943, rather than re-nominate himself, Atassi endorsed the election of Shukri al-Quwatli, a well-established Damascus leader who had risen to prominence under Atassi's patronage, as President of the Republic.

Atassi took no active part in the final struggle for independence but supported the Quwatli government, which lasted from 1943 to 1949. In 1947, while Syria was facing a prolonged cabinet crisis, President Quwatli called on his old mentor to form a government of national unity. Due to a tense political atmosphere, however, and increasing anti-Quwatli sentiment within political circles, Atassi was unable to intervene to save the administration. He also argued with President Quwatli over presidential authority and conditioned that it would have to be curtailed if he became prime minister, but Quwatli refused.

In March 1949, the Quwatli government was overthrown in a coup d'état by Chief of Staff Husni al-Za'im, who headed a military cabinet for four months before he himself was overthrown in August 1949. Following this development, leading politicians called on the aging Atassi to create a provisional government that would supervise national elections and the restoration of civilian rule. He complied and formed a cabinet that included representatives of all parties, including the leftist Baath Party of Michel Aflaq, who he appointed Minister of Agriculture. He released Munir al-Ajlani, who was imprisoned by Husni al-Za'im, and voted him into the Constitutional Assembly. Under Atassi's auspices, a new electoral law was adopted, and women voted for the first time in the election of 15 and 16 November 1949. Atassi served as Prime Minister from August to December 1949, after which a parliamentary majority nominated him for a second term as president.

Second Presidential term

Atassi's second term in office was even more turbulent than his first. He came into conflict with the politicians of Damascus for supporting the interests of the Aleppo nobility and their desire to unite with Iraq. He supported the People's Party of Aleppo and appointed its leader Nazim al-Qudsi as prime minister. The party was vehemently pro-Iraq and sought a union with Baghdad. One of the Atassi administration's most memorable actions was the closure of Syria's border with Lebanon to prevent the rampant influx of Lebanese goods into Syria. From 1949 to 1951, he undertook serious talks with the Iraqi government over the union issue.

Atassi received senior Iraqi leaders in Damascus, including Crown Prince Abd al-Illah and Faisal II of Iraq, for technical discussions on union. This angered Syria's emerging military strongman Adib Shishakli, who claimed that the Hashemite family of Baghdad should have no jurisdiction over Damascus. Shishakli demanded a change in course, yet Atassi remained adamant and refused to submit to military pressure. In response, Shishakli arrested Atassi's Chief of Staff Sami al-Hinnawi, a People's Party sympathizer, and several pro-Iraqi officers in the Syrian Army. He then demanded that one of his right-hand-men, Colonel Fawzi Selu, be appointed Minister of Defense, to ensure that pro-Iraqi influence in Syria remained under control.

Fearing a head-on-clash with the military, Atassi reluctantly accepted the demands. In December 1951, however, President Atassi asked Maarouf al-Dawalibi, another member of the People's Party, to form a cabinet. Dawalibi accepted the job but refused to give the defense portfolio to Fawzi Selu. As a result, Shishakli launched another coup, arresting the prime minister and all members of the People's Party. All ministers and pro-Hashemite statesmen were also abducted, and Parliament was dissolved. In protest, President Atassi presented his resignation to the disbanded Parliament, refusing to submit it to Shishakli, on 24 December 1951.

Opposition to military rule

During the Shishakli years (1951 to 1954), Atassi spearheaded the opposition, claiming that the Shishakli government was unconstitutional. He rallied the support of disgruntled officers, pro-Hashemite politicians, and members of all outlawed political parties, and called for a national uprising. In February 1954, Shishakli responded by arresting his son Adnan and placing the veteran statesman under house arrest. Such was Atassi's stature in Syria as its elder statesman that Shishakli dared not subject him to the indignity of outright imprisonment.

The officers mutinied, political leaders mobilized against the government, and an armed uprising broke out in the Arab Mountain. On 24 February 1954, the government of Adib al-Shishakli was finally overthrown. Four days later, on 28 February, Atassi returned to Damascus from his home in Homs and reassumed his duties as President. He appointed Sabri al-Assali as Prime Minister, and restored all pre-Shishakli ambassadors, ministers, and parliamentarians to office. He tried to eradicate all traces of the four-year Shishakli dictatorship.

Final years

In what remained of his term, the 80-year-old president tried to curb the influence of military officers and worked relentlessly against the leftist current that was brewing in Syria, characterized by socialist ideology, sympathies for the Soviet Union, and blind adherence to the policies of the socialist leader of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser who were supported by members of the president's own powerful clan, such as Jamal al-Atassi and Nureddin al-Atassi. Atassi defied President Nasser and worked in vain to keep Syria out of his socialist orbit.

Unlike most Arab leaders, Atassi believed that Nasser was too young, inexperienced and ideological to lead the Arab world. The Syrian President cracked down on Nasserite elements and clashed with his own pro-Nasser Prime Minister Sabri al-Asali, accusing him of wanting to transform Syria into an Egyptian satellite. In 1955, the President was tempted to accept the Baghdad Pact, an Anglo-American agreement aimed at containing Communism in the region, but Nasserite elements in the Syrian Army prevented him from doing so. He rallied in support of Hashemite Iraq, whose leaders were competing with Nasser over pan-Arab leadership, and was allied to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Sa'id. Atassi then dissolved the cabinet of Assali and appointed Said al-Ghazzi followed by Faris al-Khoury, a moderate statesman, as Prime Minister. Atassi dispatched Khoury to Egypt to present Syrian objections to Egyptian hegemony over Arab affairs.

