Syrian Federation in the context of "French Mandate of Syria"

The State of Syria (French: État de Syrie, Arabic: دولة سوريا Dawlat Sūriyā) was a French Mandate state created by decree of 5 December 1924, with effect from 1 January 1925, from the union of the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus. It was the successor of the Syrian Federation (1922–1924) which had been created by providing a central assembly for the State of Aleppo, the State of Damascus and the Alawite State. The Alawite State did not join the State of Syria.

The president of Syria, officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, (Arabic: رئيس الجمهورية العربية السورية, romanized: Ra'īs al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah as-Sūriyyah), is the head of state and head of government of Syria. The president directs the executive branch of the Syrian government and serves as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces. The president represents the nation in international relations and formalizes treaties with foreign countries.

In 1922, French authorities created the Syrian Federation under the Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, with Subhi Barakat serving as its president. The federation was short-lived and was replaced by the State of Syria in 1925. Barakat briefly remained president until the outbreak of the Great Syrian Revolt later that year, which led to his resignation. He was succeeded by Ahmad Nami, who served as president until his removal in 1928. In the following years, the Syrian presidency underwent several changes in leadership, including a coup by Husni al-Za'im in March 1949, followed by another led by Adib Shishakli in 1951. Following the 1958 referendum, Syria joined the United Arab Republic, and its president Gamal Nasser, also became the Syrian president in the same referendum. This lasted for three years until the 1961 coup, when Syria restored its independence and the 1950 constitution.

The Alawite State (Arabic: دولة جبل العلويين, Dawlat Jabal al-‘Alawiyyīn; French: État des Alaouites), initially named the Territory of the Alawites (French: territoire des Alaouites)—after the locally-dominant Alawites—from its inception until its integration to the Syrian Federation in 1922, was a French mandate territory on the coast of present-day Syria after World War I. The French Mandate from the League of Nations lasted from 1920 to 1946.

The use of "Alawite", instead of "Nusayri", was advocated by the French early in the Mandate period and referred to a member of the Alawite faith with the term literally referring to a "follower of Ali". In 1920, the French-named "Alawite Territory" was home to a large population of Alawites.