In the 19th century Morocco was ruled by a Muslim sultan, mutinous tribes and independent feudal lords. The excellent geographic location and the proximity of Morocco to Algeria, already in the hands of France, pleased the French, as they had a peculiar interest in this region because of the mineral wealth there. existing. In this sense, Morocco had aroused the greed of several European nations, but by 1904 French trade had already surpassed that of any other country in the region. France intended to transform Morocco not only into a source of wealth, but also into a fulcrum for the defense of Algeria.
The crisis in Morocco was triggered by a secret agreement made by France and England, this agreement had as its main objective the dismemberment of the Moroccan territory that would comprise a tiny part of the border of Gibraltar with Spain and the rest would belong to the France; in return, England would be given the right to act freely in Egypt. The Moroccan region was also of interest to the Germans who in 1905 managed to
the Kaiser William II some lands in Tangier, with the acquisition of lands the Germans found themselves in the right to protest against the covert negotiation between France and England.Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
The Moroccan crisis was apparently resolved diplomatically by the International Congress of Algeciras in 1906, in Spain, in which France had the favor of all those involved in the Moroccan quarrel. In 1912 the Germans accepted to receive a part of the French Congo to abandon all their pretensions in Morocco. A year later the dissatisfaction of the parties was clear, on the one hand the French claimed to be victims of German blackmail and on the other, the Germans' complaint was that the land ceded by France to Germany did not compensate for the loss of privileges in the exploitation of the Morocco.
The French General's Administration Lyaytey managed to calm the crisis in Morocco thanks to a policy of respect for traditions, customs and religions of the natives, supported by numerous practical measures towards material growth of these peoples. Thus the French peace was established in the rich Moroccan region, but not for long, as a wave of nationalism in Morocco and, without a doubt, has become one of the most serious and difficult to solve problems for the government. French. Thus, in 1956 France was forced to recognize Morocco's independence.
By Lilian Aguiar
Graduated in History
Brazil School Team
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
AGUIAR, Lilian Maria Martins de. "Crisis in Morocco"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/crise-no-marrocos.htm. Accessed on July 27, 2021.
