Factors behind the fragmentation of the Lebanese Maronites after the 1975 Civil War

Abstract

This thesis will make an important contribution to the ready political literature on the situation of the Maronites in Lebanon. Since the Maronites are a key group in the Lebanese political equation, no understanding of the country's political dilemma today can be realized without perceiving the problems of this Christian group and its likely future evolution. Today, the Maronite community is politically marginalized and seriously divided. What explains their present problems? This thesis asserts that with the outbreak of the civil war, the pressures made upon the Maronites started to increase producing reactions that had negative effects on their cohesiveness. I studied political fragmentation within the Maronite community in the light of the following general research questions: First, to what extent does a threatening situation increase leadership problems? Second, does quest for foreign assistance increase the gap between the group leaders? Third, to what extent would divergences of opinion about the meaning and outcomes of defeat contribute to loss of cohesion? In my study I examined three main factors leading to Maronite fragmentation through the theory of Lewis Coser and Georg Simmel. These factors are: 1. Leadership problems; 2. Foreign connection; 3. Defeat.