The Conquest of Morocco: A History

by Douglas Porch

The Conquest of Morocco tells the story of France's last great colonial adventure. At the turn of the twentieth century, Morocco was a nation yet to emerge from the Middle Ages, ruled by local warlords and riven by religious fanaticism. But in the mad scramble for African colonies, Morocco had one great attraction for the it was available. In 1903, France undertook to conquer the exotic and backward country. By the time World War I broke out the conquest was virtually complete. Based on extensive original research, The Conquest of Morocco is a splendid work of popular history.

Genres: History, Morocco, Military History, Nonfiction, Northern Africa, France, Africa

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Douglas Porch is an American historian, academic and a Professor and former Chair of the Department of National Security Affairs for the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee in 1967 and a Ph. D. from Cambridge University in 1972. He has been a professor of strategy at the Naval War College, a guest lecturer at the Marine Corps University, a post-doctoral research fellow at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and the Mark W. Clark Professor of History at The Citadel.

Reviews

[Bob Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

White Guys Star in Colonial Extravaganza!!

OK, folks, don’t get me wrong. This is a very well-researched book and certainly very well-written. It is a popular history in the best sense of the word. You will not tax your brain trying to figure out any jargon-laden sentences. It is full of colorful adjectives and personal vignettes, not to mention outright gossip, trying to give a certain flavor to the text, which must be considered a good thing. But I have some objections. That doesn’t mean you have to ignore it.

The French, in that Age of Imperialism, didn’t want to be left behind. And they were not, being right up there with the British, the Dutch, the Belgians, the Russians, and the Portuguese, later joined by the Italians, Germans, Japanese, and Americans. They already had control of Algeria and Tunisia and had formed a vast, if sandy empire in West Africa, from Senegal to Chad, as well as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Madagascar. Morocco, a kingdom from another time, remained independent, but was seen as a) troublesome and b) a natural addition to French territories. Porch’s work is the story of how the French managed to swallow it. It’s not a pretty tale, but then, no colonial story is. The Moroccan government of the period 1880-1912 was increasingly unable to manage Western penetration of its economy. The sultans wasted huge amounts of money and despite imported advisors (most of whom resembled Trump cabinet members) could not avoid losing control of customs revenues, ports, and other money-earning sectors. The French began to nibble away pieces here and there, accusing Morocco of harboring raiders and harassers. Eventually, they seized Casablanca and started military action against Moroccan tribes, having finally suborned the sultan. Machine guns and artillery against mounted villagers with only a few modern rifles meant, as common in those days, a huge difference in casualties between French and Moroccans. The whole story of the takeover is here. A valuable part of the book lies in the portrayal of the constant struggles between the colonial army in the field, the French and other diplomats in Tangier and Fez, and the politicians in Paris, many of whom opposed the whole enterprise.

I’ve given four stars to this book because it’s well-written and presents a very accessible account of the period. However, I would like to point out that it is a book written entirely from the Western, colonial, French point of view. The French act, the Moroccans are acted upon. The French have sophistication at the upper levels and we learn the details of their internal political arguments. Morocco, however was (p.14) “a country whose able-bodied male population was engaged mainly in cattle stealing”. Moroccans are consistently portrayed as unorganized clowns, plotting opportunists, thieves, and dirty beggars. The ostensibly innocent remark on p.200 about “the flat, discordant notes of Near Eastern music” spoke volumes to me about how the author looked at another culture. Had he never heard of Umm Kalthum? Yeah, right. And then there was his comment on p.85 of how General Gallieni was dispatched “to subdue the rebellious Hovas of Madagascar”. How ungrateful of them to resent French rule! I admit, they were rebels, but the phrase shows the point of view of the whole book. He often speaks of “barbarism” in Morocco, which surely did exist, but was Europe any model of “civilization”? They only claimed that it was because they had parliaments who enabled armies with better guns . This apparently gave them the right to shoot up whole continents. They reserved most of their barbarism for overseas adventure and then there were two world wars. Very civilized. I recently read and reviewed “Resistance in the Desert” by Ross Dunn. It’s much more academic, hence not so readable, but man, it’s far, far ahead of this one.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sprightly written and occasionally entertaining narrative of the military conquest of Morocco by the French during the first years of the 20th century. The conquest of Morocco was undertaken mostly because the French wanted to protect their colony in Algeria from raids by Moroccan tribes and because the soldiers on the ground were a bunch of bored glory-seekers trying to jump-start their careers and likely to turn a blind eye to instructions from the government in Paris, who they held in contempt. They certainly weren't in it for the money, Morocco being a poor, fractious and undeveloped shithole without resources; natural, human or otherwise. The attitudes of the French colonial army is best represented by General Lyautey, who sought in Morocco a type of noble feudalism that was gone forever from France. We are fortunate that this sort of foolishness doesn't happen anymore. Porch's writing carries us along to make the reading of this sordid tale palatable, and if you have an interest in the history of France, especially the French army, this is a worthwhile read.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid history of the French conquest of Morocco told from a primarily military point of view which I obtained at the town dump in Springfield, Vermont--a superb example of that state's concern for the environment.

