He also narrates the daily life of soldiers in the war as well as the self-images and tensions among the colonial officers. We suffered hunger and joblessness in the Rif,” Ahmed al Fisouni, 87, said referring to the northern region where many were recruited. Morocco - Morocco - The Spanish Zone: The Spanish protectorate over northern Morocco extended from Larache (El-Araish) on the Atlantic to 30 miles (48 km) beyond Melilla (already a Spanish possession) on the Mediterranean. In Algeria: The Algerian War of Independence …to grant full independence to Morocco and Tunisia and to concentrate on retaining “French Algeria.” The Moroccan sultan and Premier Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia, hoping to find an acceptable solution to the Algerian problem, prepared to hold a meeting in Tunis with some important Algerian leaders (including Ben Bella, Boudiaf,… He and many of his comrades recruited to Franco’s cause still cling to a belief in the rightness of the fight against suspected sympathizers of Spanish communist “Rojos” (Reds), whom Moroccan conscripts saw as the enemies of religion. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item. North Africa and Spain, as the author ably demonstrates, were but one battle space for the forces of the state -- not just physically but psychologically. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The Betrothed of Death: The Spanish Foreign Legion During the Rif Rebellion, 1920-1927 (Contributions in Comparative Colonial Studies), FRANCE, SPAIN AND THE RIF(Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War 1922-26). On Wednesday, Borrell brought up the Rif War before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish Parliament and the damage Spain inflicted and the reprehensible use of poison gas, reported Spanish news outlets, including Europa Press. “The Spanish have bad memories of Moroccans because Spaniards saw them as the ones who fought a legitimate and constitutional government and sided with dictator Franco.”, Additional reporting by Ben Harding in Madrid; Editing by Lamine Ghanmi and William Maclean. Mohamed Larbi Messari, a former ambassador to Spain, said: “Memories of this war are still alive. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Morocco World News: Championing Free Speech and Thoughtful Debate Through Journalistic Excellence. These emotional things are difficult to erase. Dr Balfour exposes this previously closely guarded secret using evidence from Spanish military archives and from survivors in Morocco. Also, how it shaped the mentality of Africanos whose military contribution was crucial for Franco. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. It is a highly enlightening read. After looking at the motives that drove Moroccans to resist or cooperate with Spain, the author describes the contradictory pictures among Spaniards of Moroccan collaborators and foes. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Morocco: Love in Times of War (original Spanish title: Tiempos de guerra) is a war drama set primarily in 1920s Melilla, a Spanish city located in North Africa. After the defeats, Spain and France called for negotiations with the Moroccan National Liberation Movement, which received support and administration from many liberation movements across the world. Please check your email for further instructions. On July 18, 1936, the Spanish Civil War begins as a revolt by right-wing Spanish military officers in Spanish Morocco and spreads to mainland Spain. Please try again. Lorca was killed by Franco sympathizers and buried in a mass grave. “The accumulation of all these elements forged an image of the Moroccan in some sectors of the Spanish that the Moroccan is backward, savage and cruel,” said historian Mohamed Nechnech. There was a problem loading your book clubs. An alleged 13,000 Spanish soldiers died in the battle. As Bob Hope and Bing Crosby sang, "Just like Webster's Dictionary, we're Morocco-bound," and so might have sung the colonial army of 1919-20, when they invaded Morocco with every trick in the book, including mustard gas, itself a pretty new invention. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. It is worth the money and no doubt highly recommended for those interested in the area and its history. If I oversimplify his argument, it is to state that the Spanish Army of Franco was a rag-tag scatterbrained bunch who might well have lost to the Popular Front during the War of the later 1930s had not they had the chance to hone their martial skills during a horrifying campaign earlier in the century, directly after the First World War, in Northern Africa. About 136,000 Moroccan fighters fought for the Generalissimo's "Army of Africa", the feared vanguard of a force that, ironically, Franco portrayed as a Christian crusade against godless communists. Horrified Spaniards attempted to flee as soon as they heard the words of our prayer.”. Balfour's book advances a strange thesis which he makes compellingly believable by the middle of the text, and from that point afterward, you believe it the way you believe the earth is round. NADOR, Morocco (Reuters) - Slimane Betmaki smiles at the memory of the terror he inflicted on Spanish villagers on behalf of former dictator Francisco Franco. The book clarifies certain facts and discusses the causes of the Anwal disaster and the effect it had on Spain. Despite Spain’s later actions, the Battle of Annual and the Rif War represent the pride of Moroccans. This deepened suspicions about Islam in sectors of the Spanish political right. “Franco’s supporters managed to convince Moroccan soldiers the rojos were enemies of both faithful Muslims and Christians. This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime. Spain's new colonial venture in Morocco in the early twentieth-century turned into a bloody war against the tribes resisting the Spanish invasion of their lands. The study of the Spanish colonial army, the Rif wars (in particular the 3rd war), the Spanish government problems, the complex politics within Morocco, in the context of European colonial hegemony, especially French and British, is an excellent informative and enjoyable work. