People's Party (Syria)

People's Party
حزب الشعب
FoundedAugust 1948 (1948-08)
Dissolved1963 (1963)
Split fromNational Bloc
HeadquartersAleppo
NewspaperAl-Shaʻb
IdeologyLiberalism[1][2]
National liberalism
Liberal nationalism
Liberal conservatism
Conservative liberalism
Social liberalism
Pan-Arabism
Populism
Pro-Hashemite dynasty
Pro-Western Bloc[3][4]
Political positionCentre-right

The People's Party (Arabic: حزب الشعب Ḥizb aš-Šaʿb; French: Parti du peuple) was a Syrian political party that dominated Syrian politics during the 1950s and the early 1960s. The party was officially founded in August 1948 by Rushdi al-Kikhiya, Nazem al-Qudsi and Mustafa bey Barmada.[5] It saw its greatest levels of support among Aleppo merchants, bankers and those in agriculture in surrounding areas. It supported closer ties with Hashemite-ruled Iraq and Jordan, although some members also supported closer ties with Lebanon. Similar to its rival, the National Party, it was also popular among landowners and landlords.

In recent years there have been discussions about reviving the party in some form following the liberalization of requirements for membership in the National Progressive Front, but this has not materialized.[6]

  1. ^ Lawson 2013, pp. 61–63.
  2. ^ Schumann 2010, pp. 54–62.
  3. ^ Moubayed 2006, p. 200.
  4. ^ Maddy-Weitzman 1993, p. 151.
  5. ^ Lesch, David W. (2019-05-20). Syria: A Modern History. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-5095-2755-7.
  6. ^ Sami, Moubayed (26 April 2005). "Syria's Ba'athists loosen the reins". Asia Times Online. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 25 April 2005. Retrieved 5 April 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)