While the history of French imperialism is just about as appalling as that of Britain or the USA, the story of waste management in Homer Simpson's Springfield, VT is inspiring. There, unless one hires a service to do it, people bring their waste to a central location which is run like a business. They handle everything from garden waste to old magazines and books. One is supposed to presort and one is supposed to pay a nominal fee for true waste. I'm not sure what the policy is for valuable garbage such as copper. Perhaps they pay you. In any case, the dump makes money selling what is saleable and from the fees charged for disposal, enough to hire some staff. They, the staff, organize which might be reusable, placing the stuff into appropriate sections of large sheds. This book, a hardcover first edition, was in the shed containing software, reading material, video and tape recordings. The dump's director publishes an annual report which is bundled with those of other township agencies and distributed to residents. Unlike other governmental reporters, the current dump director writes with a sense of humor.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rambling account of France's efforts to subjugate Morocco. Porch is best with colorful details, providing vivid depictions of devious Frenchmen, decadent Moroccan officials and opportunistic cutthroats (including our friend Raisuli). Military buffs will enjoy Porch's accounts of obscure battles and campaigns. Porch is less successful drawing the political/imperial context that spurred France's intervention in the region. It lacks the tedious detail of Porch's Foreign Legion book but is also less convincing.

[Joe Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book🙌🏻🙌🏻

[Greg Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Douglas Porch paints a squalid, corrupt, incompetent picture of Morocco in the first decade of the 20th century. There are no heroes, not in the Moroccans (either rebels nor loyalists), not in the French, not in the other Europeans squabbling for money, power, and land. Everyone is painted in dour colors, even those in far-away capitols. This does wear on the reader. How can everything be dirty, and base? How can every person be incompetent, and greedy, and vicious?

Porch has done his research. His sketches of the leaders is thorough, his descriptions of the cities and barrens and battles careful and precise. He clearly understands the complexities of the essentially medieval power machinations that ultimately left Morocco a protectorate of France.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing with an often quite funny sense of disdain for literally all of the major actors on both sides, this record of one of the last outright colonial conquests of the 20th Century is both humorous and tragic.

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morocco! The name brings to mind romantic images of the casbah, medinas, mellahs, sultans, harems, mountains, deserts, wind swept coastlines and for some, hashish. But the story of the 'conquest' of Morocco is rather less uplifting from almost every vantage point. The French colonial 'adventure' in that place from about 1900-1914 is covered by Douglas Porch in a fascinating account covering most of the conquest. It is a complex but often rambling tale of diplomacy (both local and international), bribery, corruption, savagery, skirmishes, raids and a few pitched battles and sieges. The collision of an early 20th century European military with a brave and warlike tribal society made for often one-sided outcomes, as Porch puts it--"Firepower was a concept as alien to them as atheism" (p.177). A handful, even one or two French '75s' (a rapid-firing field artillery piece) and a single machine gun could often overcome massive manpower imbalances, think Kitchener at Omdurman. Yet given the opportunity of surprise and numbers, tribal 'harkas' could and did inflict severe reverses on French colonial forces (often comprised of numerous Algerians, Senegalese and French officers), usually accompanied by horrific butchery. You have to wonder why the French bothered in the first place given the almost complete lack of economic benefit to be derived from controlling this land. Yet Porch does a good job explaining the deep divisions within France and the somewhat bizarre motivations of the colonial 'lobby', often having little to do with conquest per se. Few of the key personages are spared from his barbed and often humorous (but seemingly truthful) insight. That includes both the French and other random Europeans and nearly all the Moroccans. His portrait of Hubert Lyautey who more less led the French effort is both entertaining and instructive as to French society and the Army itself. And his portrayal of the various sultans and their lifestyle such as Moulai Halid and tribal leaders such as el Raisuni, are also fascinating. One review complained that the book is too one-sided (i.e. French) but are there even written accounts from the Moroccan side? Especially from that period? Not sure if Porch speaks Arabic, but overall I found his effort to present both viewpoints admirable.

What is the point of reading such history I often have to ask myself?

Colonialism, usually portrayed as a horrific crime was an incredibly brief interlude in the long history of Morocco and many other places, less than 50 years in the case of Morocco. Were there negative aspects, of course. But you have to ask yourself what the place might be like today if no European ever set foot there? In 1900 literacy was essentially unknown in Morocco and had school attendance was only around 3 percent by 1940. Education was limited to madrassas and Islamic teaching. Women were chattel in nearly every respect and tribal warfare (mainly raiding) was predominant. That probably worked well for many of the people--I suppose even women accepted their role although we really have almost no idea what your 'average' harem-dweller thought about anything. That was life for many centuries before the brief colonial eruption. Ironically, the same people who extol the virtues of globalism today would be the first to condemn the colonial era, but the essence of colonialism was globalism, often with a gun. The more technologically advanced nations brought the modern world to much of the planet for both good and bad. At this point the outcome may be toss-up for much of the planet. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early work by Professor Porch (1982). An accessible work of history - popular history. The writing is breezy at times with a literary flavoring. Written over forty years ago when he was in his thirties there is a snappy, wisecracking sensibility that his later, more mature works, do not have. I read the 2004 re-print with an introduction by Professor Porch. He writes that the "Conquest" books ( The Conquest of the Sahara: A History) were written for fun (explaining that breezy, wisecracking attitude) and he assigned the books to a type of "Boys Own" adventure history. He acknowledges that twenty plus years later attitudes and ideas had changed when it came to views on colonialism and the post-colonial world.

