The Middle East Series 9: The French Mandate in Lebanon

Lebanon—a country of breathtaking landscapes, world-famous cuisine, and a political system that’s… complicated. But how did it get that way? In this episode, we dive into the history of Greater Lebanon, a colonial creation of France in 1920 that shaped the country’s future—for better and for worse.
From the French mandate to the confessional system that locked Lebanon into sectarian politics, we explore how shifting demographics and colonial decision-making set the stage for later conflicts, including the devastating Lebanese Civil War.
How did France’s divide-and-rule strategy impact Lebanon’s stability? Why did the last census happen in 1932? And what role did the changing population balance play in later tensions? We break it all down.