When did the Second Syrian Republic exist?

The Second Syrian Republic existed 1950–1963; on map 1946–1957. On this map it is drawn 1946–1957.

What was the capital of the Second Syrian Republic?

The Second Syrian Republic was ruled from Damascus.

Middle East · The modern states

Second Syrian Republic

Parliamentary republic (with military interludes) · 1950–1963; on map 1946–1957

See it on the map → Wikipedia ↗

Type: Parliamentary republic (with military interludes)
Existed: 1950–1963; on map 1946–1957
Shown on the map: 1946–1957
Capital: Damascus
Peak area: ~188,000–190,000 km²
Region: Middle East

Origins & rise

The Second Syrian Republic grew out of the French Mandate of Syria. After the Arab Kingdom of Syria under Faisal was crushed by France at Maysalun in 1920, the mandate authorities reorganized the country; in 1930 the State of Syria was declared a republic under a constitution imposed by the French High Commissioner. The nationalist National Bloc, led by Hashim al-Atassi, extracted the 1936 Franco-Syrian Treaty promising independence, but France never ratified it and in 1939 ceded the Sanjak of Alexandretta to Turkey — a wound Syria still disputes. During the Second World War Vichy control gave way to British–Free French occupation (1941); Syria declared independence, became a founding UN member in October 1945, and the last French troops left on 17 April 1946, celebrated as Evacuation Day. A new democratic constitution adopted on 5 September 1950 marks the formal start of what historians call the Second Republic.

History & key rulers

Independence brought instability: between 1946 and 1956 Syria saw some twenty cabinets and four constitutions. Humiliation in the 1948 war with Israel — including the notorious "Samneh" cooking-fat corruption scandal — provoked three coups in 1949 (Husni al-Za'im, Sami al-Hinnawi, Adib al-Shishakli). Shishakli ruled as dictator from 1951 until popular and military opposition forced him out in February 1954, restoring parliamentary life under presidents Hashim al-Atassi and then Shukri al-Quwatli. The restored republic leaned leftward: a 1956 arms pact with the Soviet Union, martial law during the Suez Crisis, and rising Ba'athist and communist influence. Fearful of communism and enchanted by Nasser after Suez, Syria's leaders merged the country with Egypt on 22 February 1958 as the United Arab Republic — Syria becoming the UAR's "Northern Region." Egyptian dominance bred resentment, and on 28 September 1961 officers under Abd al-Karim al-Nahlawi seceded, restoring the Syrian Arab Republic under President Nazim al-Kudsi. The restored republic lasted barely eighteen months: on 8 March 1963 Ba'athist officers seized power in a coup, ending Syria's democratic experiment.

Government, religion & culture

The 1950 constitution created a unitary parliamentary republic with a ceremonial president, responsible cabinet, and chamber of deputies, guaranteeing minority representation. Society was (and is) predominantly Sunni Muslim with substantial Alawite, Druze, Christian, and Kurdish communities; Arabic was official, with Syriac, Kurdish and Armenian recognized. Damascus and Aleppo anchored a proud urban culture, while the Ba'ath Party, founded in the 1940s by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar, spread pan-Arab socialist ideas that would soon capture the state.

Peak & territory

The republic covered about 189,880 km² — modern Syria's full extent including the Golan Heights — bordering Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel. Its peak was thus its entire existence; the only territorial loss in the era, Alexandretta/Hatay, preceded independence.

Decline & legacy

The Second Republic's collapse into the 1963 Ba'ath coup — and Hafez al-Assad's 1970 consolidation within that system — ended parliamentary Syria for six decades. On the map its label covers independent Syria from 1946 until the 1958 UAR merger, even though the constitutional "Second Republic" proper dates from 1950 and revived briefly in 1961–1963. The era is remembered as Syria's only sustained experiment in competitive democracy.

Common questions

What was the Second Syrian Republic?: The Second Syrian Republic grew out of the French Mandate of Syria. After the Arab Kingdom of Syria under Faisal was crushed by France at Maysalun in 1920, the mandate authorities reorganized the country; in 1930 the State of Syria was declared a republic under a constitution imposed by the French High Commissioner.
When did the Second Syrian Republic exist?: The Second Syrian Republic existed 1950–1963; on map 1946–1957. On this map it is drawn 1946–1957.
What was the capital of the Second Syrian Republic?: The Second Syrian Republic was ruled from Damascus.
How large was the Second Syrian Republic at its height?: The republic covered about 189,880 km² — modern Syria's full extent including the Golan Heights — bordering Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel. Its peak was thus its entire existence; the only territorial loss in the era, Alexandretta/Hatay, preceded independence.
Who ruled the Second Syrian Republic?: Independence brought instability: between 1946 and 1956 Syria saw some twenty cabinets and four constitutions. Humiliation in the 1948 war with Israel — including the notorious "Samneh" cooking-fat corruption scandal — provoked three coups in 1949 (Husni al-Za'im, Sami al-Hinnawi, Adib al-Shishakli).
How did the Second Syrian Republic end?: The Second Republic's collapse into the 1963 Ba'ath coup — and Hafez al-Assad's 1970 consolidation within that system — ended parliamentary Syria for six decades. On the map its label covers independent Syria from 1946 until the 1958 UAR merger, even though the constitutional "Second Republic" proper dates from 1950 and revived briefly in 1961–1963.
How was the Second Syrian Republic governed?: The 1950 constitution created a unitary parliamentary republic with a ceremonial president, responsible cabinet, and chamber of deputies, guaranteeing minority representation.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia, "Second Syrian Republic" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Syrian_Republic
Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Syria" www.britannica.com/place/Syria

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

See the Second Syrian Republic in its world

Open the atlas at 1952 and every neighbour, rival and successor is on screen with it — then drag the slider and watch what happens next.

Open the map at 1952 →