Colonisation and violence: Morocco's turbulent history

The first Moroccan dynasties up to the reign of king Mohammed V

The Romans, bent on conquest, did not spare Morocco and founded the city of Volubilis (a must-see during your trip to Morocco) at the foot of the Zerhoun massif. The Berber tribes in the mountains managed to resist the invaders, and Morocco bears a marked Arab influence, as they surged to prominence in the 7th Century, giving the country their language and religion. Idrisid, Almoravid, Almohad, Marinid and Saadi: the different successive dynasties up until the year 1660. In that year, the Saadis were defeated by the Alaouites, who derive their name from a distant ancestor, Ali, the son-in-law of the prophet.

In 1864, Morocco began to trade abroad, notably with Great Britain, France, Spain and Germany. Then, in 1906, the Algesiras conference placed Morocco under the guardianship of foreign countries. The short protectorate under France lasted from 1912 to 1956. General Hubert Lyautey modernised the country while showing respect for the sultanate. Eventually, however, he was denounced. Following the death of sultan Moulay Youssef in 1927, the French elected Sidi Mohammed, who would become Mohammed V, as the new head of state. Then, following the death of Lyauter in 1934, Allal El-Fassi, Mohamed El-Ouazzani and Ahmed Balafrej founded the CAM (Moroccan Action Committee). The first two were deported by the French.

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flickr cc Julie Kertesz

The Second World War and the quest for independence

At the start of the Second World War, Sidi Mohammed appealed to the Moroccans to come to France's aid. During the Allied Conference at Casablanca in 1943, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill promised Sidi Mohammed that they would work towards obtaining independence for Morocco, but nothing came of this. The Moroccan people eventually came together in an uprising when, in 1953, the French condemned the sultan to exile. Following a United Nations Resolution, Morocco was granted its independence in 1956, following the triumphal return of Mohamed V to Morocco several months beforehand. His son Hassan II succeeded him in 1957.

Fraught relations with Algeria and internal conflicts

The restriction of public freedoms, amongst other things, led to outbreaks of violence within the country. In 1973, UNEM, the National Union of Moroccan Students, the country's principal student syndicate, was placed under a ban. IN 1974, Morocco's claim to the Western Sahara was carried before the International Court of Justice: this was the beginning of a long crisis between Algeria and Morocco. These countries clashed notably at Amgalla (Western Sahara) and did not reach a peace agreement until 1988.

Although Hassan II spoke of democratising the country in 1992, the fact that violent clashes between students and law enforcement authorities were ongoing two years later provides grounds for skepticism. In 1999, upon his death, his son Mohammed VI was enthroned. In 2003, a terrorist attack in Casablanca left 45 dead. Gender equality was declared in 2004. Since then, Morocco has launched various reforms, including the new constitution of 2011.