French colonization in Morocco (North Africa), had a powerful imact on the developement of the world during both the times of colonization and today. To understand its causes and effects we will look at their past history, as well as how it continued to affect present day.
Location: Morocco
Morocco is an Arab country located in the Maghreb Region of Africa in the northeast of the continent. Morocco has coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Mediterranean Sea in the north as well as land borders with Algeria in the east and Mauritania in the south. Morocco became formally French protectorate in 1912 and remained so for 44 years until gaining its independence in 1956.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th century main European industrialised nations were fiercely competing for extending their colonial empires especially in Africa. At the time, the French Empire was the second largest colonial empire after the British Empire. The Maghreb was a wealthy and strategically important region controlling the access to the Mediterranean Sea. The fading domination of Turkish Ottoman Empire over the Maghreb increased their interest to the region and gave to the European Empires the opportunity to colonise the region.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th century main European industrialised nations were fiercely competing for extending their colonial empires especially in Africa. At the time, the French Empire was the second largest colonial empire after the British Empire. The Maghreb was a wealthy and strategically important region controlling the access to the Mediterranean Sea. The fading domination of Turkish Ottoman Empire over the Maghreb increased their interest to the region and gave to the European Empires the opportunity to colonise the region.
The route taken
In the 19th century, European industries were in need of more and more raw material as well as new markets to sell their finished goods. In order to support the European industries and economies, governments resorted to extend their colonial empires to Africa. During this period, colonial France showed strong interest to the Maghreb as early as 1830 and progressively increased its influence and ultimately its domination first in Algeria, then in Morocco and finally in Tunisia.
I infer that France in a matter of colonizing Morocco, would have used its pre-colonized colony: Algeria as a route/ pathway to Morocco. France traveled through the Mediterranean Sea by boat, arrived in Algeria for settlements, and then headed to Morocco to colonize.
I infer that France in a matter of colonizing Morocco, would have used its pre-colonized colony: Algeria as a route/ pathway to Morocco. France traveled through the Mediterranean Sea by boat, arrived in Algeria for settlements, and then headed to Morocco to colonize.
At that time, Morocco was still an independent country ruled by the Sultans of the Alaouite dynasty. The administration, social and economic government was inefficient and the country unstable. The European powers took advantage of Morocco’s weakness and used as a pretext the protection of their investments against the instabilities in the country and put into application the secret agreements between France, Italy, Spain and Britain. According to these secret agreements Morocco would be assigned to France, Libya to Italy, far north tip and extreme south of Morocco to Spain and Egypt to Britain. In 1905, the implementation of this plan was almost blocked by Germany that demanded Morocco to remain independent. Later in 1906, at the conference held in Algeciras the European powers and the USA while affirming the independence of the sultan of Morocco placed the country under the international supervision and gave the leading role of this task to France. This situation led progressively to the effective inclusion of Morocco to the colonial French Empire in 1912 at the exception of the parts of the country in the north and extreme south subsequently allocated to Spain by France.
During the 44 years of colonial rule in Morocco, French colonial administration encouraged the influx of about half a million Europeans with mostly specialist skills, placed French civil servants to key positions, introduced French principles and practices into the administration system, promoted economic development by investing in and abundantly exploiting Morocco’s natural resources such as phosphate, cobalt, tin, zinc, manganese, silver, iron, lead, built dams to generate hydroelectric power for industry, developed modern agriculture sector as well as communication and railroad systems for transporting goods to the major economic centres of the country for the benefit of the colonial power. The French colonial administration established hospitals for preventing the spread of diseases among the local labour force crucial for the economic activities.
Medinas Village
French settlers were living in modern European-like cities called " Village” or “Ville" next to but without mixing with poor old Arab cities called "Medinas". The French system was forbidding native Moroccans from living in, working at and travelling into the French quarters. In addition to the French settlers, the French education system was teaching just a limited number of Moroccans and about solely French history, art and culture. There was complete disregard for Moroccan languages and culture. The Moroccans educated in the French system were mainly employed in the administration to serve the French authority and in the French enterprises to support the economic development. Moroccans were denied their basic human rights such as freedom of speech, the right of gathering and travel in their own country. Colonial authorities were exerting tight control on Moroccan religious schools and universities.
French civil servants were allying with the French settlers and with their supporters in France in order to prevent any moves towards Moroccan autonomy. Theses interest groups continually pressured French Government to increase its colonial control over Morocco.
Independence of Morocco: Freedom
The Moroccan resistance to colonisation started as early as 1921 with the declaration of the separatist Republic of the Rif, continued in 1934 with the Moroccan Action Committee and finally with the creation of the Istiqlal (Independence) Party in 1944 that provided most of the leadership for the nationalist movement that ultimately led to the independence of Morocco in 1956.
