When parliaments ruled the Middle East : Iraq and Syria, 1946-1963 / Matthieu Rey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rey, Matthieu, 1980- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Legislative bodies.

Iraq--Politics and government--20th century.

Iraq.

Syria--Politics and government--1946-1971.

Syria.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (249 pages)

Place of Publication:

Cairo, Egypt : The American University in Cairo Press, [2022]

Summary:

"When Parliaments Ruled the Middle East explores three main interrelated issues to clarify what happened between 1946 and 1963 in Iraq and Syria: how and why a parliamentary system prevailed in both countries in the aftermath of the Second World War; what social effects this system triggered and, in turn, how these changes affected the system; and finally, why the elites in both countries were unable to overcome the unrest that brought an end to both a liberal era and to a certain kind of political game. Drawing on a vast array of sources and rich archival research in French, English and Arabic, Matthieu Rey highlights the processes of the parliamentary system in the modern era, which are very common to post-independence countries and to any representative regime. He tackles the intersection of multifaceted political phenomena that were present in that moment in Iraq and Syria, including regular elections, the implementation of emergency law, the freedom of the press, the open expression of opinions, the formation of new political parties, frequent military coups, and the joint exercise of power by members of the old classes and reformist newcomers. Treating this period as neither an epilogue of the liberal order nor a prelude to authoritarianism, and stressing the contingent, improvisatory aspects of political history, Rey fundamentally questions the transitional nature of the period and in doing so proposes new ways and tools of examining it."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgments

Timeline of Key Events

Introduction

1. The Ottoman and Mandate Roots of the Parliamentary System

The Advent of the Parliamentary System in the Ottoman Empire

1908-18: An Imperial Parliamentary System

Inventing New States (1920-46)

2. Experimenting with the Parliamentary System, 1946-49

Za'ama and the Parliamentary System

Establishing Real Sovereignty

The 1947 Elections

1948: Calling into Question the Parliamentary Experiment

3. Reform and Change: The Parliamentary System in Iraq and Syria, 1949-54

Rearranging the Parliamentary Systems

The Impact of International Relationships

Reforming the Country

Putting the Authoritarian Pact in Jeopardy

4. Two New Formulas for the Parliamentary System, 1954-58

The Heydays of the Parliaments

Legislative Enterprises: Reshaping Society and the Economy

Adopting Cold War Vocabulary and the Polarization of the Assemblies

5. The Epilogue to the Parliamentary System

Establishing a True Constitutional Order?

The End of the Parliamentary System

6. The End of the Post-Ottoman Era

Appendices

1: Thematic Discussions in the January 1955 Session

2: Parliamentary Activity

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Rey, Matthieu When Parliaments Ruled the Middle East

ISBN:

9781649031181

1649031181

9781649031174

1649031173

OCLC:

1292361194