Syria's Peasantry, The Descendants Of Its Lesser Rural Notables, And Their Politics

By (author) Hanna Batatu; By (author) Batatu Hanna
Short description/annotation
Presents an analysis of the social, economic, and political evolution of Syria''s peasantry, the segment of society from which the holders of political power stem. This book focuses on the twentieth century and, in particular, on the Ba''th movement, the structures of power after the military coup d''etat of 1963, and the era of ivfiz al-Asad.
Description
In this book, the distinguished scholar Hanna Batatu presents a comprehensive analysis of the recent social, economic, and political evolution of Syria''s peasantry, the segment of society from which the current holders of political power stem. Batatu focuses mainly on the twentieth century and, in particular, on the Ba''th movement, the structures of power after the military coup d''etat of 1963, and the era of ivfiz al-Asad, Syria''s first ruler of peasant extraction. Without seeking to prove any single theory about Syrian life, he offers a uniquely rich and detailed account of how power was transferred from one demographic group to another and how that power is maintained today. Batatu begins by examining social differences among Syria''s peasants and the evolution of their mode of life and economic circumstances. He then scrutinizes the peasants'' forms of consciousness, organization, and behavior in Ottoman and Mandate times and prior to the Ba''thists'' rise to power. He explores the rural aspects of Ba''thism and shows that it was not a single force but a plurality of interrelated groups--prominent among them the descendants of the lesser rural notables--with different social goals and mental horizons. The book also provides a perceptive account of President Asad, his personality and conduct, and the characteristics and power structures of his regime. Batatu draws throughout on a wide range of socioeconomic and biographical information and on personal interviews with Syrian peasants and political leaders, offering invaluable insights into the complexities of a country and a regime that have long been poorly understood by outsiders.
Table of contents
LIST OF TABLES xiii PREFACE xvii PART I THE PEASANTS'' SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS 3 CHAPTER 1 The Role of Demographics 5 CHAPTER 2 Differentiations 10 The "Peasant-gardeners" and the "Agricultural Peasants" 10 The Pacific Peasants and the Peasants of Warrior Origin 12 The "Orthodox" and the "Heterodox" Peasants 13 The Clanless and Clan-linked Peasants 22 The Landed and Landless Peasants, the Traditional Urban Landowners, and the Modem Mustathmirs 29 CHAPTER 3 Living Conditions 38 The Distribution of Agricultural Income prior to and since the Restructuring of Agrarian Relations 38 The Lessening Cost of Agricultural Credit 53 The Reduced Tax Burden 59 The Rapid Electrification of the Countryside 63 The Spread of Safe Water Networks 66 The Expansion of Rural Health Care 66 The Development of the Means of Communication and Conveyance 69 The Intensification of the State''s Educational Efforts 71 CHAPTER 4 Economic Efficiency 75 Land Use 75 The Agricultural Growth Trends and Related Causal Factors 81 Possible Lines of Future Progress 91 PART II THE PRE-BATH PATTERNS OF PEASANT CONSCIOUSNESS, ORGANIZATION, AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR 93 CHAPTER 5 Introduction: Portraits of Peasants by Ibn Khaldun, Balzac, Trotsky, Father Ayrout, and J. C. Scott, and Their Relevance 95 CHAPTER 6 The First Peasant Organizations or the Corporations of Peasant-gardeners from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century 98 CHAPTER 7 Sufism among the Peasants: A Source of Political Quietism? 103 CHAPTER 8 The Proneness in Ottoman and Mandate Times of the Peasant Mountaineers to Rebellion and of the Peasants of the Open Plains to Indirect Methods of Defense 109 CHAPTER 9 The Communists and the Peasants 118 CHAPTER 10 The Arab Socialists, or the First Agrarian Party in Syria''s History 124 PART III THE RURAL A