After the unification of Germany in 1871, Germany successfully attempted to co-opt France's relations with the Ottomans. In World War I the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, and was defeated by France and Britain. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire France and Britain divided the Middle East between themselves. France received Syria and Lebanon.Jan Karl Tanenbaum, "France and the Arab Middle East, 1914–1920." Transactions of the American Philosophical Society (1978): 1–50. in JSTOR
