This work traces the interaction between Arab nationalism and Lebanese local sentiments between 1936 and 1945, a period characterized by significant change at the international and local levels. It highlights the developments which affected the official position of Lebanese towards Arabism - a progression from initial scepticism to active involvement in founding the Arab regional system in the mid 1940s. Special attention is paid to the internal changes which led to the inclusion of the Arab nationalists of Lebanon in the political process, culminating in the so-called Lebanese National Pact and the independence of the country in 1943.