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Independant Morocco
The series of nationalist attacks, first in the towns and then in rural areas,
and the pressure of the whole country, made France restore Mohammed V on November
16 1955; it finally signed Celle-Saint Cloud agreements recognizing Morocco independence
on March 2 1956. |
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Mohammed V, who became a King, signed on April
7 the end of Spain protectorate over the North.
Tangier was next restored to Morocco on May 29, after the country had joined the
United Nations Organization. Afterwards, in 1958, province of Tarfaya was recovered
from the Spaniards; and the same year, Morocco joined the Arab League and the
African Unity Organization. The first independence years knew high efforts to
educate children and the masses, and to modernize the laws, particularly those
concerning women rights.
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In 1961, Mohammed V died and his son, Hassan II,
succeeded. He began all-levels reform, especially a constitutional one, and
instituted a bicameral system that failed, making the legislative power under
him for few years. And from the beginning, the king led an active diplomacy indeed.
During the 60s, Morocco was in a socio-economic crisis that slowly passed away;
opposition to the government kept on growing, mainly |
that from independence parties (notably the Istiqlal and then the National Union
of Popular Forces).
However, the country lived then a political pluralism and a nascent democracy,
that had been yet developed in comparison with like countries. A crisis between
France and Morocco arose when Mehdi Ben Barka, founder and the UNFP secretary,
exiled in France and then sentenced to death, disappeared in Paris in 1965.
The liberation of the still occupied areas continued. From 1963, Morocco intervened
in independent Algeria, using first diplomacy and then its armies, to recover
its eastern territories, notably Tlemcen and Tindouf. But socialists ruling Algeria
refused, fought and kept the Moroccan territories formerly taken over by French
Algeria, forgetting the promises their predecessors had made. Finally, in 1969,
Ifni territory was freed from the Spaniards and reintegrated Morocco.
King Hassan II escaped two attacks in 1970 and 1971, which were prepared by the
military who intended to overthrow the government. In 1973, some Saharan Moroccan
created the front Polisario in Marrakech, aiming to free the Moroccan Sahara,
or so-called Western Sahara, from the Spaniards. Next, in 1975, King Hassan II
called for the "Green March": on November 6, 350 000 volunteers crossed peacefully
the artificial borders, which the Spaniards had established northward Saguia El
Hamra; they freed afterwards Laayoune.
On November 14, Spain signed the Madrid accords by which Morocco recovered its
sovereignty over Saharan territories. From then, Moroccan opposition gathered
back round the king; but the Polisario that became supported by Algeria and Libya
began fighting Morocco. Province of Oued Ad-Dhahab (Rio de Oro) was finally recovered
from Mauritania on May 14 1979. The 80s were strengthening of the union between
national forces.
However, the country was being affected by drought, what caused social demonstrations
quickly strangled by authorities. Morocco was led therefore to make a Structural
Adjustment Program, which lasted 10 years and increased poverty but nevertheless
strengthened the economy. During the SAP, human rights are ignored and civil liberties
violated meanwhile the number of prisoners of conscience kept on rising and many
political leaders exiled.
In 1988, Hassan II suggested to hold an auto-determination referendum on the Sahara,
which was approved by the UNO and the AUO and then by the Polisario who agreed
to the cease-fire. And in order to reunify the Maghreb, the king proposed an Arab
Maghreb Union, which was established in February 1989 in Marrakech between Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania.
In the century last decade, Morocco finished with its SAP and King Hassan II instituted
the Advisory Council for Human Rights and then the National Council for Youth
and the Future. The media obtained more liberty, the prisoners of conscience were
freed (destruction of Tazmamart prison camp), the constitution of 1972 was amended
by referendum in 1992 and general elections were hold in 1993.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure was modernized and governments began supplying the
countryside with electricity and drinkable water, and then educating rural children.
From 1994, Morocco was continuously being in works since it needed liberalization
and a lot of necessary reforms that were expansive. The Golf War weakened tourism
that got even worse with the attack of Marrakech in 1995, after which the Algerians
were denied access to Morocco.
The civil society woke up thanks to the Non-Governmental Organizations, of which
the number rapidly rose, that acted in many fields (human rights, education, economy,
corruption, society...). The media obtained full liberty and political parties
abounded, a bilingual and quality press developed, with even newspapers and magazines
in English or Spanish, and a middle class emerged.
The governments that succeeded until 1997 reviewed laws and strengthened bilateral
relationship with Europe and the USA, and started on privatization. Thanks to
the constitutional reform of 1996, general elections were hold in September 1997
and the opposition won the majority of seats in Parliament, which became again
bicameral. In the beginning of 1998, a socialist government was constituted, led
by the old parties of Istiqlal and the SUPF, formerly the NUPF. The socialists
pursued the reforms initiated by previous governments and modernized the justice.
As a sign of progress, King Hassan II declared amnesty for nearly 400 prisoners
of conscience, many of them being Islamists, and the government in collaboration
with human rights NGO divulged the old missing prisoners. Nowadays, Moroccan society
is advancing more and more, even though regional or social disparities will never
completely disappear. However, the country is developing rapidly at all aspects:
cultural, technological or human ones.
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