Twilight in the Lands of Disorder

Twilight in the Lands of Disorder: France, Spain and the Conquest of Morocco (1906-1927) describes the conquest and pacification Morocco, a kingdom that had, due to its strategic value, survived as an independent country until the end of the European rush to colonize Africa. That ended in 1906, when France, obsessed with protecting her imperium in Algeria, succeeded in bartering with her European competitors for supremacy in Morocco. Unfortunately for the French, this arrangement required working with a junior partner, Spain, which was already installed along the northern coast of Morocco; and the consequences for her were nearly disastrous. While the French succeeded in bringing peace and development to their zone, Spanish irresolution and ineptitude unleashed several of rebellions, culminating with that of a coalition of Riffian tribes under the inspired leadership of Mohammad Abd el-Krim. The Riff War (1921-1926) began with the calamitous defeat of Spanish forces at Annual and ultimately carried into the French zone before the combined military might and France and Spain finally brought tiny Riffian Republic to heal. While this conflict ended indigenous rule in Morocco, the conquerors would derive small satisfaction for their triumph; each would reap its bitter reward. And the Quixotic Mohammad Abd el-Krim became an inspiration to freedom fighters everywhere.