Death and legacy

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Hashim al-Atassi" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

He died in Homs during the union years with Egypt on 6 December 1960. He was given a state funeral, which was the largest in the history of the city, attended by senior members of the United Arab Republic (UAR) government of President Nasser.

References

1. Jessup, John E. (1998). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945-1996. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0313281129. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
2. Corinne Lee Blake (1991). Training Arab-Ottoman bureaucrats: Syrian graduates of the Mulkiye Mektebi, 1890-1920 (PhD thesis). Princeton University. p. 16. ISBN 979-8-208-26719-6. ProQuest 303968458.
3. Pipes, Daniel (1992). Greater Syria: The History of an Ambition. Oxford University Press US. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-19-506022-5.
4. ^ McGowan, Afaf Sabeh (1988), "History", in Collelo, Thomas (ed.), Syria : a country study, Washington, D.C: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, pp. 18–20, archived from the original on 29 June 2011, retrieved 22 February 2012
5. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hashim-al-Atasi

• Sami Moubayed "Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900-2000" (Cune Press, Seattle, 2005).
• Encyclopædia Britannica

v t e Presidents of Syria (list)
Syrian Federation (1922–1924)	Barakat
State of Syria (1925–1930)	Barakat Pierre-Alype* Nami al-Hasani*
First Syrian Republic (1930–1950)	al-Hasani* Solomiac* al-Abid H. al-Atassi al-Khatib al-Azm* al-Hasani al-Ulshi* al-Ayyubi al-Quwatli al-Za'im al-Hinnawi* H. al-Atassi
Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958)	H. al-Atassi Shishakli* Selu Shishakli al-Kuzbari* H. al-Atassi al-Quwatli
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)	Nasser
Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963)	al-Kuzbari* al-Nuss* al-Qudsi
Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024)	L. al-Atassi al-Hafiz N. al-Atassi al-Khatib* H. al-Assad Khaddam* B. al-Assad
* acting

v t e Prime ministers of Syria (list)
Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920)	al-Rikabi H. al-Atassi* Al-Droubi al-Ulshi
State of Syria (1925–1930)	Barakat al-Hasani* Nami al-Hasani
First Syrian Republic (1930–1950)	al-Hasani H. al-Azm al-Hasani A. al-Ayyubi Mardam al-Haffar al-Bukhari post vacant, 1939–41 K. al-Azm al-Hakim H. al-Barazi al-Ulshi al-Jabiri al-Khoury al-Jabiri K. al-Azm* Mardam K. al-Azm al-Za'im M. al-Barazi H. al-Atassi al-Qudsi K. al-Azm al-Qudsi
Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958)	al-Qudsi K. al-Azm al-Hakim al-Khatib al-Dawalibi Selu Shishakli al-Asali al-Ghazzi al-Khoury al-Asali al-Ghazzi al-Asali
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)	Kahala Sarraj
Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963)	al-Kuzbari al-Nuss al-Dawalibi al-Azma K. al-Azm
Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024)	K. al-Azm al-Bitar al-Hafiz al-Bitar al-Hafiz Zuayyin al-Bitar Zuayyin N. al-Atassi al-Assad Khleifawi M. al-Ayyubi Khleifawi al-Halabi al-Kasm Al-Zoubi Mero al-Otari Safar Hijab Ghalawanji* al-Halqi Khamis Arnous al-Jalali
Transitional period (2024–present)	al-Jalali* al-Bashir
* acting

v t e French Mandate of Syria
States	State of Syria State of Aleppo State of Damascus Al-Jazira Province Jabal Druze State Alawite State Sanjak of Alexandretta Greater Lebanon
Conflicts	1919 revolt Franco-Syrian War Battle of Maysalun Capture of Damascus Hananu Revolt 1925–1927 revolt Epic of Ain Albu Gomaa Capture of Salkhad Battle of al-Kafr Battle of al-Mazraa Battle of al-Musayfirah 1925 Hama uprising 1936 general strike Syria–Lebanon campaign Levant Crisis
Treaties	Sykes–Picot Agreement (1916) Paulet–Newcombe Agreement (1920) Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence (1936)
People	Syrian Yusuf al-Azma Saleh al-Ali Ibrahim Hananu Hashim al-Atassi Mustafa Bey Barmada Shukri al-Quwatli Khalid al-Azm Mar'i Pasha al-Mallah Jamil Mardam Bey Kamil Pasha al-Qudsi Sultan al-Atrash Saadallah al-Jabiri Haqqi al-Azm Ayyash Al-Haj Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar French French High Commissioner Charles de Gaulle Henri Gouraud

• 1875 births
• 1960 deaths
• Arab people from the Ottoman Empire
• People from Homs
• Presidents of Syria
• Prime ministers of Syria
• Speakers of the People's Assembly of Syria
• World War II political leaders
• National Bloc (Syria) politicians
• Al-Atassi family
• Mekteb-i Mülkiye alumni
• Syrian nationalists
• Syrian people of Turkish descent
• 20th-century Syrian politicians
• People from the Ottoman Empire
• 20th-century presidents in Asia
• People's Party (Syria) politicians