Ecclesia triumphans? Sectarianism and the Maronite Community 1943-1975

Abstract

During the Second Lebanese Republic (1943-1975), the Maronite Community was perceived as the country’s leading sect, holding an almost hegemonic role within the state’s confessional framework. By analyzing three key historical events (the 1952 "Rosewater Revolution", the 1958 Crisis and the 1970 presidential elections), this essay will try to prove that neither the Maronite Community held a disproportionate control over Lebanon’s politics, nor sectarianism was the predominant factor defining its political system, but one among other traditional ties, whose influence was even bigger.