Lebanon's Independence

Most countries achieved independence by a bloody war that never seemed to end.  This was not the case in Lebanon.  The Lebanese declared themselves as an independent nation, but the French ignored them on numerous occasions and continued with life as if nothing had happened (D).  Lebanon declared itself independent in 1926, but did not officially receive independence until 1946 (D).  Twenty years passed before Lebanon gained its independence.  Circulating is the rumor that Britain and the United States expressed disapproval towards France, so France pulled its troops out of Lebanon (A).  Another source says that, in 1945, just a year before the official declaration, the French and British withdrew their troops together from Lebanon (D).  Finally, in 1946, the Lebanese finally owned Lebanon, as it became a member of the League of Nations and the Arab League (D).

After the Ottomans came the French...

During World War I, the Ottoman Empire, which included Lebanon, supported Germany.  This meant that, when Germany lost and became poor, all of Germany's supporters also became destitute and in need of guidance (A).  After the Great War, the leading Allied countries divided up the territories that the enemies had possessed.  This resulted in the French overtake of Lebanon (A).  The Allied Powers officially gave the lands of Lebanon and Syria to France in 1923 (D). The presence of the French increased the trade in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.  Beirut began to be a prestigious silk trading port. Later, the French and the Lebanese signed a treaty of 'friendship and independence,' a treaty that the French government never approved (D).  In 1941, British and Free French troops controlled Lebanon (D).  In 1926, the Lebanese emerged as the Lebanese Republic (C). Their presence became an imposing one.  So, in 1943, the government held elections and the Lebanese won; the Lebanese were competing with the Free French soldiers and the British who were currently there (D).  Unsatisfied with the results of the elections, the French arrested the president and nearly the entire government in late 1943, just a short time after the elections occurred (D).  The Lebanese kept trying to achieve independence, but it took a couple of crises to acquire it.  The power struggle between Lebanon and France over Lebanon was very similar to a child's game of tug-of-war.  Lebanon would declare itself independent, but then the French would come in and take back control and change everything back to how it was under French power (D).  Lebanon had a tough trek, but eventually achieved the ultimate goal of freedom.

Lebanon's First Conquerors

In the early 16th century, the Ottoman Turks conquered Lebanon and other regions in the area.  The expansion of the Ottoman Empire led to political and economical changes in Lebanon.  The rule under the Ottomans was not as bad as other countries that had been conquered.  The Ottomans allowed the Lebanese to practice their own religion, as long as the Lebanese kept the economy going by paying their taxes.  Leaders emerged from two different religious groups, the Muslims (also called the Druze) and the Christians (also called the Maronites) (A).  This caused long-lasting friction between the two groups.  Eventually, this friction led to a two-year war, which the Christians came out of in victory (A).  This triumph brought the Ottoman Empire officially into Lebanon.  The Christians looked upon this 'friendly' takeover as a good thing because the conquerors would not bother them because of their similarities in religions (A).  This ruling lasted until World War I from 1914 to 1918.