1. Cleveland CH: 12 pt. 1 Essential Question: What is “Divide and Rule”? How was it used by France?

2.  Reasons for French control of Syria.  Economic  Religious  Strategic Had made large investments in railways and port facilities during Ottoman rule Self-proclaimed protector of the Christian communities especially the Catholic Maronites of Mot Lebanon Needed to balance influence of Great Britain

3.  Divide and Rule  Creation of Greater Lebanon in 1920  Tripoli, Tyre, Sidon and Beirut are added to Mont Lebanon to create Greater Lebanon.  Division of Syria  1920 Damascus and Aleppo were divided into separate states.  Each had own Government and their own French advisers  1922 Alawites (Twelver school of Shia Islam) State and Jabal Druze (branch of Islam) were carved out of Syria.  1924 France Combined Damascus and Aleppo into one State of Syria.  Isolated Alawites and the Druze and caused friction between them after independence Divided Greater Syria by existing religious, ethnic and regional differences within Syria. Rather than promoting national unity, France promoted regional and ethnic fragmentation.

5.  Independence of Syria and Lebanon  Vichy Controlled 1940  1941 Free French and British defeat Vichy government.  1943 With British support Syria and Lebanon are declared independent.  1946 French troops finally leave Syria and Lebanon