The Free Patriotic Movement, The Kataeb Party, also known as the Phalange Party, the National Bloc, National Liberal Party, Lebanese Forces and the Guardians of the Cedars ( now outlawed ) each have their own base among Christians and it's controversial as to which group has the largest popularity.

* The Lebanese Kataeb Party

: This article is about the Spanish political party: For the Lebanese Phalange, see the Kataeb Party.

# REDIRECT Kataeb Party

The Lebanese Social Democratic Party is also known as Phalanges Libanaises in French and either Kataeb ( الكتائب اللبنانية Al-Kata ’ eb Al-Lubnaniyya ) or ' Phalangist Party ' ( Hezb al-Kata ’ eb al-Lubnaniyya ) in Arabic.

During the first years of the Kataeb Party, the Party was strongly opposed to having anyone dominate Lebanon.

Pierre and the Kataeb Party have always believed in an independent and sovereign Lebanon free of all

* The Kataeb Party also believes in a free and active Christian presence in Lebanon and sees an organic relation between the idea of freedom and the Christians.

Disbanded in January 1961 by order of the Kataeb Party ' Political Bureau, Hawi created in their place the Kataeb Regulatory Forces.

The seat of the Council was allocated at the Kataeb Party ’ s Headquarters at the heart of Ashrafieh quarter in East Beirut and a quiet expansion of KRF units followed suit, complemented by the development of a training infrastructure.

The battle against the dilution of Lebanon: the Kataeb Party entered the political and parliamentary scene during the late 1940s after a period in which it refrained from entering the political arena to focus mainly on the promotion of the youth and on social issues, away from the trivialities of post-mandate politics.

Kataeb into government: after having succeeded in preserving the Lebanese formula, Kataeb Party ranks grew considerably and reached 70 thousand members ( on a total population of 2, 2 million ).

On a social level, the Kataeb Party introduced “ labor laws ” and contributed decisively in Social Security law.

The Kataeb Party along with other political parties formed the Lebanese Resistance and battled to preserve Lebanon and its independence and integrity.

On the other hand, Kataeb Party suffered a great loss with the death of its founder, Cheikh Pierre Gemayel in 1984.

The Syrian era: in 1990, the Lebanese War came to a close when Syrian Forces maintained their grip over the entire country leading to fifteen years of occupation during which President Amin Gemayel was exiled to France and the Kataeb Party fell under Syrian influence.

Pierre Amin Gemayel was elected MP for Metn district, which showed a strong signal of the rebirth of the Kataeb Party.

The Kataeb Party extensively participated in the “ Cedar Revolution ” and MP Pierre Gemayel played a significant role in shaping this uprising which led to Lebanon ’ s second independence.

Syrian troops effectively left Lebanon on 26 April of the same year, and at the same time, the Kataeb Party reunited and retrieved its historical role.

The founding and the battle for independence: in 1943 the Kataeb played an instrumental role in attaining Lebanon ’ s first independence from the French mandate.

“ Kataeb opposition ” was structured and began its activities within the framework of the “ Kornet Shahwan Coalition ”, and then through the “ Bristol Meeting ”, which formed a platform for the joint Christian-Muslim opposition.

In light of this development that was coupled with the disintegration of state institutions on the political and security levels alike, the Kataeb ( that was part of the Lebanese Resistance ) found itself at the forefront of the battle for independence sacrificing through the lives of its members against this imposed reality.

The Kataeb party began to decline, not playing a major role for the remainder of the war.

He was influential in Kataeb Party heading it for some period.

** Bus massacre: The Kataeb militia kills 27 Palestinians during an attack on their bus in Ain El Remmeneh, Lebanon, triggering the Lebanese civil war.

Its main adversaries were the Maronite Christian Phalangist Kataeb Regulatory Forces militia, and later the Lebanese Forces militia ( which absorbed the Phalangists ).

During the 1975-76 phase of the Lebanese Civil War, the Kataeb Regulatory Forces ’ own mobilization and street action skills allowed the Kataeb to become the primary and most fearsome fighting force in the Christian-conservative camp.

The Kataeb elaborated the first Lebanese “ labour charter ” in 1937.

The Kataeb was one of the first Lebanese parties to have a solid avant-garde economic program and organized social activism throughout the country.

# In 1943 the Kataeb played an instrumental role in attaining Lebanon ’ s first independence from the French mandate and co-envisaged the currently adopted Lebanese flag that was signed by the Lebanese government of the time.

# From 1978 until 1990, the Kataeb and the Lebanese Resistance clashed in fierce battles with Syrian Forces who were occupying large territories of the country resulting in an ongoing death toll among Kataeb members.

# In 1982 the leader of the Lebanese Resistance and president-elect Bachir Gemayel was assassinated when an explosion rocked the Kataeb headquarters in the Achrafieh area of Beirut.

# In 1990, the Lebanese War came to a close when Syrian Forces maintained their grip over the entire country leading to fifteen years of occupation during which President Amin Gemayel was exiled to France and the Kataeb Party fell under Syrian control.

In the following days, the 8, 000-strong party militia, the Kataeb Regulatory Forces, together with its allies, the Tigers militia, Al-Tanzim, Marada Brigade, Guardians of the Cedars, Lebanese Youth Movement, Tyous Team of Commandos and other formations, was heavily engaged in street fights against the Palestinians militias and their allies in the anti-government secular Lebanese National Movement.

The Kataeb party was the most powerful of these militias at the time of the Lebanese Civil war.

because such an event will alter Lebanon ’ s fragile demographic ( and political ) balance, the Kataeb at present will remain watchful and opposing to any such development just like it was in the past and as its history attests.

Since the end of Syria ’ s occupation of Lebanon in 2005, the Kataeb Party has attracted once again new generations and has regained its role as one of the major political actors in Lebanon.

Beyond that, it is also the main symbol of Lebanon's " Cedar Revolution ", along with many Lebanese political parties and movements, such as the Kataeb ( Phalange ), the Lebanese Forces, the National Liberal Party, and the Future Movement.

In 1976, the NLP joined with the Kataeb Party ( Phalange ) and the Lebanese Renewal Party ( LRP ) to form the Lebanese Front, a political coalition.

In In the mid-1980s, political friction within the Lebanese Front resulted in growing distance between the Kataeb militants and the rest of the Lebanese Forces.

He was elected to the Kataeb party's political bureau in 1970 and remained in the party's top echelon, leading the so-called " Arabist " faction of the Kataeb Party ( Phalange ), which favored close ties with Syria.