| |
| 1926 |
| |
| Enactment of compulsory land registration. The measure, the centerpiece of a French program for land reform, aimed at encouraging and protecting small landholders while undermining the power of the great landlords. Implementation of the policy was slow and inefficient, and the wealthy landowners, by lending money to peasants at usurious rates, soon reclaimed much of the land that had been redistributed. Indeed, the long-term effect of the reform was actually to increase the amount of land held by the wealthiest families and to lower the percentage of small landowners. | 1 |
| Organization of the first trade union under the leadership of Subhi Khatib. Under French rule, Syrian industry was severely neglected, and the country was turned into a cheap market for French products. The standard of living among Syrian workers fell sharply and by the 1930s had dipped below late Ottoman levels. | 2 |
| In 1935 the government passed a law authorizing trade unions, but only as joint employer-employee associations. Labor officials organized the Federation of Trade Unions of Syria (March 1938) to agitate for workers' rights. Labor did not officially win the right to establish independent organizations (that is, without employer participation) until 1939. | 3 |
| |
| May 7 |
| |
| Druze attack on Damascus. French forces bombarded the city for the second time (May 8–19). | 4 |
| |
| Oct. 12 |
| |
| Appointment of Henri Ponsot as the new French high commissioner. | 5 |
| |
| |
