Henri Gouraud

Henri Gouraud (17 November 1867 - 16 September 1946) was a French army general. He played a central role in the colonization of French Africa and the Levant. During World War I, he fought in major battles such as those of the Argonne, the Dardanelles, and Champagne. An important figure in the aftermath of the Ottoman Empire, he served as High Commissioner of the French Republic in the Levant from 1919 to 1922, during which he led military campaigns in Cilicia and Syria.

Affiliated with the colonial party, Gouraud was an active colonizer, influenced by figures such as Joseph Gallieni and Hubert Lyautey. His name remains closely associated with the conquest of Sudan, Mauritania, Chad, and Morocco, and his arrest of Samory Touré in September 1898 marked a turning point in the French colonization of West Africa. This act brought him to prominence at a time when France sought to overcome the humiliation of the Fashoda Incident.

During World War I, Gouraud distinguished himself by his courage and sacrifice. Seriously wounded in the Dardanelles, where he lost his right arm, he became a symbol of resilience and a national hero. His victory over Ludendorff in the Argonne led to the liberation of Strasbourg, the reconquest of Alsace-Lorraine, and the victory of France.

After the war, as High Commissioner in the Levant, he played a key role in reorganizing the region, leading campaigns in Cilicia and Syria, and redrawing the borders of the Middle East. He is particularly famous for proclaiming the creation of Greater Lebanon in 1920, marking a significant step in French colonial policy.

Back in France, Gouraud continued his military career, becoming Military Governor of Paris from 1923 to 1937. At the end of his career, he embodied a figure of transition, having actively participated in the implementation of various colonial regimes (colony, protectorate, mandate). According to Julie d'Andurain, “as an actor and witness of these changes, Henri Gouraud understood that the time of colonies would be succeeded by the time of empires and international organizations”. He thus linked with the next generation, that of men like Georges Catroux and Jules Bührer.

His policy of dividing Syria into several small states based on confessional criteria marked a significant step in French colonial policy in the Levant, aiming to divide territories to control them better. Set against a backdrop of imperial rivalries and nationalist tensions, it is still criticized today for its consequences on the stability and unity of the region.