Transcript Alaouite Dynasty

Morocco
The Kingdom of Morocco
‫المملكة المغربية‬
Al-Mamlakah al-Maghribiyyah
Le Royaume du Maroc
Contents
Background Information
 Geography
 People
 Health and Education
 Government and Politics
 Economy
 Media
History
 Prehistoric Morocco (1st – 7th century)
 Early Islamic Morocco (7th – 17th century)
 The Alaouite Dynasty (1659 – present)
 European Influence - French Protectorate and Independence
(1912-1956)
 Post-independence (1960-1970)
 The Western Sahara Conflict – the Spanish Issue
Background Information Geography
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Third most populous
Arab country
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Shares the largest part
of its borders with
Algeria to the east and
Western Sahara to the
south and the North
Atlantic Ocean and the
Mediterranean Sea
Geography
The capital of
Morocco is Rabat
 Population:
1.385.872
 Second largest city
after Casablanca
 The Medina and
Kasbah des Oudaias
are one of the most
visited places
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Geography
Area
total: 446,550 sq km
land: 446,300 sq km
water: 250 sq km
Climate
Mediterranean to more extreme in the
interior and south
Geography
Terrain
Coast plains, desert, mountains in the
northern coast and interior
Land use
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 79%
Geography
Natural resources
phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc,
fish, salt
Natural hazards
Earthquakes and periodic droughts
People
Population
31,627,428 (2010 est.)
Growth rate
1.077% (2010 est.)
Birth rate
19.4 births/1,000 population
(2010 est.)
Death rate
4.74 deaths/1,000 population
(July 2010 est.)
People
Nationality
noun: Moroccan (s) / adjective: Moroccan
Ethnic Groups
Arab-Berber 99.1%, Jewish 0.2%, other 0.7%
Religions
Muslim 98.7% , Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
Languages
Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French functions as the
language of business, government, and diplomacy
Health and Education
Infant mortality rate
total: 28.61 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 33.52 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2010
est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 75.69 years
male: 72.63 years
female: 78.9 years (2010 est.)
Health and Education
Total fertility rate
2.23 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.3%
male: 65.7%
female: 39.6% (2004 census
Government and Politics
Government type
constitutional monarchy
Constitution
10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended September 1996
Legal system
based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law systems; judicial review
of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court
Branches of the government
Executive - king (head of state), prime minister (head of government)
Legislative - bicameral Parliament (Chamber of Counselors) and
(Chamber of Representatives)
Judicial - Supreme Court
Government and Politics - Executive
King Mohammed VI
Prime Minister Abbas Al
Fassi
Chief of State
 dominant authority rests with the king
 presides over the Council of Ministers
 appoints the prime minister following
legislative elections
 appoints all members of the government
taking into account the prime minister's
recommendations
 may terminate the tenure of any minister,
dissolve the Parliament, call for new
elections, or rule by decree
 is the commander in chief of the military
and holds the title of Amir al-Mou’minin,
or Commander of the Faithful, the
country's religious leader
Government and Politics
Major political parties
 Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM)
 Istiqlal (Independence) Party (PI)
 Party of Justice and Development (PJD)
 Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP)
 National Rally of Independents (RNI)
 Popular Movement (MP)
 Constitutional Union Party (UC)
 Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS)
Economy
GDP (official exchange rate)
$91.37 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4.9% (2009 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$4,600 (2009 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 19.2%
industry: 31.3%
services: 49.4% (2009 est.)
Economy
Unemployment rate
9.1% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line
15% (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1% (2009 est.)
Economy
Agriculture - products
barley, wheat, citrus fruits, grapes,
vegetables, olives; livestock;
wine
Natural resources
Phosphates, fish, manganese, lead,
silver, and copper
Industry
phosphate mining, manufacturing
and handicrafts, construction
and public works, energy,
tourism, leather goods,
textiles
Economy - Exports
Exports
$13.92 billion (2009 est.)
Commodities
clothing and textiles, electric
components, inorganic
chemicals, transistors,
crude minerals, fertilizers
(including phosphates),
petroleum products, citrus
fruits, vegetables, fish
Partners
Spain 22.02%, France 20.22%,
India 4.91%, Italy 4% (2009)
Economy - Imports
Imports
$30.55 billion (2009 est.)
