Lebanon (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)

Lebanon (Arabic: لبنان‎ Libnān or Lubnān), officially the State of Lebanon (Arabic: دولة لبنان Dawlat Libnān), is a country in the Middle East. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Palestine and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity

Pre-modern Lebanon
The region that is now Lebanon, as with the rest of Syria and much of Anatolia, became a major center of Christianity in the Roman Empire during the early spread of the religion. During the late 4th and early 5th century, a hermit named Maron established a monastic tradition, focused on the importance of monotheism and asceticism, near the Syrian mountain range known as Mount Lebanon. The monks who followed Maron spread his teachings among the Syrians in the region. These Christians came to be known as Maronites and moved into mountains to avoid religious persecution by Roman authorities.

During the 7th century the Muslim Arabs conquered Syria establishing a new regime to replace the Romans (or Byzantines as the Eastern Romans are sometimes called). Though Islam and the Arabic language were officially dominant under this new regime, the general populous still took time to convert from Christianity and the Syriac language. The Maronite community in particular clung stubbornly to its faith and managed to maintain a large degree of autonomy despite the succession of rulers over Syria.

During the 11th century the Druze faith emerged from a branch of Shia Islam. The new faith gained followers in the southern portion of Mount Lebanon. The Maronites and the Druze divided Mount Lebanon until the modern era. The major cities on the coast, Acre, Beirut, and others, were directly administered by the Muslim Caliphs and the people became more fully absorbed by Arab culture.

Following the fall of Roman/Christian Anatolia to the Muslim Turks, the Romans put out a call to the Pope in Rome for assistance in the 11th century. The result was a series of wars known as the Crusades launched by the Franks in Western Europe to reclaim the former Roman territories in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially Syria and Palestine (the Levant). The First Crusade succeeded in temporarily establishing the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the County of Tripoli as Roman Catholic Christian states along the coast. The region returned to full Muslim control after two centuries following the conquest by the Mamluks.

In 1590, Fakhr-al-Din II became successor to Korkmaz. He paid tribute to the Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire and shared the spoils of war with his masters. Eventually, Fakhr-al-Din II was appointed Sultan of Mt. Lebanon, with full authority. However, as time passed, the Ottomans seemed uncomfortable with al-Din's increasing powers and extended relations with Europe. Fakhr-al-Din deposed by the Ottomans in 1632. He was taken to Constantinople and appeared before the sultan. After a trial, Fakhr-al-Din, and three of his sons, were convicted of treason and executed there on 13 April 1635.

Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years, until 1918 when the area became a part of the French influence, following World War I. By the end of the war, famine had killed an estimated 100,000 people in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, about 30% of the total population.

In the first half of 1920, Lebanese territory was claimed as part of the Arab Kingdom of Syria, but shortly the Franco-Syrian War resulted in Arab defeat and capitulation of the Hashemites.

French rule and Lebanese Republic
On 1 September 1920, France reestablished Greater Lebanon after the Moutasarrifiya rule removed several regions belonging to the Principality of Lebanon and gave them to Syria. Lebanon was a largely Christian country (mainly Maronite territory with some Greek Orthodox enclaves) but it also included areas containing many Muslims and Druze. On 1 September 1926, France formed the Lebanese Republic. The first Lebanese constitution was adopted on 25 May 1926 establishing a democratic republic with a parliamentary system of government.

Lebanon gained independence in 1943, while France was occupied by Germany. General Henri Dentz, the Vichy High Commissioner for Syria and Lebanon, played a major role in the independence of the nation. The Vichy authorities in 1941 allowed Germany to move aircraft and supplies through Syria to Iraq where they were used against British forces. The United Kingdom, fearing that Nazi Germany would gain full control of Lebanon and Syria by pressure on the weak Vichy government, sent its army into Syria and Lebanon.

After the fighting ended in Lebanon, General Charles de Gaulle visited the area. Under political pressure from both inside and outside Lebanon, de Gaulle recognized the independence of Lebanon. On 26 November 1941 General Georges Catroux announced that Lebanon would become independent under the authority of the Free French government. Elections were held in 1943 and on 8 November 1943 the new Lebanese government unilaterally abolished the mandate. The French reacted by throwing the new government into prison. In the face of international pressure, the French released the government officials on 22 November 1943 and recognized the independence of Lebanon.

The allies kept the region under control until the end of World War II. The last French troops withdrew in 1946.

In May 1948, Lebanon supported neighboring Arab countries against Israel. While some irregular forces crossed the border and carried out minor skirmishes against Israel, it was without the support of the Lebanese government, and Lebanese troops did not officially invade. Lebanon agreed to support the forces with covering artillery fire, armored cars, volunteers and logistical support.

State of Lebanon
The revolution in July 4, 1949 carried by the Syrian Social Nationalist Party overthrown the Kataeb government and changed the country's official name to "State of Lebanon". With Antun Saadeh as new prime minister, the SSNP established a secular authoritarian government in Lebanon. Lebanon became de-facto one-party state under the National Front of Lebanon, coalition of pro-Saadeh parties, with the SSNP as leading party.

Saadeh's anti-Zionist and Syrian irredentist stance led the country to officially declared the war with Israel in August 24, 1949. Lebanese troops crossed the country's border with Mandatory Palestine and occupied Galilee in September 1, 1949. The Lebanese occupation in Galilee lasted until August 19, 1950 after Lebanon agreed to return Galilee under control of Palestinian Arab forces and became the part of State of Palestine in the 1950 Rome Conference.

Under Saadeh administration, Lebanon pursued the policy of nationalization and industrialization modeled after Japanese economic model. Lebanon also closed its border with Israel and, unlike other Middle Eastern countries, refused to recognize the country. The ideological conflict between Lebanon's Syrian irredentism and Israel's Zionism led the country's relations with Israel were very strained and often clashed in small military engagements in two countries' borders.

The tenses between Lebanon and Israel increased in 1960s after Lebanese government arrested and executed several Kataeb leaders in accusation of "planning the counter-revolutionary movement to overthrow the Lebanese people's government with the aid from Zionist government of Israel in Palestine" in 1964.

Lebanese troops crossed the Israeli borders in April 16, 1964 and collaborated with radical Palestinian organisations. Northeast District of Israel was occupied by Lebanon between April and December 1964. Israel condemned Lebanese action before the UN General Assembly in April 17, 1964. Lebanon reacted by stated the action as a "self-defense" for Lebanese sovereignty. The United States tried to implement economic embargo to Lebanon, only to be resulted with a walk-out action by the delegations of Egypt, Japan, India, Portugal, and Spain.

Japan persuaded Lebanon to pull off its troops from Israeli northern areas to avoid similar war like on 1948 and 1949. After constant negotiations within ten months, Lebanon finally agreed to return the occupied areas to Israel in December 22, 1964.

The rise of Arab nationalism emerged a new ideological rival for Lebanon's Syrian nationalism. After a coup attempt by Arab nationalists in October 4, 1965, the relations between Saadeh's Lebanon and Nasser's Egypt going unstable and heated. Surrounded both by Arab nationalist governments and Zionist Israel, Lebanon was partially isolated by most of Middle Eastern countries, except Turkey and Iran. Saadeh administration decided to liberalize most of Lebanese economic sectors in 1977 which resulted to the Lebanese economic miracle in 1982. Saadeh suffered a fatal heart attack in May 18, 1983 and died at the age of 79.