Hafez al-Assad

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hafez-al-assad

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Hafez al-Assad born?October 6, 1930, in Qardaha, Syria
2. What is the presidential term?March 22, 1971 – June 10, 2000
3. What is the key coups participated in?1963, 1966, and 1970
4. Who was Hafez al-Assad?Hafez al-Assad was the president of Syria for almost 30 years, from 1971 until his death in 2000. He was a member of the Alawite minority and a key leader in the Ba'ath Party.
5. How did Hafez al-Assad become president?He helped run several coups in the 1960s and 1970, gaining control of the defense ministry and the Ba'ath Party. In 1971 he was formally elected president after these power moves.

Ba'ath Party: A political party advocating for Arab nationalism and socialism, which dominated Syrian politics for decades.
Cult of Personality: A situation where a leader is glorified and presented as infallible, often through propaganda and state control.
Personalistic Rule: A form of governance where political power is concentrated in the hands of an individual leader, often based on charisma or coercion.