About
Michel Aflak (1910-1989), born in Damascus to a Greek Orthodox family, studied history at the Sorbonne. Returning to Syria, he taught and in 1940 founded the movement that became the Ba'ath Party in 1947. He was its main ideologue, advocating Arab unity, freedom, and socialism. Minister of Education in 1949, he supported the union with Egypt in 1958. After the 1966 coup, he went into exile and settled in Baghdad, where he held a symbolic role. His major work, 'The Road to Renaissance', laid the foundations of Ba'athism.
* 1910-01-01 — † 1989-06-23
Major works
- Fi Sabil al-Ba'ath (1940)political essay
Key milestones
- 1947Founded the Arab Ba'ath Party at its founding congress in Damascus.
- 1958Played a key role in the creation of the United Arab Republic with Egypt.
- 1971Sentenced to death in absentia by Hafez al-Assad's regime.
Themes
Arab unityArab socialismSecularismNationalismCultural renaissance
Sources: britannica.com · nytimes.com · oxfordreference.com