Сирия накануне и в период Младотурецкой революции. По материалам консульских донесений

Сирия накануне и в период Младотурецкой революции. По материалам консульских донесений

Gorbunova Natalia, Smilianskaya Irina, Yakushev Mikhail

Syria Before and During the Young Turk Revolution in Russian Consular Reports

Еditor: Meyer Mihail

Москва, 2015, 464 p.

This is the first publication of the reports of Russian consuls based in Beirut, Aleppo, and Damascus in 1908 – 1909. The book sheds new light on the problems of the Young Turk Revolution in Syria, which are particularly relevant to the problems of recent protest movements in the Middle East. It covers the complex relations between the main political forces in the region and the way they exerted influence on the masses of common population of the cities. The reports detail the rising political tensions on the eve of the revolution; the popular reactions to it; the effort by the leading political groups to muster popular support of the parties and their agendas by manipulating by the lower strata. The consuls also reported on the part that foreign powers played in the events. The reports show how the revolution affected a society which still lacked fully formed national identity, causing an upsurge of nationalist sentiment, so that reforming the social and political system being overshadowed. The publication is prefaced by a comprehensive overview of the Russian consular service in Syria, biographical information on the consuls, and a critical analysis of Russia’s Syrian policies. Publicated documents are held in the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire.