History of Morocco

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The Capsian culture brought Morocco into the Neolithic about 8000 BC, in a time when the Maghreb was less arid than it is today. The Berber language probably arrived at roughly the same time as agriculture (see Berber), and was adopted by the existing population as well as the immigrants that brought it. Modern DNA analysis (see link) has confirmed that various populations have contributed to the present-day gene pool of Morocco, including, in addition to the main ethnic groups - Berbers and Arabs - Phoenicians, Sephardic Jews, and sub-Saharan Africans. Image:Kasbahs in Aït Benhaddou.JPG

1 Timeline
2 Roman and sub-Roman Morocco
3 Early Islamic Morocco
4 Morocco 1664-1912
5 European influence
6 Independence
7 See also
8 External links

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Timeline

Idrisid dynasty (780-974)
Maghrawa dynasty (987-1070)
Almoravid dynasty (1073-1147)
Almohad dynasty (1147-1269)
Marinid dynasty (1258-1420)
Wattasid dynasty (1420-1547)
Saadi dynasty (1554-1659)
Alaouite dynasty (1666 - current)

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Roman and sub-Roman Morocco

The arrival of Phoenicians heralded many centuries of rule by foreign powers for the north of Morocco, as this strategic region formed part of the Roman Empire, governed as Mauretania Tingitana. In the 5th century the region fell to the Vandals, Visigoths, and then Byzantine Greeks in rapid succession. During this time, however, the high mountains of most of modern Morocco remained unsubdued, and stayed in the hands of their Berber inhabitants.

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Early Islamic Morocco

Arabs conquered Morocco in the seventh century, bringing their civilization and Islam, to which most of the Berbers converted, forming states such as the Kingdom of Nekor. The country soon broke away from the control of the distant Abbasid caliphs in Baghdad under Idris ibn Abdallah who founded the Idrisid Dynasty. Morocco became a centre of learning and a major power.

Morocco would reach its height under a series of Berber dynasties that would replace the Arab Idrisids. First the Almoravids, then the Almohads would see rule most of Northwest Africa, as well as large sections of Spain. The smaller states of the region, such as the Berghouata and Banu Isam, were conquered.The empire collapsed, however, with a long running series of civil wars.

Saadi 1511-1659

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Morocco 1664-1912

Muhammad I , Sultan of Tafilalt [1631-1635]

Muhammad II , Sultan of Tafilalt [1635-1664]

1659 conquest the Saadite Empire

Ar-Rashid [1664-1672] Proclaimed as Sultan of Morocco at Fez, 22nd October 1664.

Conquered and secured Marrakesh, 7th September 1668

The Alaouite Dynasty eventually gained control. Morocco was facing aggression from Spain and the Ottoman Empire that was sweeping westward. The Alaouites succeeded in stabilizing their position, and while the kingdom was smaller than previous ones in the region it remained quite wealthy.

In 1684 they annexed Tangier.

Morocco was the first nation to recognize the fledgling United States as an independent nation in 1777. The Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship stands as the U.S.'s oldest non-broken friendship treaty. Signed by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, it has been in continuous effect since 1783. The United States legation (consulate) in Tangier is the first property the American government ever owned abroad. The building now houses the Tangier American Legation Museum.

1769 conquest El Jadida to Portugal.

1895 buy Cape Juby to British Empire

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European influence

The successful Portuguese efforts to control the Atlantic coast in the 15th century did not affect the Mediterranean heart of Morocco. After the Napoleonic Wars, Egypt and the North African maghreb became increasingly ungovernable from Istanbul by the Ottoman Empire, the resort of pirates under local beys, and as Europe industrialized, an increasingly prized potential for colonization. The Maghreb had far greater proven wealth than the unknown rest of Africa and a location of strategic importance affecting the exit from the Mediterranean. For the first time, Morocco became a state of some import to the European Powers. France showed a strong interest in Morocco as early as 1830. Recognition by the United Kingdom in 1904 of France's "sphere of influence" in Morocco provoked a German reaction; the "crisis" of 1905-6 was resolved at the Algeciras Conference (1906), which formalized France's "special position" and entrusted policing of Morocco jointly to France and Spain. A second "Moroccan crisis" provoked by Berlin, increased European Great Power tensions, but the Treaty of Fez (signed on March 30, 1912) made Morocco a protectorate of France. By the same treaty, Spain assumed the role of protecting power over the northern and southern (Ifnin) zones on November 27 that year.

