Contrary to popular belief, civil activism and civil society have managed to thrive in the Middle East. Despite the lack of democracy and democratic institutions in some countries, social movements have occurred on a variety of topics. One popular movement was the Arab Ba'ath Movement which eventually led to the formation of the Baath Party. By analyzing the movement's history, ideological position, goals, actors, dissidents and international aspect, it is possible to determine how and why the movement flourished in Syria. Syria was granted de jure independence from the French in 1941. However, the country was not truly independent until 1946. For the next twenty-five years, the country would descend into extreme political instability and partisan factionalism. At the beginning the parties were moderate and pushed for adequate economic and social reforms. But, by the end of the 1940s, these liberal parties lost their legitimacy. Rural workers and the urban poor were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the current state of affairs and began to advocate for more radical changes in the political and economic realms. During this time period, Baathism, which eventually evolved into the Arab Baath Party in 1947, became very prominent. in the Arab world. Started by Michael Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar, the movement was created in Damascus due to the intense nationalism that was sweeping the country in response to British and French control of the area. The movement gained legitimacy by using sources that Arabs could identify with: history, religion, nationalism, development, freedom, and socialism (Gerner and Schrodt 112). However, Baathism did not please everyone in Syria. Especially the urban Sunni middle class was not attracted to Baa...... middle of paper ......ersity of New York Press, 1991. Web.Galvani, John. "Syria and the Baath Party". Research and information project on the Middle East 25.February (1974): 3-16. JSTOR. Network. April 2, 2012.Gerner, Deborah J., and Philip A. Schrodt. "Middle East Politics". Understanding the contemporary Middle East. 3rd ed. Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 85 -136. Print.Hinnebusch, Raymond. "Syria." The Middle East. Ed. Ellen Lussuria. 12th ed. Washington (DC): CQ, 2011. 675-701. Print.Kamrava, Mehran. "The Arab-Israeli wars". The modern Middle East: a political history since the First World War. 2nd ed. Berkeley, California: University of California, 2010. 109-39. Print.Mufti, Malik. "The United States and Nasserist Pan-Arabism". The Middle East and the United States: A historical and political reevaluation. Ed. David W. Lesch. 3rd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview, 2003. 168-87. Press.