The French mandate over Syria after World War I had an irrevocable impact on the nations' communal factions. The mandate lasted from 1920 to 1946 and they began their rule with intentional sectarian divisions. They were taken to prevent Arab nationalism and stifle movements for national independence. The divisions made my religious and national minority. Grant minorities independent status in places where they constitute the majority. For example, there was a large population of Alawites in the mountain range behind Latakia, the French declared them a separate state. The Druze were granted the right and ability to govern themselves in the town of Jabal, just south of Damascus. The only religious group that did not benefit from the effects of the French mandate were Sunni Muslims. In Syrian history, Sunnis were seen as elitists, dominating politics, the officer corps, the gendarmerie and the police. With the enforced separation of community factions, Sunnis had less power and influence. The “divide and rule” strategy imposed by the French eroded relations between Syria’s religious and ethnic groups, ties that would have been valuable later in Syrian politics. A closer analysis of Syria's main religious factions describes the development of their bitter relations (Fildis). Those who observe the Druze religion are part of one of the smaller religious factions, but still have a notable presence in Syrian culture. The Druze represent 6% of the Syrian population; Their small numbers allowed those in power in Syria to be easily ignored or exploited (Carpenter). As previously noted, the French granted the Druze an independent state at Jabal in 1922. Later that year, a Sy...... middle of paper ......edBoxx, S. Edward. “Observations on the Syrian Air War.” Journal of Air and Space Power 27.2 (2013): 147-168. Premier Academic Research. Internet. February 26, 2014 Carpenter, Ted Galen. “Tangled Web: The Syrian Civil War and Its Implications.” Mediterranean Quarterly 24.1 (2013): 1-11. Premier Academic Research. Internet. February 26, 2014. Fildis, Ayse Tekdal. “The roots of the Alawite-Suni rivalry in Syria.” Middle East Policy Council. 19.2 (2012): n. page. Internet. April 4, 2014. MacFarquhar, Neil (June 10, 2000). Hafez Al-Assad, who made Syria a power in the Middle East, dies at 69. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/asadd3.htmMaoz, Moshe. Syria under Assad (RLE Syria) Internal constraints and regional risks. Hoboke, NJ: Taylor and Francis, 2013. eBook. Zisser, Eyal. “WHO.” Middle Eastern Studies. 42.2 (2006): 79-198. Internet. April 4. 2014.