Reflects upon the origins of Lebanese independence movements in the nineteenth century, with particular emphasis on the Maronite Christian clergy's attempt to free the Lebanese province from Ottoman rule in 1841 and 1845, and the subsequent Turkish and Druze response in 1860. The author argues that although unsuccessful, the Maronite struggle for independence proved a prelude to Arab nationalism clearly identified by its anti-Ottoman content, concluding that the numerous animosities resulting from this early prototype of Arab nationalism can still be delineated in the recent Lebanese Civil War.