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Deadly Embrace: Morocco and the Road to the Spanish Civil War. Besides the government, several Moroccan and international NGOs are calling on Spain to take the accusations seriously. Superb examination of a much-overlooked period of Spanish colonial history. The Spanish city of Cordoba was the center of Islamic civilization in the Iberian peninsula for nearly eight centuries of Moorish rule over much of what is now Spain and Portugal. Some former “moro” fighters say poverty drove them to war. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Please try again. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Spanish historians have called the battle “the disaster of Annual” because of the untold numbers of Spanish soldiers who died in the disastrous defeat. Those who were swept away by the magnificent film, "Pan's Labyrinth," yet wondered about the origins of the grotesque behavior of the state representatives, will find the answer in this work. Melilla was retained by Spain as an exclave… Please try again. If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Spain's new colonial venture in Morocco in the early twentieth-century turned into a bloody war against the tribes resisting the Spanish invasion of their lands. The decision was a blatant violation of the Treaty of Versaille signed in 1919. France then exiled El Khattabi with his family to the island of Reunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean, where he lived for 20 years. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Finally, he examines the Spanish colonial army's response to the Second Republic of 1931-1936 and its brutal march through Spain in the Civil War. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2009. Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2005. The treaty prohibited the use of poison gas. Opening dialogue on Spain’s use of poison gas in the Rif War has been suggested before. In 1921 during the Rif War, Moroccan tribes under the leadership of Abd el-Krim almost captured the town. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. I encounter this book in a local library by chance. Sebastian Balfour should be congratulated on his efforts and attention to detail without losing the general theme. We followed orders from our top commanders. Thanks for subscribing! After Spain’s defeat in the battle, the Spanish colonizers made an unprecedented decision to use poison gas to stifle the revolution in the Rif region under the instruction of King Alfonso XIII in 1923. Now 98, he recalls children, women and the elderly fleeing at the sound of the Islamic prayers he and his fellow soldiers chanted while attacking and destroying their settlements. The mountainous Tamazight-speaking area had often escaped the sultan’s control. The Civil War ended with the victory of Franco’s rebels, armed and heavily backed by fascist Italy and Germany, over the Republican government which received some support from the Soviet Union and Mexico. Morocco World News is dedicated to bringing the news of Morocco and the MENA region to a wide audience without bias or a political agenda. El Khattabi agreed to end the Rif War, but refused to hand over the weapons his men had seized from fallen Spanish soldiers. Spain gave us meat, fish, bread and fruits as good food on top of 50 Moroccan dirhams ($5.95) as a family aid alongside a monthly salary of 250 dirhams,” he added. The author merticulously depicts and explicates the cause and subsequent outcome of Spain's phatasmagoric expedition to the North Africa and blood common soldiers had to shed for this political fiasco. Morocco’s Center for Common Memory for Democracy urged former Spanish foreign minister Alfonso Dastis to take into consideration Morocco’s requests. The battle was one of Morocco’s most famous accomplishments against colonial powers. Twelve of the 21 men convicted of carrying out the al Qaeda-inspired train bombings, which killed 191 people in Madrid in 2004, were Moroccans. Moroccan ex-combatant Abdelkader Amezian speaks of the past during an interview in his home in Tetouan November 20, 2008. It dispelled certain myths in my mind. “There is no doubt that Morocco had a role in Spain’s history and in a gloomy sense Morocco had links to Spain’s tragedy,” Laura Lorca, a niece of Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, told the Moroccan newspaper Al Massae. Other natural resources included iron ore, manganese, fish, zinc, and salt (Morocco, CIA). Spain military at the 1925 Rif war Morocco. Both Spain and France used chemical grenades and other weapons that had been used in World War I. Eid Al Adha in Morocco: How Many Sheep Can You Fit in a Jeep. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. The massive attack led the Riffian leader to hand himself over to the French occupiers for the first time on May 26, 1926. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2014. El Khattabi’s guerilla tactics led Spain’s Manuel Fernandez Silvester and his soldiers to withdraw. Among them, forgotten by European history, are tens of thousands of Moroccan fighters, their burials unrecorded and their fate unacknowledged. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Order now and we'll deliver when available. Moroccan intellectuals and writers argue that a “bitter taste” left by memories of Muslim-Christian friction in previous centuries was rekindled by Morocco’s role in the Spanish war.