The separatist Republic of the Rif was declared on 18 September 1921, by the people of the Rif. It would be dissolved by Spanish and French forces on 27 May 1926.

Nationalist political parties, which subsequently arose under the French protectorate, based their arguments for Moroccan independence on such World War II declarations as the Atlantic Charter (a joint U.S.-British statement that set forth, among other things, the right of all people to choose the form of government under which they live).

Many Moroccan Goumiere assisted the Americans in both World War I and World War II. A manifesto of the Istiqlal (Independence) Party in 1944 was one of the earliest public demands for independence. That party subsequently provided most of the leadership for the nationalist movement.

France's exile of the highly respected Sultan Mohammed V in 1953 and his replacement by the unpopular Mohammed Ben Aarafa, whose reign was perceived as illegitimate, sparked active opposition to the French protectorate. France allowed Mohammed V to return in 1955, and the negotiations that led to Moroccan independence began the following year.

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Independence

The Kingdom of Morocco recovered its political independence from France on March 2, 1956 and on April 7 of that year France officially relinquished its protectorate in Morocco. Through agreements with Spain in 1956 and 1958, Moroccan control over certain Spanish-ruled areas was restored, though attempts to claim other Spanish possessions through military action were less successful.

The internationalized city of Tangier was reintegrated with the signing of the Tangier Protocol on October 29, 1956. Hassan II became King of Morocco on March 3, 1961. His rule would be marked by political unrest, and the ruthless government response earned the period the name "the years of lead".

After neighbouring Algeria's 1962 independence from France, border skirmishes in the Tindouf area of south-western Algeria, escalated in 1963 into what is known as the Sand war. Morocco invaded to claim the areas for Greater Morocco, but the fighting stalemated within weeks, and Morocco was forced to retreat with no border adjustments. The border remained a contentious issue, but was later demarcated, and Morocco no longer makes any formals claim on Algerian territory.

The Spanish enclave of Ifni in the south became part of the new Morocco in 1969, but other Spanish possessions in the north (Ceuta, Melilla and some small islands) remain under Madrid's control, with Morocco viewing them as occupied territory.

A defining theme of Moroccan history and foreign policy is the bitter struggle over Western Sahara. Morocco invaded and annexed the former Spanish Sahara during the late 1975, but met military opposition from the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi nationalist movement backed by Algeria. Final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved, but Morocco is presently in military control over the majority of the area, and a cease-fire with Polisario is in effect since 1991. See History of Western Sahara.

Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in 1997, and with the death of King Hassan II of Morocco in 1999, the more liberal-minded Mohammed VI took the throne. He has since enacted successive reforms to modernize Morocco, and the country has seen a marked improvement in its human rights record.

In March 2000, women's groups organised demonstrations in Casablanca proposing reforms to the legal status of women in the country. 40,000 women attended, calling for a ban on polygamy and the introduction of divorce law (divorce being a purely religious procedure at that time). Although counter-demonstration attracted half a millon participants, the movement for change started in 2000 was influential on King Mohammed, and he enacted a new Mudawana, or family law, in early 2004, meeting some of the demands of women's rights activists.

On May 16, 2003, 33 civilians were killed and more than 100 people were injured when the city of Casablanca was attacked in a string of bombing of civilian targets. This was followed by a crackdown on Islamist opponents of the monarchy, which has been criticized by human rights advocates.

Praising Moroccan efforts in the "War on Terrorism", in June 2004 U.S. President George W. Bush designated Morocco as a major non-NATO ally. Later that year it signed free trade agreements with the United States and the European Union, its main trade partner.

In 2005, demonstrations and riots in support of independence for Western Sahara broke out in Moroccan-controlled El-Aaiun, and despite reinforcing its military and police presence, Morocco has so far been unable to quell the protests. Criticism from groups such as Amnesty International, Freedom House and Human Rights Watch has resulted from perceived police abuse of demonstrators and independence advocates. The demonstrations, labeled the "Independence Intifada" by its participants and backed by the Polisario Front, are still occurring in March 2006.

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