Commodities
crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment,
wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics
Partners
France 16.95%, Spain 14.72%, China 7.1%, Italy 6.76%, Germany
6.28%, US 5.66%, Saudi Arabia 5.11% (2009)
Monetary unit
Moroccan dirham, exchange rate per U.S. dollar -8.064 (2009)
Media
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The broadcast media
dominated by the state or
reflect the official line
Satellite TV is widely used in
Morocco
Paris-based Reporters Without
Borders notes that "religion, the
king and the monarchy in general,
the country and territorial
integrity cannot be questioned."
The Press Law provides for
prison terms for errant
journalists
The government owns, or has a
stake in, RTM and 2M, Morocco's
main TV networks
Media
The press
• Le Matin, Al-Massae, Assabah, Liberation,
L'Economiste, Telquel
Television
• Radio-Television Marocaine (RTM), 2M, Al
Maghribiya, Medi 1 Sat
Radio
• Radio-Television Marocaine (RTM), Medi 1
Media
Internet users
13.213 million (2009)
Internet hosts
277,793 (2010)
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no policy of widespread site filtering.
Bloggers generally avoid sensitive topics,
such as Western Sahara and the royal family
History – Prehistoric Morocco
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Morocco’s first-known inhabitants were Near Eastern nomads who may have been distant cousins
of the ancient Egyptians
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Phoenicians appear to have arrived around 800 BC, and when the Romans arrived in the 4th
century BC, they called the expanse of Morocco and western Algeria‘Mauretania’ and the
indigenous people ‘Berbers’, meaning ‘barbarians’.
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In the 1st century AD, the Romans built up Volubilis into a city of 20,000 (mostly Berber) people,
but, fed up with the persistently unruly Berbers, the Roman emperor Caligula declared the end of
Berber autonomy in North Africa in AD 40.
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Rome controlled the vast, ill-defined territory through alliances with the tribes rather than
through military occupation, expanding its authority only to those areas that were economically
useful or that could be defended without additional manpower.
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Around 278 AD Romans moved their regional capital to Tangar and Volubilis started to loss
importance.
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The region remained a part of the Roman Empire until 429 AD as the Vandals overran the area
and Roman administrative presence came to an end.
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Indeed in the 5th century, the region fell to the Vandals, Visigoths, and then Byzantin Greeks in
rapid succession.
Early Islamic Morocco
In the second half of the 7th century, the soldiers of the Prophet
Mohammed set forth from the Arabian Peninsula and overwhelmed the
peoples of North Africa, bringing their civilization and Islam. Within a
century, nearly all Berber tribes had embraced Islam, although, local
tribes developed their own brand of Islamic Shi’ism, which sparked
rebellion against the eastern Arabs
 The Arabs abhorred the Berbers as barbarians, while the Berbers often
saw the Arabs as only an arrogant and brutal soldiery bent on collecting
taxes.
 By 829, local elites had established an Idrissid state with its capital at
Fès, dominating all of Morocco. Thus commenced a cycle of rising and
falling Islamic dynasties, which included the Almoravids (1062–1147),
who built their capital at Marrakesh; the Almohads (1147–1269), famous
for building the Koutoubia Mosque; the Merenids (1269–1465), known
for their exquisite mosques and madrassas (Quranic schools), especially
in Fès; the Saadians (1524–1659), responsible for the Palais el-Badi in
Marrakesh; and the Alaouites (1659–present).
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The Alaouite Dynasty
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The Alaouite Dynasty is the name of the current Moroccan royal family. The name
Alaouite comes from the ‘Alī of its founder Moulay Ali Cherif who became Sultan of
Tafilalt in 1631. His son Mulay r-Rshid (1664–1672) was able to unite and pacify the
country. The Alaouite family claim descent from Muhammad through the line of Fāṭimah azZahrah, Muhammad's daughter, and her husband, the Fourth Caliph ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib.
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According to some legends the Alaouites entered Morocco at the end of the 13th century
when Al Hassan Addakhil, who lived then in the town of Yanbu in the Hejaz, was brought
to Morocco by the inhabitants of Tafilalet to be their imām. His descendants began to
increase their power in southern Morocco after the death of the Saʻdī ruler Ahmad alMansur (1578–1603).
