A Syrian working class in motion exposes misleaders of the nationalist movement.

‘The Anti-Imperialist Wave in Syria’ by Joseph Berger from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 12 No. 53. December 1, 1932.

The mass movement against French imperialism in Syria has considerably increased in strength of late. Mass demonstrations, in many cases leading to bloody collisions with the police and the troops, outbreaks of peasants’ revolts, strikes of workers etc. in various parts of the country are expressions of the new anti-imperialist wave. It is significant that this movement is assuming far larger proportions than ever. Thus for example 40,000 people took part in an unemployed demonstration in Aleppo, and many thousands participated in the political demonstrations which took place at the beginning of September in Aleppo and afterwards in Damascus.

French imperialism regards the rising mass movement as a serious menace to its position. Its efforts are directed towards converting Syria into a reliable war base against its imperialist rivals and also against the Soviet Union. The feverish construction of strategic roads and bridges, the fortification of Beirut and Latakia, and the building of numerous aerodromes are all intended to serve this purpose. At the same time the French military forces in Syria are being more and more mechanised; the military authorities refuse to allow any reduction of the number of troops.

French imperialism is firmly pursuing its line of dividing Syria up into a number of small states. In individual “states” such as Jebel Druz and Alaouit, and also in Lebanon there exists a direct French administration. In the centre of Syria, in the so-called Syrian State, the French carried out manoeuvre by having a “Parliament” elected. The fact that the elections to this Parliament were carried out with the aid of French tanks and mounted troops and that there were many injured among the ranks of the Arab masses who demonstrated against the elections, which resulted in a docile majority for the French imperialists, sufficiently shows the character of this Parliamentary manoeuvre.

The Arab national reformists in Syria are capitulating to French imperialism. A part of them, headed by Jemil Maradam Bey, crowned their capitulation by participating in the “government” formed by the imperialist agents. Jemil Maradam Bey, on behalf of French imperialism, carries out all the oppressive measures against the masses of the Arab population. The other part of the national reformists, headed by Ibrahim Hanano, seeks by “left” manoeuvres to deceive the masses; even the pro-imperialist press in Syria admits that the influence of Ibrahim Hanano was exerted during the bloody collisions in Aleppo in order to “pacify” the masses and restore law and order.

It is characteristic of the present stage of the anti-imperialist mass movement, however, that it often gets beyond the control of the national reformist leaders. The peasants’ movement is directed not only against the taxes and the government decrees, but also against the big landowners. The urban petty bourgeoisie have become active, and the working population of the towns are resorting more and more frequently to the weapons of mass strikes and boycott. The economic crisis has brought ruin to large masses of the peasants, and in various districts of Syria wholesale famine prevails. Ever larger sections of the working population in town and country are seeking a way out in the revolutionary fight against French imperialism.

Particularly remarkable is the growth of the fights between labour and capital in the towns. Numerous workers’ strikes in Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo, Hamas, Homs etc. had as their object to resist wage cuts and to enforce wage increases, reduction of working time, etc. The workers also took a particularly active part in the mass demonstrations.

The rising anti-imperialist wave confronts the Communist Party of Syria with big tasks. It has achieved a number of important successes in the last two years; it has succeeded in enlarging its organisations, playing a leading part in a number of actions and establishing contact with the Arab masses. The Party has overcome opportunist and sectarian resistance which stood in the way of its mass work. Its task consists at present in extending the mass work, establishing a firm basis among the working class, carrying on agitation among the broad masses of the peasants and placing itself at the head of the working masses in the fight against the French imperialists. In this connection it must direct special attention to the fight against the “Left” national reformists.

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecorr” was published by the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) regularly in German and English, occasionally in many other languages, beginning in 1921 and lasting in English until 1938. Inprecorr’s role was to supply translated articles to the English-speaking press of the International from the Comintern’s different sections, as well as news and statements from the ECCI. Many ‘Daily Worker’ and ‘Communist’ articles originated in Inprecorr, and it also published articles by American comrades for use in other countries. It was published at least weekly, and often thrice weekly.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/inprecor/1932/v12n55-dec-08-1932-Inprecor-op.pdf