French Imperialism in the Middle East: The Failure of Policy in Syria and Lebanon, 1900-1914

by William I. Shorrock

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, if brief, read. Shorrock got his hands on some unpublished French archival material to write this book, focusing on French turn-of-the-century policy in Syria and Lebanon. This centers on French protectorates of local Christians, competition with Italy and Germany in the Middle East, railroad concessions, and half-hearted attempts to curry favor with early Arab nationalists in the area. The latter ended in an unsurprisingly betrayal! Imagine that! Nice research on why French policy succeeded in Lebanon for the most part and utterly failed in Syria once the ol' Mandates rolled around. No illustrations.