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In 1659, the last Saʻdī sultan was overthrown in the conquest of Marrakech by Mulay rRshid (1664–1672). After the victory over the zāwiya of Dila, who controlled northern
Morocco, he was able to unite and pacify the country.
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The organization of the kingdom developed under Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727), who,
against the opposition of local tribes began to create a unified state. Because the Alaouites, in
contrast to previous dynasties, did not have the support of a single Berber or Bedouin tribe,
Isma'īl controlled Morocco through an army of black slaves. With these soldiers he drove the
English from Tangiers (1684) and the Spanish from Larache (1689.) However, the unity of
Morocco did not survive his death — in the ensuing power struggles the tribes became a
political and military force once again
The Alaouite Dynasty
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Only with Muhammad III (1757–1790) could the kingdom be pacified again and the
administration reorganized. A renewed attempt at centralization was abandoned and the
tribes allowed to preserve their autonomy.
In 1777 Morocco was the very first state to recognize the sovereignty of a newly
independent United States
Under Abderrahmane (1822–1859) Morocco fell under the influence of the
European powers. When Morocco supported the Algerian independence movement of
the Emir Abd al-Qadir, it was heavily defeated by the French in 1844 and made to
abandon its support.
From Muhammad IV (1859–1873) and Hassan I(1873–1894) the Alaouites tried to
foster trading links, above all with European countries and the United States. The army
and administration were also modernized, to improve control over the Berber and
Bedouin tribes
Sultan Mohammed V(1927–1961) supported the Istiqlal Party, which was founded
1944, during the french protectorate.When he died suddenly of heart failure in 1961,
Hassan II(1961-1999) 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". The new king took personal control of the government as
prime minister and named a new cabinet.
Hassan II died in 1999 and Morocco held its breath. His son Mohammed VI came to
power. He is the current king of Morocco.
The Alaouite Dynasty has marked Moroccan history for decades
European Influence – French
Protectorate and Independence
Morocco's location and resources led to early competition among European powers in
Africa, beginning with successful Portuguese efforts to control the Atlantic coast in the
15th century. France showed a strong interest in Morocco as early as 1830. Following
recognition by the United Kingdom in 1904 of France's "sphere of influence" in
Morocco, the "crisis" of 1905-1906 was resolved at the Algeciras Conference
(1906), which formalized France's "special position" and entrusted policing of Morocco
jointly to France and Spain.The Treaty of Fes (1912) made Morocco a protectorate
of France until the independence in 1956. By the same treaty, Spain assumed the
role of protecting power over the northern and southern (Saharan) zones.
 The first nationalist political parties based their arguments for Moroccan independence
on such World War II declarations as the Atlantic Charter (a joint statement issued by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill that sets forth,
among other things, the right of all people to choose the form of government under
which they will live). 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 Muhammad V in 1953 and his replacement
by the unpopular Muhammad Ben Aarafa, whose reign was perceived as illegitimate,
sparked active opposition to the French protectorate. France allowed Muhammad V to
return in 1955; negotiations leading to independence began the following year.
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European Influence – French
Protectorate and Independence
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The Kingdom of Morocco recovered its political independence from France on
March 2, 1956. By agreements with Spain in 1956 and 1958, Moroccan
control over certain Spanish-ruled areas was restored . On October 29,
1956, the signing of the Tangier Protocol politically reintegrated the former
international zone. Spain, however, retained control over the small enclaves of
Ceuta and Melilla in the north and the enclave of Ifni in the south. Ifni became
part of Morocco in 1969. After the death of his father, Muhammad V, King
Hassan II succeeded to the throne on March 3, 1961. He recognized the
Royal Charter proclaimed by his father on May 8, 1958, which outlined
steps toward establishing a constitutional monarchy. Further negotiations for
full independence culminated in the Spanish-Moroccan Agreement signed
in Paris on March 2, 1956.
In the months that followed independence, Mohammed V proceeded to build a
modern governmental structure under a constitutional monarchy in which the
sultan would exercise an active political role. He acted cautiously, having no
intention of permitting more radical elements in the nationalist movement to
overthrow the established order. He was also intent on preventing the Istiqlal
from consolidating its control and establishing a single-party state. In August
1957, Mohammed V assumed the title of king.
