Lebanon: The Challenge of Independence

The first decade of independence (1943-1952) was crucial to the political history of Lebanon, following the creation of the state in 1920 and the subsequent years of French tutelage. This period is defined by the presidency of Bishara al-Khuri, the first elected president, a founding father who played a vital part in forming the distinctive character of the Lebanese state and in Lebanon s later history, both rich and successful and troubled and tragic.