Beirut 1920: The French Mandate That Carved Modern Lebanon

In 1920, the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon redrew the map of the Middle East, carving a 'Greater Lebanon' out of the old Ottoman provinces. This episode explores the creation of the State of Greater Lebanon on September 1, 1920, under General Henri Gouraud, and the immediate consequences for the region's diverse communities — Maronite, Sunni, Shia, Druze, and Greek Orthodox. We focus on the controversial inclusion of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and the coastal cities, and the protests from Sunni and Druze leaders who saw the new state as a French-imposed Maronite entity. We discuss the role of patriarch Elias al-Huwayyik, the Paris Peace Conference, and the King-Crane Commission. This episode builds on prior discussions of Ottoman rule and sectarianism, showing how Mandate borders cemented the demographic and political tensions that would define Lebanon for the next century.

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