French protectorate in Morocco
The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 and 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the Treaty of Fez, though the French military occupation of Morocco had begun with the invasion of Oujda and the bombardment of Casablanca in 1907.
French protectorate in Morocco | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912–1956 | |||||||||
| Anthem: | |||||||||
The French conquest of Morocco, c. 1907–1927 | |||||||||
| Status | Protectorate of France | ||||||||
| Capital | Rabat | ||||||||
| Official languages | French | ||||||||
| Common languages | |||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam Judaism Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy (under colonial administration) | ||||||||
| Sultan | |||||||||
• 1912–1927 | Yusef | ||||||||
• 1927–1953 | Mohammed V | ||||||||
• 1953–1955 | Mohammed Ben Aarafa | ||||||||
• 1955–1956 | Mohammed V | ||||||||
| Resident-General | |||||||||
• 1912–1925 (first) | Hubert Lyautey | ||||||||
• 1955–1956 (last) | André Louis Dubois | ||||||||
| Historical era | Interwar period | ||||||||
| 30 March 1912 | |||||||||
• Independence | 7 April 1956 | ||||||||
| Currency | Moroccan rial (1912–1921) Moroccan franc (1921–1956) French franc (de facto official) | ||||||||
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The French protectorate lasted until the dissolution of the Treaty of Fez on 2 March 1956, with the Franco-Moroccan Joint Declaration. Morocco's independence movement, described in Moroccan historiography as the Revolution of the King and the People, restored the exiled Mohammed V but it did not end French presence in Morocco. France preserved its influence in the country, including a right to station French troops and to have a say in Morocco's foreign policy. French settlers also maintained their rights and property.
The French protectorate shared territory with the Spanish protectorate, established and dissolved in the same years; its borders consisted of the area of Morocco between the Corridor of Taza and the Draa River, including sparse tribal lands. The official capital was Rabat.