Editing Ba'ath Party (section)

==Organization==
The organizational structure of the Ba'ath Party was created at the 2nd National Congress (1954) by amending the party's Internal Regulations ({{transliteration|ar|An-Nidhāmu-d-Dākhilī}}), which had been previously approved at the party's 1st National Congress (1947).{{sfn|Batatu|1999|p=392}} The organizational structure ran from top to bottom, and members were forbidden to initiate contacts between groups on the same level of the organisation, i.e., all contacts had to pass through a higher command level.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}}

===National organization===
{{Further|National Command of the Ba'ath Party}}
The National Command was the ruling organ of the party between sessions of the National Congress and was headed by a Secretary-General.{{sfn|Commins|2004|p=65}} Between National Congresses, the National Command was held accountable by the National Consultative Council (Arabic: ''al-majlis al-istishari al-qawmi'').{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=231}} The National Consultative Council was a forum made up of representatives from the party's regional branches.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=231}} However, the number of National Consultative Council members was decided by the size of the regional branch.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=231}} The National Congress elected the National Command, National Tribunal, the party's discipline body, and the Secretary-General, the party leader.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=231}} The congress delegates determined the party's policies and procedures.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=231}}

Before 1954, the party was ruled by the Executive Committee, but this organ, along with others, too, was replaced at the 2nd National Congress in 1954.{{sfn|Commins|2004|p=65}} In Ba'athist jargon, "Nation" means the [[Arab nationalism|Arab Nation]], because of that, the National Command formed the highest policy-making and coordinating council for the Ba'ath movement throughout the Arab world.{{sfn|Commins|2004|p=65}} The National Command had several bureaus, similar to those of the Regional Command.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=231}} National Command sessions were held monthly.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=231}} Of these, the National Liaisons Office was responsible for maintaining contact with the party's Regional Branches.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=148}}

===Regional organization===
A "region" (''quṭr''), in Ba'athist parlance, is an Arab state, e.g., Syria, Iraq, or Lebanon.{{sfn|Choueiri|2000|p=234}} Use of the term ''region'' reflected the Party's refusal to acknowledge these countries as separate nation-states.{{sfn|Choueiri|2000|p=234}} The Regional Congress, which combined all the provincial branches, was the region's highest authority and elected a Regional Command, the party leadership in a specific region; the Regional Tribunal, the body responsible for discipline inspection; and a Regional Secretary, the regional party leader.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} The Regional Congress was made of delegates from the provincial branches; other members attended, but as observers.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} The Regional Congress was responsible for evaluating the party's performance since the last Regional Congress, while at the same time formulating new policies for the next period, which would last until the next Regional Congress was held.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} How long this period lasted was decided by the Regional Command.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} The Regional Command, similar to the Branch Command, operated through bureaus and met for weekly-sessions.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}}

Below the Regional Commands were ''branches''.{{sfn|Choueiri|2000|p=234}} The branch came above the sub-branch; it comprised at least two to five sub-branches{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} and operated at the provincial level.{{sfn|Choueiri|2000|p=234}} The branch held a congress periodically in which it elected a Command and a Secretary (leader).{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} The Command operated through bureaus, such as the Workers Bureau and the Bureau of the Secretariat.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} The ''sub-branch'' level constituted three to five sections "and was the lowest level of the party to hold a periodical Congress."{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} Some sub-branches were independent of central authority and elected their own Command and secretaries, while other sub-branches were incorporated into the branches.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} In the latter case, the sub-branch secretary would be appointed by the superior branch.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}}

A ''section'', which comprised two to five divisions, functioned at the level of a large city quarter, a town, or a rural district.{{sfn|Commins|2004|p=65}} It elected its own command, composed of five members, but the sub-branch appointed the command's secretary.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} Beneath the section were ''divisions''.{{sfn|Commins|2004|p=65}} A division comprised two to seven ''circles'', controlled by a division commander.{{sfn|Commins|2004|p=65}} The lowest level was the circle. It was composed of three to seven members, constituting the basic organizational unit.{{sfn|Commins|2004|p=65}} Such Ba'athist groups occurred throughout the bureaucracy and the military. They functioned as the Party's watchdogs and were an effective form of covert surveillance within a public administration.{{sfn|Choueiri|2000|p=234}}

The Military Organization was made up of branches similar to those in the Ba'ath's civilian sector.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} However, unlike the civilian sector, the Military Organization was controlled by a separate Military Bureau and held periodical Military Congresses.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} The Military Organization and the Civilian Organization converged at the Regional Congress.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}}

===Membership===
There existed three types of membership categories in the Ba'ath Party: Active member (Arabic: ''udw ämil''), Apprentice Member (Arabic: ''udw mutadarrib'') and Supporter (Arabic: ''firqa'').{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} An Active member had to attend all formal meetings of his party unit, was given the right to vote in party elections,{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} and could run for party office.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}} In the Syrian Regional Branch, a member had to spend 18 months as a Supporter to be promoted to Apprentice status, and then wait another 18 months to be promoted to Active member status.{{sfn|Rabinovich|1972|p=230}}