The role of France in the history of the Lebanese people

I explain in another post of this blog, that the Lebanese culture regularly refers to France. Besides, wasn't Beirut used to be called the "Little Paris of the Middle East"?

For historical reasons, Lebanese democracy owes a lot to the relations between the two countries and to the French presence in Lebanon at the beginning of the 20th century (creation of the "Greater Lebanon"). France has a protective approach towards Lebanon that dates back to the time of the Crusades.

Many Lebanese "think" often in French because their vision of the world was forged by France. We also hear some Lebanese people telling their children that they must learn English for business and French which is the "language of the living room".

The Lebanese identity is the result of the crossing of several influences: linguistic Arabity, Phoenicity, political autonomy and the French-speaking world, which influences the relations between people (etiquette, savoir-vivre, hospitality...).

As is often the case, the French are unaware that their country has strongly shaped the culture of friendly countries. This is the case of Lebanon.