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The Civil War
The modern history of Lebanon is one wrought with war and violence. More often than not, Beirut has become the major battle ground for external conflict, particularly surrounding the establishment of the State of Israel. Currently the country, 15 years out of its civil war, is rising out of the shambles begot from the war. However, it is impossible to understand the difficulties of reconstruction, social, political and infrastructural, without first knowing the basics of the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War.
War Memorial, by Arman
Post-World War I – A French Mandate
Rising Arab Nationalism and the Establishment of Israel
Conflicting Identities Define the War
Post-World War I – A French Mandate
Following the end of World War I and the Allies defeat of the Ottomans, Lebanon was turned into a bargaining chip for the French, British and Arab leaders. As such, under the British-French Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 the State of Greater Lebanon was created as a French mandate. Beirut was made into the capital in 1920 and in 1926 the name of the state was changed to the Lebanese Republic. With the French rule came French urban planning, architecture and culture. The first recorded city plan, "Plan Danger," was implemented by the French.
"Plan Danger" Lays-Out Major Axes
As a result of the historic ties between the Lebanese Christians and the West, particularly French, a main aim of the mandate authorities was to create a Christian haven in the Arab world. Needless to say, this goal did not sit well with the Muslims of the country, particularly those in Beirut. However, huge economic growth, increased prosperity and a peaceful end of the French Mandate (1943) masked the rising political, social and religious tensions in the city.
Rising Arab Nationalism and the Establishment of Israel
Throughout the French Mandate and in the years following it, notions of Pan-Arabism grew among Muslim communities in Beirut – notions that were not echoed in the Christian communities. These ideals were put to the test with the establishment of the State of Israel and the subsequent influx of thousands of Palestinian refugees to the city after 1948. Torn between an excess of loyalties – Arab, national, Western, religious – the Lebanese people were quickly divided along sectarian lines that erupted in hostilities in 1958.
Palestinian Refugee Camp
Conflicting Identities Define the War
With the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli war in 1948 and the events that followed, Beirut became a battleground of the conflicting ideologies. After being expelled from Jordan in 1970, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) established its military and organizational base in the city and became a target of Israeli military operations. The conflict between the two was brought full-force to Beirut with the 1982 Israeli invasion of the city. The ensuing violence largely destroyed West Beirut, the base of most PLO activities, and a series of negotiations coupled with strong international pressure, forced the evacuation of PLO operatives and leaders from Lebanon to other Arab countries.
Bombed Out Buildings are Common in Beirut
Even with the PLO evacuation, however, the stage was set for the ensuing Lebanese Civil War broadly characterized as a Muslim-Christian battle. As a result, Beirut was divided along the Green Line creating a Muslim West Beirut and Christian East Beirut. The 15 year war completely decimated the city. Its infrastructure was all but annihilated, the large community of international intellectuals fled and the economy came to near stagnation – the Paris of the Middle East became nothing more than a nostalgic memory.
In the years following the end of the war, a major effort was undertaken by the reinstated Lebanese government toward reconstruction of Beirut’s devastated infrastructure and economy. Solidere, The Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District, was chosen to rebuild the city and since its beginning in 1994 has made incredible progress toward this aim.
