This collection of oral accounts constitutes an important document of Syrian history. People from many walks of life and different regions in Syria were interviewed by students at the Trade Union Institute between 1986 and 1988. These interviews provide important insights into different aspects of Syrian history. They document practices and crafts spanning around a century from the late Ottoman period until the 1980s, involving four generations and political regimes from the Ottoman Empire through the mandate period, the turbulent first years of independence, and, since 1963, the rule of the Ba’th party. Interviewees comment on their professions, on daily life, and on social and economic change. The relations as well as the differences between urban and rural life emerge clearly from these interviews. A specific focus of the interviews was associational and specifically trade union development and practice.