Nazism in Syria and Lebanon: The Ambivalence of the German Option, 19331945

This book reconstructs the intellectual and political encounters with Nazism in Lebanon and Syria under French mandate rule and situates them in the context of an evolving local political culture.

Introduction i. Nazism and the Mandates: Approaches to the Subject and Research Questions ii. Parties, Public, and the Civic Order: The Historical Context of Lebanon and Syria during the Interwar Years 1. Struggles for a New Order: The Rise of the Nazi Regime and the Levantine Mandates (1933-1936)1.1Nazism in the Local Press: Crisis, Challenge, and the Longing for a "New Dawn'1.2Approaching Nazism: Local Politics between Beirut, Damascus, Paris and Berlin 2. Nazism and the Levant Nazism in the Levant: Between Treaty Negotiations and World War II (1936-1939)2.1 Mobilizing the Youth and the Fascist Experiment2.2Nationalist Struggles and the German Option: Nazi Germany as Friend and Foe2.3 Echoes of Nazism in Intellectual Discourses: Community, Revival, and the Enemies of the Nation 3. Repercussions of World War II: Facing the Axis in the Levant (1939-1941) 3.1On the Eve of War: Echoes of German Aggressions in the Mandates 3.2 Local Politics between Britain, Free France, and the Axis: Resistance, Accommodation and Collaboration 4. Nazism in Retreat: The Fading of an Option and the Battle for Independence (1941-1945)4.1 Collaboration in Exile, New Allies, and the Struggles for Power 4.2 The Search for a Post-Colonial Order: The Rise of Ideology-Guided Politics and the German Defeat4.3 The International Arena: Arab Unity, the Atlantic Charter and the Struggle against Zionism 5. The Levant in May 1945: The Defeat of Nazism and Hopes for Independence Conclusion