France and the Middle East in 1958 : Continuity and Change Through Crisis
Résumé
This contribution considers the place of the 1958 crisis in Lebanon and the Iraqi revolution diachronically, in the continuity of the French policy for the Middle East, and also synchronically, in their imbrication with the crises France lived simultaneously that year leading to the fall of the Fourth Republic and the coming to power of General de Gaulle. First, the general state and goals of France in the Levant after the Second World War, with an emphasis on the 1954-1956 decisive period, are presented. Then, special focus is given to the 1958 moment and how it reveals continuity and changes in the general French policy.