In 1920 the Arab Kingdom of Syria was founded on lands which had formerly belonged to the Ottoman Empire, with the centre in Damascus. But a few months later the kingdom was occupied by the French army. In 1922, the League of Nations decided to legitimise the occupation, and France was given a League mandate for the Syrian territory.

In 1936, an agreement was signed between Syria and France, providing for the independence of Syria, but in 1940 France itself was occupied by Germany. Syria came under the control of the Vichy regime and Germany sent Luftwaffe units to Syria.

In June to July 1941, with the support of British troops, Free French units - led by Generals Charles de Gaulle and Georges Catroux - occupied Syria. De Gaulle later highlighted that this move was directly related to the German plans to invade Greece, Yugoslavia and the USSR; it was done to shift the attention of Allied forces to the secondary theatres of war.

On 27 September 1941, France declared Syria independent, but French troops remained in the country.

On 17 April 1946, under Soviet pressure, French troops were evacuated from Syria. Since then, the Syrian government has inclined towards Moscow in foreign policy. Shukri al-Quwatli, who fought for the country's independence during Ottoman rule and was sentenced to death by the French authorities in 1922, eventually became President of Syria.

Since 1946, 17 April is celebrated as Syria’s Independence Day.

Source:

Mikhail Khlyustov “From peace to war. Essay on the political history of Syria in the XXth and early XXIst centuries” Analytical report. Moscow 2013