Editing Hashim al-Atassi (section)

=== First President of the Republic ===
Atassi initially supported the Abid government but became disenchanted from the new President when Abid appointed two French stooges, [[Haqqi al-Azm]] as Prime Minister and [[Subhi Barakat]] as Speaker of Parliament. In 1934, Abid negotiated a treaty with France that promised gradual independence from the mandate but kept the Syrian Mountains under French control. Atassi severely criticized the treaty, arguing that no independence was valid unless it encompassed all of Syria's territory. He called for a [[1936 Syrian general strike|60-day strike]] to protest Abid's proposed treaty. The Bloc mobilized massive street-wide support for Atassi's call, and most shops and enterprises closed down and riots raged daily, crippling the economy and embarrassing Abid before the international community.

In defeat, the French government agreed to recognize the National Bloc leaders as the sole representatives of the Syrian people and invited Hashim al-Atassi for diplomatic talks in Paris. On 22 March 1936, he headed a senior Bloc delegation to France, and, over 6 months, managed to formulate a [[Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence (1936)|Franco-Syrian treaty of independence]]. Atassi's treaty guaranteed emancipation over 25 years, with full incorporation of previously autonomous territories into [[Greater Syria]].

In return, Syria pledged to support France in times of war, offer the use of her air space, and the right for France to maintain military bases on Syrian territory. Other political, cultural, and economic attachments were made and Atassi returned to Syria in triumph on 27 September 1936. Hailed as a national hero, he was elected President of the Republic by a majority vote in November 1936, the first head of state of the modern state of Syria.