1936 Syrian general strike

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1936 Syrian general strike gave fresh momentum to that country's nationalist movement, which had been stalled since the 1933 suspension of parliament. When French Mandate authorities arrested prominent members of the National Bloc and closed its offices in Damascus, demonstrations in that city, Aleppo, Hama, and Homs shattered a lull in anti-French activities on 20 January. Merchants then went on a strike that spread to all major towns, and demonstrations spread throughout the country. Confrontations between protesters and troops resulted in dozens of deaths. The League of National Action, a radical pan-Arab movement, organized protest marches in Damascus, the National Bloc demanded the restoration of the 1930 constitution before the strike would be called off. For five weeks commercial activity was frozen and students boycotted schools. Finally, on 2 March the French agreed to the formation of a Syrian delegation to travel to Paris to negotiate a Franco-Syrian Treaty. When French authorities released the nationalist leaders they had arrested, the Bloc ended the strike.