Why did France create Greater Lebanon in 1920?

In 1920, France created Greater Lebanon by expanding the autonomous territory of Mount Lebanon—which had been established in 1861—to include Beirut, the Bekaa, and other coastal districts.1

This action was part of the broader post-World War I reorganization of the Middle East, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Under the framework of the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the subsequent League of Nations mandate system, France sought to secure its strategic and economic interests in the region.12

The creation of Greater Lebanon was strongly supported by the Maronite community, which had a long tradition of close ties to France. By incorporating these additional territories, France established a new administrative entity that would remain under its influence for the next two decades. This expansion significantly altered the demographic balance, resulting in a population more evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, which necessitated the later development of power-sharing conventions to manage communal tensions.1