Mohammed VI King of Morocco
Morocco is today a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI is both the secular political leader and the "Commander of the Faithful" as a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. He presides over the Council of Ministers, appoints the Prime Minister following legislative elections and on recommendations from the latter, appoints the members of the government. The constitution allows the King to terminate the tenure of any minister and after consultation with the heads of the higher and lower Assemblies to dissolve the Parliament, suspend the constitution, call for new elections or rule by decree. The King is also formally the chief of the military. Following protests in Morocco and elsewhere in the Arab world in early 2011, the King announced the establishment of a committee aimed at reforming the constitution, potentially limiting the powers of the King.
Colonisation in Morocco has been very profitable to the colonial French Empire contributing to the development of French economy and the growth of wealth by introducing liberal market and free trade practises and by exploiting the natural resources and manpower of Morocco and also by opening new markets and commercialising French finished goods to the local populations. Colonial economic activities in Morocco provided employment to the local populations, developed the infrastructures such as transport and power generation systems as well as the production of raw material.
The supervision of the Moroccan administration by the French colonial authority introduced western public governance principles and practises such as the rule of law, abolition of slavery, free labour and imposed peace among the tribes composing the Moroccan society pacifying the country.
The supervision of the Moroccan administration by the French colonial authority introduced western public governance principles and practises such as the rule of law, abolition of slavery, free labour and imposed peace among the tribes composing the Moroccan society pacifying the country.
Hospital sign
The colonial authority developed hospitals to prevent the spread of diseases in order to protect the local labour force extremely important for the continuity and the performance of the economic activities.
The presence of French troupes in Morocco gave to the French Empire the opportunity of control over regional maritime trade routes and strategic military advantages against other competing colonial empires. Moroccan population has also been an important source of soldier for the French military forces. Tens of thousands of Moroccans have been enrolled to the French Army and served in battles around the world to defend the interests of the colonial French Empire.
Colonisation has also been an effective way to spread the French culture around the world. Colonial French Empire considered the dissemination of the French Culture as a way of civilising the populations of the French Colonies. Schools based on French education system have been developed in Morocco enabling the education and training of Moroccans that were later employed by the colonial authority and the French enterprises.
Throughout history colonisation has also been used for propagating Christianity to new populations. The role and the actions of the French missionaries in Morocco have been very limited due to the deep Islamic identity of Moroccans and their practise of Islam.
Even though not at the same level as the colonial French Empire, it can be considered that French colonisation benefited to Morocco and to the Moroccans by the introduction of western public governance principles and practises to the administration system, by the development of the communication, transport and power generation infrastructures, by the development of the liberal market and the free trade practises, by the education and employment of some Moroccans and by the improvement of health standards.
However the harm of colonisation to Morocco has been by far more than its benefits. The colonisation has been for the Moroccans like for all the other colonies at the expense of their independence and freedom of decision on their present, their future. Colonisation has also brought many sufferings with the authoritarian methods used by the colonial authorities on populations in order to maintain the order, with the abusive exploitation of manpower as well as the natural resources usually at the detriment of the people and the environment, with the implementation of French public governance principles and practises without considering the local traditions of law and justice, with the introduction of French culture in opposition to the local cultures and traditions, with the control and limitations exerted on the individual freedoms and religious practises, with the enrolment of soldiers to the colonial French Army.
The colonisation was obviously not fair. Any system that involves the dominance of one party against another is condemned to failure one day or another. Only fair systems fostering the equitable and balanced development of all stakeholders and considers the economic, social, cultural, religious interests and constraints of all parties as well as respecting the environment can be sustainable and durable.
Throughout history colonisation has also been used for propagating Christianity to new populations. The role and the actions of the French missionaries in Morocco have been very limited due to the deep Islamic identity of Moroccans and their practise of Islam.
Even though not at the same level as the colonial French Empire, it can be considered that French colonisation benefited to Morocco and to the Moroccans by the introduction of western public governance principles and practises to the administration system, by the development of the communication, transport and power generation infrastructures, by the development of the liberal market and the free trade practises, by the education and employment of some Moroccans and by the improvement of health standards.
However the harm of colonisation to Morocco has been by far more than its benefits. The colonisation has been for the Moroccans like for all the other colonies at the expense of their independence and freedom of decision on their present, their future. Colonisation has also brought many sufferings with the authoritarian methods used by the colonial authorities on populations in order to maintain the order, with the abusive exploitation of manpower as well as the natural resources usually at the detriment of the people and the environment, with the implementation of French public governance principles and practises without considering the local traditions of law and justice, with the introduction of French culture in opposition to the local cultures and traditions, with the control and limitations exerted on the individual freedoms and religious practises, with the enrolment of soldiers to the colonial French Army.
The colonisation was obviously not fair. Any system that involves the dominance of one party against another is condemned to failure one day or another. Only fair systems fostering the equitable and balanced development of all stakeholders and considers the economic, social, cultural, religious interests and constraints of all parties as well as respecting the environment can be sustainable and durable.