A History of Modern Morocco

by Susan Gilson Miller

Morocco is notable for its stable and durable monarchy, its close ties with the West, its vibrant cultural life and its centrality to regional politics. This book, by distinguished historian Susan Gilson Miller, offers a richly documented survey of modern Moroccan history. Arguing that pragmatism rather than ideology has shaped the monarchy's response to crisis, the book begins with the French invasion of Algeria in 1830 and Morocco's abortive efforts at reform, the duel with colonial powers and the loss of independence in 1912, the burdens and benefits of France's forty-four year dominion and the stunning success of the nationalist movement leading to independence in 1956. In the post-independence era, the book traces the monarchy's gradual monopolization of power and the resulting political paralysis, with a postscript bringing events up to 2012. This concise, readable book will inform and enthral students and all those searching for the background to present-day events in the region.

Genres: History, Morocco, Africa, Nonfiction, Northern Africa, Middle East, Islam

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2012

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Travelling to Morocco twice recently, I realized that I have quite a few open questions regarding this piece of world, because I have no idea about its history. Most notably:
- How king Mohammed VI managed to held his position during 2011 Arab spring?
- How the country manages to keep radical islamists at bay, having last act of terrorism in 2003 when islamic terrorist blew himself in Casablanca?
- How the hell can one dynasty of monarchs be in power from 1631 to current time?
- Why does Morocco keep occupying Western Sahara even though no other UN member state recognizes Morocco's sovereignity over it?
- What is the reason for animosity between Morocco and Algeria, when they should be allies having similar history and same religion?

The book traces post-1830 Moroccan events with satisfying context and depth, giving me at least some answers, because there is, as always, no simple explanation. I feared that the book would be hard to read given the amount of unfamiliar names and events, but I was pleasantly suprised by how well the content was organized. Definitely worth a read.

[Max]

Informative and fluid.

[Marc Udoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really provides a detailed history of a modern Morocco. It claims to provide a balanced history that is buried from Moroccan memory by its rulers. The running themes of the book is the power struggles in its history and how it effects all spheres of life. In the end, you are left with a feeling that every part of Morocco's history was not so black and white, but nuanced and complex. You see how good and terrible the protectorate and the monarchy were at times. The book ends in 2011 at the new constitution. Overall, I didn't love the book; sometimes it was interesting and other times dense and boring, but I am glad to have read it on my trip to Morocco.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose for its length it does a decent job of covering the political shifts of modern Morocco, but it would have been nice if more of the cultural and societal considerations were brought into the narrative. It serves mainly as a play-by-play of who/what was in power at any given time.

[Zulu Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. I would wager that 99% of people who buy this book are planning a trip to Morocco. I am no exception. It’s a fairly readable, articulate and serious academic history of the last 200 years of Morocco, which is exactly what I was looking for. This being said, I think the author and the publisher should have been a bit more honest with themselves about the target audience and eschewed any pretensions of engaging with the existing academic literature. They should have instead focused on trying to tease out and explore the most important points and themes for a readership with no prior knowledge. This is a common problem I find with some “Modern History of (insert country).” I suppose people who spend their careers in academia don’t aspire to writing anything that feels so pedestrian as a dummy’s guide to the object of their knowledge, yet that’s obviously where the big bucks are.

There are some interesting segments and some extremely insightful and competent analysis here, I don’t doubt Miller’s grasp of the subject matter. But I think she could have refined her focus much more effectively if she had a clearer idea in mind of who would be buying this (seriously, I would wager the vast majority of sales of this book are people with no prior background who are about to travel or work there). There are definitely some sections which drag massively, recitations of names and events for which I can’t imagine a target audience.

So in sum, if your thing is to always read up on the place you’re about to travel to, this is pretty much your only option in terms of books which are easily obtainable from Amazon, but don’t expect to be blown away or inspired.

[Xavier Ruiz Trullols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid and informative read that delivers exactly what its title promises. I started reading it while traveling through Morocco, eager to better understand the country’s recent history: from its colonial entanglements to its post-independence evolution. The book served as a great companion during my trip, helping me contextualize much of what I was seeing and experiencing.

Miller offers a clear, well-researched account of Morocco's transformation from the mid-19th century onward, with particularly strong chapters on the Spanish and French colonial periods, the struggle for independence and the complex, often turbulent reign of Hassan II. It’s a bit academic in tone—slightly dry at times—but that’s to be expected from a book rooted in solid scholarship. Still, the narrative remains accessible enough for non-specialists interested in North African or postcolonial history.

That said, there are two noticeable limitations: the book doesn’t delve much into Morocco’s history prior to 1850, so readers hoping for a broader historical scope may be left wanting. Likewise, the section on the current monarch, Mohammed VI, feels somewhat brief and lacking in critical depth, especially given the significance of his reign in shaping modern Morocco. Despite these gaps, the book remains a valuable and well-structured overview of the country’s modern past.

[Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a lot covered in this book and oh boy, it is covered poorly. First of all, it is meandering, slow-paced and messy, with sudden time jumps all over the place that made it hard to construct a sensible narrative. Second of all, there was a failure to really get to the core of things- just long winded descriptions of events that only rarely amounted to concrete analysis. Third, my biggest bone to pick with this book is the way it was structured. Each chapter was a period in Moroccan history, and each was subdivided into topics like "Economy", "Foreign relations", "Popular protests". This made the book entirely impenetrable, because of course all these events influenced each other- but thats hard to see when they're seperated! You would read abt the politics of 1912 and suddenly the next section started and, boom, you're being told about a migration movement happening in 1897. A mess of a book redeemed only marginally by how much it covers. Unfortunately I have an exam on it so I'll have to go rearrange my summary in chronological order bc the editors of this book didn't bother.

[Giuliana]

Empecé a leer este libro para poder entender mejor ciertas obras literarias. Sin tener conocimientos sobre la historia de Marruecos, puedo decir que ahora tengo un panorama bastante general de los últimos 200 años del país. Sin embargo, también hay que decir que no desarrolla con mucha profundidad ningún acontecimiento (algo lógico si consideramos el amplio período que abarca el libro). Otro punto en contra es que no sigue estrictamente un orden cronológico, como parecería indicar el índice, y que algunos acontecimientos importantes son mencionados después de que sucedieron (por ejemplo, las migraciones masivas que se dieron principalmente a fines de los noventa en el reinado de Hassan II se mencionan en el capítulo dedicado a Mohammed VI). Esto hace que su lectura pueda resultar un poco confusa para quien no conoce nada sobre Marruecos. En definitiva, más allá de los defectos que mencioné, considero que es una buena puerta de entrada para conocer sobre Marruecos y su historia.

[David]

A pretty interesting history, but an unremarkable book. I know next to nothing about the contemporary history of North Africa, so I cannot place Morocco in relation to other countries, nor can I evaluate Miller's argument. Not that she makes a strong argument. This is essentially a summary of the past 200 years, not much more. Covers a fascinating period but I leave it unsatisfied. Certainly, makes me look at the ubiquitous portraits of the king a bit differently.

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

Buen ensayo. Pero no logro atrapar tanto mi interés como las historia de otros países que he leído. Quizás debí conseguir uno que incluyera el Marruecos “antiguo” y las guerras árabes y conquista de España, periodos que me resultan apasionante. Este, como su nombre lo indica, solo habla del Marruecos moderno un poco antes del protectorado francés hasta la actualidad.

Aún así, muy serio y profesional el estudio de la autora.

[Tom Gaillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a recommended by our travel company and I read it prior to my first trip to Morocco. I found it fascinating. Gives a very clear history of this area of Morocco and the building of a nation during the tumult of the 20th century.

Highly recommended if you're planning to visit Morocco.

[Jake Engels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miller does a really impressive job of covering so much history, so quickly, and in such an accessible manner.

[Amine Seghir]

Very good book. But in 2002 the pjd didn't win the election...

[نورالدين · Rating 5 out of 5]

insightful

[Lee Pryor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! Definitely recommended for people visiting or interested in Morocco.

[Ignacio Alonso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Después de leer este libro creo que ahora entiendo mucho mejor Marruecos.

[Maria Rõhu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up while driving to Morocco for a couple of days: a decent primer of the history until Arab spring (and a good background for understanding what happened after it).

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

History of Morocco read for a class on the subject. Bland and literal. I've read more page turning history books.

[MBJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good read for anyone looking for a quick primer on the recent history of Morocco. I like the fact that there is such a book focusing on the past 185 years or so. The history of Morocco is so much older, but it is almost impossible to absorb it all at once. This modern history is very accessible, particularly if you are on your way to visit Morocco, as we are. I feel better equipped to make this trip having taken the time to read this book. And even though it is basically a beginner's book, I can tell by the careful research and attention to detail in the writing that it is the work of a true scholar.

[Sara Bombardieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I temi affrontati sono molti, fortunatamente le informazioni sono sempre molto chiare. Ovviamente in 250 pagine non è possibile andare in profondità, anche se alcuni temi meriterebbero. Lo trovo in ogni caso un libro estremamente utile: quanto letto rimane impresso nella memoria e può essere un'utile base sulla quale poggiare altra conoscenza, magari altri libri che hanno invece un tema più specifico.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of Moroccan history from 1830 (when the French landed in Algeria) to the end of King Hassan II's reign in 1999.