The Decolonization of the Spanish-French Protectorate of Morocco (1953-1956): Between Terrorism and International Negotiation

Introduction

The Afro-Asian decolonization processes of the mid-20th century are a field of study that require a precise technique of analysis in which multiple conditioning factors such as autochthonous nationalism, the evolution of the international system or the political-social conflict are what determine the development of these emancipation processes. In the case of Morocco, being a Protectorate and not a colony or a mandate, moreover, administratively divided by zones of influence between France and Spain since 1912, it requires a special treatment in the way of proceeding in the study of its decolonization process.

In view of the scarce historiographic production on the colonial conflict in this context, the decolonization process of Morocco by France and Spain, between the dethronement of Sultan Mohammed V (1953) and the accession of the Alawi country to independence (1956), still harbors a multitude of enigmas that need to be investigated, and this work is an opportunity to do so. In this sense, the consultation of the diplomatic documentation generated by both protective administrations in the course of the events preserved in the Archivo General de la Administración (AGA) in Madrid and in Les Archives Diplomatiques du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères in Paris are fundamental. In this sense, the main objectives of this work revolve around two questions:

• 1.

  To analyze the genesis of terrorism in the Protectorate of Morocco and to determine its activity as an instrument of colonial conflict to accelerate the emancipation process of the Alaouite country after the dethronement of Sultan Mohammed V on August 20, 1953.

• 2.

  To try to determine what was the role of the Moroccan nationalist movement during the diplomatic negotiation process carried out with the colonial powers so that Morocco finally acceded to independence in 1956.

Main Focus Of The Chapter

Some of the questions we asked ourselves before beginning to write these pages, and which we will try to answer in the course of this paper, are the following: to what extent was the colonial conflict a determining factor in Morocco's accession to independence in 1956? why is it in this context of the mid-1950s that the protecting powers finally decided to recognize the independence of the Alawi country? what role did Moroccan nationalist leaders and parties play as informal diplomats in achieving Morocco's emancipation? What role did Moroccan nationalist leaders and parties play as agents of informal diplomacy in the achievement of Morocco's emancipation, and what led to the unleashing of terrorist action in the hitherto non-existent Spanish-French Protectorate of Morocco during this period?

These questions are in tune with many of the works that have approached this object of study from different approaches. In our case, the text turns out to be pioneering because, from the perspective of the history of international relations, and taking into consideration the bibliographical and diplomatic documentation (primary sources) generated on the subject of study, we delve into an unknown historical process by jointly analyzing how the events are triggered and what repercussions they have, both in both areas of the Moroccan protectorate and on the international scene, and in the respective metropolises.