This is a well written and researched piece of history, but it is more of an adventure story - even as the grimy aspect of colonialism is acknowledged but not dwelled on. As noted in the previous paragraph, Dr. Porch himself describes it as a fun piece of adventure history. I would have absolutely eaten it up as a teenager when I was devouring imperial adventure fiction/science fiction by such writers as Rudyard Kipling, H. Rider Haggard, H. Beam Piper and Jerry Pournelle. However, the way we see the world and ourselves at sixteen is very different at fifty-six. Therefore, some of the fun and excitement is not there. Doesn't take away from the fact that his is a well-done piece of history. It just shows that even a relatively short 40+ years ago ideas and attitudes were different.

Still an excellent read and one that I recommend. I wish there had been more detailed maps, but all in all this is a good book to take on a trip. We spent a couple days in Las Vegas to see a show. The show was great, but if one isn't a gambler Vegas is a pretty boring/expensive city to be in when not sitting in a theater. Being a dinosaur, I like having a book in my hand and this was a good one to have along. Rather ironic as well if one looks at Las Vegas as being the product of the United States own late 19th century imperial era - LOL.

[David Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the reviews I decided to abandon ship once I finished my trip to Morocco and once it got into the battlefield logistics sections, but the opening section about pre-colonial Morocco I found both fascinating and entertaining. It was an especially fun read while I was in country trying to better understand Moroccan culture.

[Mer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what it was but I read the words, the words were in my native language and yet, the words chosen were vague in some way. Or maybe made allusions to topics I'm not familiar with. The result being that the sentences were not understandable and therefore the subject was not understandable.

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting background of Morocco from the 1830's to 1917 with bio info on Moroccan and French leaders, Moroccan tribes and the many battles that the French and Moroccans had over a long period.

[Greynomad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

[Sean Mccarrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing terribly shaky about the structure of this book. It's fairly straight forward, with the exception that sometimes Porch likes to drop the reader into a situation and then explain the way out, a tact that I believe is better left for T.V. and movies. The elements of this book all line up to be a fairly enthralling read about the trials and tribulations of the colonial world, but I found that a number of times I was left wanting for more of a climax in the story. I understand that this is history, but I think a better explanation of the significance of Lyautey could have really served the book. At some points I found myself fairly indifferent to the various figures and plot lines. I would recommend this book if you are interested in Morocco, but if you're looking to read a history book for entertainment, there are far more out there that will entertain you.

[Lucille · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grade 12 French ISU essay and presentation was about Morocco. I didn't know anything about the country before I started. I found the history very interesting. Morocco was so close to Europe witout the Europeans ever taking any notice. Then, almost all of a sudden in the 1800s, so many different countries wanted to take control of the formerly wild nation. The story of Morocco's conquest- largely attributed to the efforts of Hubert Lyautey- is a good story. The regime of the French didn't last that long on the grand scale of things, but it helped to shape Morocoo into the country that it is today.

[Robert Ayres · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book on the French colonial conquest of Morocco in the pre World War I era of the early 1900s. Book is difficult to follow both because of the author's assumption that the reader is already familar with both the French and Moroccoan political situation and his his extensive use of Moroccoan specific vocabulary. He frequently uses the local vocabulary for geographic features, tribal names, tribal titles, etc without explanation leaving the reader at a loss as to whats going on. Unless the reader sits by google constantly checking terms (several times per page), the reader will have a difficult time following the flow of the story.

[Billy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard book to figure. There's very little written in English on the French experience in Morocco, so on the one hand this book is a welcome addition to the library. On the other hand, it is not an easy read, despite some wonderful snark at Lyautey's expense. The author does not really do a sufficient job explaining the Moroccan political scene (admittedly a difficult task) or the French one for that matter. The book needs to be much longer or much shorter.

Also, there is one map in the whole book. I hate that in a work of military history.

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this author's account on the French Foreign Legion and 'The Conquest of the Sahara' and this book is just as good as those two. Douglas Porch almost seems to have a inside line into what it must have felt like to be one of the actors of these great drama's. If you want to read a great book and learn something of the French involvement in the Middle East, you'll love this book and his others. Take the chance and buy a copy and then sit down and enjoy!

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

My father lived in Morocco for several years in the early 1950s. From things he told me I knew many of the place names, as well as some of the attitudes of the French, Arabs & Berbers. The background details about custom and place kept me reading this book, I found the military maneuvers far too detailed. I am glad I read it though, I wish my father was alive to share it with.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history of the French, Spanish (and somewhat German) conquest of Morocco. Interesting tales of the banditry and lawlessness outside the cities, and in the mountains.