Morocco: From Empire to Independence

by C.R. Pennell

Beginning with Morocco’s incorporation into the Roman Empire, this book charts the country’s uneasy passage to the 21st century and reflects on the nation of citizens that is emerging from a diverse population of Arabs, Berbers, and Africans. This history of Morocco provides a glimpse of an imperial world, from which only the architectural treasures remain, and a profound insight into the economic, political, and cultural influences that will shape this country’s future.

Genres: History, Morocco, Nonfiction, Travel

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2003

Reviews

[Abhi Gupte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an exhaustive yet unsatisfying history of Morocco. I found very few books on the subject and this one is probably the only one that covers the complete history of the country. However, "something" is missing - I can't quite seem to pinpoint exactly what, but for starters - the narration is almost always only factual; there is hardly any analytical or comparative description. I had a lot of questions before reading the book that are still left unanswered. For eg. Why is Morocco the only country in North Africa that has a constitutional monarchy and (purportedly) a lesser degree of Islamic fundamentalism? Why did the Ottomans conquer all of North Africa except Morocco? Are the two questions interlinked?

The book is a flurry of names that are not developed into characters and cities that are locations for chronological events rather than unique cultural centers. While reading the book, it was difficult to contextualize Moroccan events given my ignorance of the history of the Greater Middle East. The author described the rise of European power in Morocco very well. However, French rule in Morocco seemed to be just an extension of post-medieval European expansion rather than an instance of 19th century colonialism.

All that is required is a slower pace with more explanations and this book could very well become THE authoritative history of Morocco.

[Garnette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was painful. I chose it because it was the only book on Moroccan history easily available to me. I forced myself through it because I really wanted to understand the subject. But a lot of it (truthfully, most of it) was lost on me because it was a lot of names and dates and unfamiliar Arabic terms. I must confess that part of the fault was mine... if I’d known more (or anything at all) about the subject to begin with, I would have understood more. But ending my complete ignorance was the whole point of reading the book, and the process was painful and only partially successful. It is clear to me though that the story is fascinating and a different author (or perhaps even this author, with a strong editor?) could produce a really good book.

[Ahmed Khattabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Name: Ahmed Khattabi
Grade: 6"1"

Morocco: From Empire to Independence is a history book written by Richard Pennell. This book is about the history and mostly about Morocco under the French and Spanish colonization. The French took control of the center regions of Morocco such as Rabat,Casablanca and other regions, where as the Spanish took control of Moroccan Sahara and the northern region of Morocco. Even if Morocco didn't have weapons as good as Spain and France yet Moroccans did have some advantages that led them to win their independence and declare Morocco as a free country. Resistance appeared in different parts of Morocco under the leadership of powerful leaders such as Abdelkarim Khattabi (my grandpa), Moha Ohamo Ezzayani, Mohammed Zerktouni and others. This resistance helped Morocco it's independence in 1956. Other parts of Morocco like Sahara remained under Spanish rule until 1975 when His Majesty Hassan organized the green march (المسيرة الخضراء) to gain the independence of Sahara.

Morocco: From Empire to independence is a nonfiction book because it is about the history of Morocco
during colonization till independence. The author wrote this book to help us learn about the history of Morocco and how it gained it independence. In this book, there were many facts about Moroccan resistance during the European rule. One of the facts stated in the book is about Abdelkarim Khattabi who brought weapons to the Moroccan army because they didn't have much weapons to fight the Spanish. Another historical is the formation of the al Estiklal Party by Alal El Fassi to unite people around one idea which is independence. Moreover the colonization of Morocco by was in the early 1900 and gained the Independence in 1956.

My Favorite is when Morocco was declared an independent country with it's own king Mohamed V. My least favorite episode of the book was when France and Spain started killing innocent Moroccans to gain a piece of land. I would recommend this book to all Moroccans and others that want to learn about the history of Morocco and how it gained it's independence.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

An approachable and mellifluous account of pretty much all of Moroccan history from the Roman times until the early 2000s and the transition period of Mohammed VI. Succint, to-the-point and with just enough historical detail to keep the awesomeness flowing without bogging the reader down in name after name after name after name, and so on. Periodized by nature of the monarchy in the modern period with good bits on the nationalist movement, not enough on Islamists, and a concise section on the Western Sahara.

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uninspired, but not a difficult read. I'm not certain if his work is reliable or not, it was shockingly short of citations and references. It seems he read relatively little to write this, seems to know little about Islam. The more you read the harder it gets to follow, its a bit of a tortured narrative. Author doesn't seem to understand economics.

he said the Soviet Union collapsed in September 1990 - I have been trying to figure out how....

I do not recommend this

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay for an overview but tries to cover too much ground and therefore does so thinly. There were so many shifting centers and actors of power and influence that it’s hard to see the big picture. The second half of the book, in the precolonial to modern era was better.

[Luis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't recommend this book. Yes, the author does the difficult task of summarizing the full breath of all the history of this country but does so without any level of depth or analysis and passing by major events without stating the real importance or significance of such events. (Further research is necessary to get the real depth) There is very little, if any discussion on the sources, historiographical challenges, changes in point of view throughout history. It's just a very brief introduction to Morocco, I guess. It's not even much fun.

[Agustín G. Campos Priego · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen ensayo para entender —muy por encima— algo de la historia de Marruecos.

Fue buen complemento al otro libro que leí de historia del país que solo se enfocaba en la historia moderna. Acá, en cambio, parte desde los orígenes.

[Francine Apollo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very readable history. The author is very detailed and thorough...just read it in sessions and you will enjoy the book.

Recommended.

[Nacho.gb · Rating 1 out of 5]

More than a book, it's a calendar with date and names. It reminds me to my old times at school when I had to memorize names and dates.

[Pedro Picapiedra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pendiente

[Maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book would probably be more interesting to someone with a greater love of history. For me, the various leaders' names and activities all ran together until just before the end.

My take-aways from the book:
*There were lots of invasions of North Africa by the Roman and Ottoman empires
*Moroccan rulers often killed their own male family members to come into or maintain power
*Moroccan rulers tried to pass on kingdoms to male heirs, but no one lineage lasted very long
*A large fraction (a quarter?) of the Moroccan rulers mentioned in the book had the first name Mohammed
*Lots of the succession arguments related to the interpretation of Islam
*The vizier of the prior king tried to kill the king multiple times
*Kidnapping and killing of (potentially) politically powerful Moroccans occurred as recently as the 70s

That just about sums it up.

[Asa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A BBC documentary narrated by a polite professor who refuses to call colonialism theft, genocide, or systemic violence, preferring words like “protectorate arrangements” and “administrative consolidation.” Great for factual scaffolding, less great for moral spine.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stripped down and spartan take on Moroccan history, but done very well and doles out facts and citations in a smooth and enjoyable manner.

[Aitor Mahiques Bataller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant a partir del segle XIX, fins a eixe moment és una successió de dinasties sense que aprofundisca gaire en l'estructura socioeconòmica del període.