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| 1927 |
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| Formation of the NATIONAL BLOC, a large group of Syrian notables who represented most of the country's political leadership. After witnessing the defeat of the Great Revolt, they decided that it was necessary to cooperate with the French authorities in order to win greater autonomy. The membership of the front was drawn mostly from the commercial and absentee landowning classes. The leaders of the National Bloc held sway in Syrian politics until new groups began to challenge their authority and legitimacy in the 1940s. Among the most prominent politicians during the mandate were Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar, Shukri al-Quwwatli, and Jamil Mardam. | 1 |
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| 1928, June |
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| Elections for a national assembly. Most of the delegates turned out to be ardent nationalists who promptly drafted a constitution that rejected the mandate and called for the unity of Greater Syria. The high commissioner refused to accept the constitution and suspended the assembly indefinitely (Feb. 5, 1929). | 2 |
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| 1929 |
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| Excavation of ancient Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra) near Latakia. A team led by Claude Schaeffer found tablets in an alphabetic script and a hitherto unknown language which threw new light on Canaanite mythology and ritual. | 3 |
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| 1930, May 22 |
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| A new constitution, imposed by the French high commissioner. It remained in effect until 1950. Syria received a unicameral parliament and a president who, though chosen by the parliament, was not responsible to it. | 4 |
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| 1933, July |
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| Arrival of Damien de Martel, the new high commissioner. | 5 |
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| 1936, Jan |
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| Outlawing of the Nationalist Party, which had been organized by nationalist politicians in 1935. The measure was followed by violent protests in the major cities. French authorities imposed martial law. | 6 |
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| Feb |
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| A nationwide general strike in protest of French policy. The French relented and allowed the formation of a Nationalist cabinet (Feb. 23). | 7 |
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| Sept. 9 |
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| Franco-Syrian Treaty. All Syrian administrative units, with the exception of Alexandretta, were consolidated and made into a single Syrian state. France was given supervision of Syrian foreign affairs and defense and received the right to use Syrian bases upon the outbreak of war. Syria was also promised admission to the League of Nations within three years. | 8 |
| Because of divisions among the Syrian leadership and opposition to the treaty within France, the pact remained unratified. | 9 |
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| Nov |
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| Under French auspices, a Syrian government assumed partial power. During its short tenure in office, the government was hampered by a combination of political feuding inside Syria, an ailing economy, the Palestinian crisis, and growing French uneasiness with the new political arrangements. The French suspended the Syrian regime in 1939 after the French Parliament rejected the treaty of 1936 and French diplomats ceded Alexandretta to Turkey. | 10 |
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