The Long Peace: Ottoman Lebanon, 1861-1920

by Engin Akarlı

Long notorious as one of the most turbulent areas of the world, Lebanon nevertheless experienced an interlude of peace between its civil war of 1860 and the beginning of the French Mandate in 1920. Engin Akarli examines the sociopolitical changes resulting from the negotiations and shifting alliances characteristic of these crucial years.

Using previously unexamined documents in Ottoman archives, Akarli challenges the prevailing view that attributes modernization in government to Western initiative while blaming stagnation on reactionary local forces. Instead, he argues, indigenous Lebanese experience in self-rule as well as reconciliation among different religious groups after 1860 laid the foundation for secular democracy. European intervention in Lebanese politics, however, hampered efforts to develop a correspondingly secular notion of Lebanese nationality.

As ethnic and religious strife increases throughout much of eastern Europe and the Middle East, the Lebanese example has obvious relevance for our own time.

Genres: History, Lebanon, Nonfiction

308 pages, Hardcover

First published June 16, 1993

Reviews

[Mano Chil · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an OK read but expected to learn more about the corridors of power and dynamics of relationships and political currents. The chapter on taxation was so boring.

[Raja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akarli argues that the modern state of Lebanon owes a debt of gratitude to the Ottoman Empire. He describes the Lebanese "Mutasarriffiya" as an embryonic state that gradually developed capabilities to govern independently between 1861 and WWI. The evidence used to support his argument stems primarily from Ottoman archives dating back to that era.

Not much else to say, except that the book was an enjoyable and informative read.