Establishment Of Syria Flashcards
What did Syria and Mount Lebanon have in common?
Syria was a mosaic of minorities.
How was Syria different from Mount Lebanon?
It didn’t have a distinct territorial core like the Maronites of Mount Lebanon.
How large of a population did Syria have?
Just over 2 million
What is the breakdown of the types of Muslim population in Syria?
Sunni Muslims -70%
Of the 70% -60% were Sunni Arabs.
8-10% were Kurds (people that speak Kurdish and not Arabic).
The Kurds were Sunni Muslim by religion, but Kurds by Ethnicity.
Other ethnic populations in Syria
Alawites 11-12%
Different Christian Religious Groups - 12%
Small amounts of Druze and Shi’is.
Other ethnic populations in Syria
Alawites 11-12%
Different Christian Religious Groups - 12%
Small amounts of Druze and Shi’is.
What ruled Syria in the way that it tended to maintain sectarian differences?
The Ottoman Legacy and the French Political Contact.
Was Syria a consolidated unit historically?
No. Rivalry means city and the village between Sunni urban elite and rural Sunni population (and rural minorities) was part of the Syrian political heritage. There is also overlap between sect and social class.
Was Syria a consolidated unit historically?
No. Rivalry means city and the village between Sunni urban elite and rural Sunni population (and rural minorities) was part of the Syrian political heritage. There is also overlap between sect and social class.
Who were the upper class?
Sunnis.
Who were the under class?
Alawite’s were both the under class and religious minority.
Who fully identified with the Ottoman Empire and Ottomanism?
Sunni urban notables
Who were the individuals that attacked the Christian population in Aleppo in 1850? And in Damascus in 1860?
Opponents of the Tanzimat
What caused hostility towards Christians?
Relative affluence
Why was there suspicion towards Christians?
Suspicion as they were a possible European Fifth column.
