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Hafez al Assad was the President of Syria from the period of 1971 to 2000. Hafez al Assad was born in a small village of Qardaha on October 6 in 1930. He took birth in a respected family of Alawites. Hafez al Assad got himself engaged in student politics at the tender age of 16. In the year of 1946, Assad joined the Ba'th Party in the student wing. Then in 1951, when he turned 21, Hafez al Assad joined the Homs Military Academy. And from that academy, he graduated as an air force pilot in the year of 1955. Hafez al Assad maintained a cordial relationship with the Soviet Union in his days of Presidency. And this relationship started early in 1958 when he approached the Soviet Union to receive flying training. Hafez al Assad is still regarded as one of the important personalities in the Military Academy, since he took a major role in the formation of the Military Committee.
The prospect of Hafez al Assad to become the President of Syria opened up in 1963 when the Ba'th Party took the power in Syria. At that time, the Military Committee started operating as a driving force. Assad became the commander of the air force. In 1966, Hafez al Assad was included in the Ministry. He became the Minister of defense. In 1969, he became the real ruler of Syria though he did not overthrow Nureddin Attasi from the president's position of Syria. Finally in 1971, Hafez al Assad was nominated as the President of Syria.
Once Hafez al Assad gained the position of Presidency, he declared the country as a 'democratic, popular, socialist state'. His Presidency ended with his death. He was succeeded by his son Bashar al Assad.
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