Post-Independence
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A constitution providing for representative government under a strong
monarchy was approved by referendum on December 7, 1962. Elections
were held in 1963. In June 1965, following student riots and civil unrest, the
king invoked article 35 of the constitution and declared a "state of
exception." He assumed all legislative and executive powers and named a
new government not based on political parties. In July 1970, King Hassan
submitted to referendum a new constitution providing for an even stronger
monarchy. Its approval and the subsequent elections formally ended the
1965 "state of exception."
An unsuccessful coup on July 10, 1971, organized by senior military
officers at Skhirat, was followed by Morocco's third constitution, approved
by popular referendum in early 1972. The new constitution kept King
Hassan's powers intact but enlarged from one-third to two-thirds the
number of directly elected parliamentary representatives. In August 1972,
after a second coup attempt by Moroccan Air Force dissidents and the
King's powerful Interior Minister General Oufkir, relations between the
opposition and the Crown deteriorated, due to disagreement on opposition
participation in elections. The king subsequently appointed a series of
nonpolitical cabinets responsible only to him.
The Western Sahara Conflict – the
Spanish Issue – a short timeline
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1973 - Polisario movement formed, aims to establish an
independent state in Spanish Sahara, a territory south of
Morocco controlled by Spain. The group has Algerian support.
King Hassan became Arab world's longest-serving ruler
1975 6 November - The Green March: King Hassan orders
350,000 civilian volunteers to cross into Spanish Sahara.
1975 December - Spain agrees to leave Spanish Sahara, soon
to become Western Sahara, and to transfer it to joint
Moroccan-Mauritanian control. Algeria objects and threatens
military intervention. Moroccan forces enter and occupy the
territory.
1976 - Moroccan and Algerian troops clash in Western Sahara.
Algeria announces the formation of the Saharawi Arab
Democratic Republic (SADR) with a government-in-exile.
Morocco and Mauritania divide-up Western Sahara.
The Western Sahara Conflict – the
Spanish Issue – a short timeline
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1976 onwards - Fighting between Moroccan military and
Polisario forces; the war is a considerable financial drain on
Morocco.
1983 - Summit between King Hassan and Algerian president
prompts thaw in relations.
Polisario soldiers waged a guerrilla war against Morocco
1983 - King cancels planned elections amid political unrest
and economic crisis.
1984 - Morocco leaves the Organisation of African Unity in
protest at the SADR's admission to the body. Polisario claims
to have killed more than 5,000 Moroccan soldiers between
1982-85.
1988 - Resumption of full diplomatic relations with Algeria.
The Western Sahara Conflict – the
ceasefire
1991 - UN-monitored ceasefire begins in Western Sahara,
but the territory's status remains undecided and ceasefire
violations are reported. The following decade sees much
wrangling over a proposed referendum on the future of
the territory but the deadlock is not broken.
 2002 July - Morocco and Spain agree to US-brokered
resolution over the disputed island of Perejil. Spanish
troops had taken the normally-uninhabited island after
Moroccan soldiers landed on it and set up tents and a flag.
 2002 December - Morocco and Spain hold their first talks
since their conflict over Perejil. In January 2003 they agree
to return ambassadors.
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The Western Sahara Conflict –
current events
In 2007 Morocco requested U.N. action against a congress to be held
by the Polisario Front in Tifariti from December 14 to December 16.
Morocco claims Tifariti is part of a buffer zone and the holding the
congress there violates a ceasefire between the two parties. In
addition, the Polisario Front has been reported as planning a vote on a
proposal for making preparations for war. If passed it would be the first
time in 16 years preparations for war have been part of the Polisario's
strategy.
 In October 2010 Gadaym Izik camp was set up near Laayoune as a
protest by displaced Sahrawi people about their living conditions. It
was home to more than 12,000 people. In November 2010 Moroccan
security forces entered Gadaym Izik camp in the early hours of the
morning, using helicopters and water cannons to force people to leave.
The Polisario Front said Moroccan security forces had killed a 26-yearold protester at the camp, a claim denied by Morocco. Protesters in
Laayoune threw stones at police and set fire to tyres and vehicles.
Several buildings, including a TV station, were also set on fire. Moroccan
officials said five security personnel had been killed in the unrest.
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