In 1912, two years before the start of World War I, the French and Spanish agreed to become “‘protecting powers’ for France’s puppet sultan” in Morocco. This agreement exemplified, as had been the case for numerous decades, that the Ottoman Empire was what Tsar Nicholas I called “the sick man of Europe.” When The Great War ended officially in the summer of 1919, the approximately 600-year-old empire soon ended as well.
Regarding Spain and France, the former didn’t fight in the war, while the latter suffered extensively from it. Spain was already in a weakened state, militarily and politically, before the war; France was weakened afterward. This was the setting for the Moroccan-based Rif War.
This post-World War I conflict is the topic of Philip Jowett and Martin Windrow’s new study, “The Rif War 1921–26: Morocco’s Berber Uprising.” This war pitted the Spanish against the Berber tribes of Morocco along the Rif (Arabic for “Edge” mountains), and later involved the French, after the tribesmen moved too close to the French zone.
The agreements between the Ottomans, French, and Spanish regarding Morocco is explained in the opening pages of this new brief work. The authors also discuss how the Berber tribes were often in conflict with each other, but, as is often the case, a common enemy becomes a unifying factor.
A Time to Revolt
This unifying factor only became stronger when it saw how weak Spain was. The once mighty empire had been on a long and precipitous decline. It was weak in practically every important category: politically, militarily, and financially. As the authors make clear, the Spanish troops stationed in Morocco reflected these costly shortcomings. The troops were poorly trained, armed, fed, and paid, sometimes going without payment for long periods.Before the start of this particular conflict in 1921, the rebels of Mount Gurugu in Morocco exploited the Spanish army’s limitations in 1909. It was a problem that needed rectifying, but Spain was proving that the Ottomans were not the only sick ones in Europe.
Jowett and Windrow highlight a moment in the spring of 1919, a time where most of Europe was focused on negotiating the Treaty of Versailles and assessing how to carve up the world to create new international borders. During this time, two Moroccan brothers, Mohammed and M’hamed bin Abd el Krim el Khattabi, began to advocate for a “united Rifian state independent of the Sultanate.”
One Demand Too Many
It was the beginning of a five-year losing campaign for the Spanish, though in the end, it was the Berbers (referred to as Rifians throughout the book) who fell. This fall was primarily due to the early advocation by the Rifians to create an independent Islamic state. In February of 1923, Mohammed claimed himself emir (prince), and, despite his brilliant leadership, his demand for such a state was the unified tribes’ undoing.Indeed, the world had come apart with World War I with new borders drawn and new nations erected, but for the French and the Spanish, an independent Rifian state was apparently one border and one nation too many.
The authors guide the reader through the many battles fought over this five-year period and how the French eventually became involved. It was their involvement that spelled the revolt’s end. Jowett and Windrow’s presentation of the facts indicate that the Rifians might have ousted the Spanish had the French not become involved.
As the book showcases, the Spanish, who were dealing with political upheaval, seemed to be in no position to fight well—there were just too many mistakes and a lack of leadership among the ranks. The authors, however, highlight the rise of one Spanish officer who came to prominence in the following decade: Francisco Franco.
Another famous name mentioned in the conflict—this one for the French—was Marshal Philippe Pétain, the French hero of WWI. The authors suggest that when Pétain decided to end the use of “ad hoc colonial columns” in favor of the methods used during WW I, including “all the tools of 1918,” the end was swift and the result inevitable.
“The Rif War 1921–26” is a study of how uprisings by smaller nations or tribes typically end, but also why they often begin. The post-World War II world would demonstrate this exponentially with independence movements in Africa, Asia, as well as some areas in Europe. The weakened state of so many formerly powerful nations and empires created opportunities for uprisings.
A Brief, Thorough Study
For such a short work, “The Rif War 1921–26” is packed with enough information and written with enough clarity to ensure the reader will garner an overall sense of this overlooked conflict. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, it will give readers a sense of how these types of conflicts begin, ebb and flow, and ultimately end.As is typical with Osprey works, there are numerous illustrations. The illustrations within this work are of the military personnel from all sides: Berber, Spanish, and French. There are also numerous photos, which help visualize the conflict, as well as several helpful maps. A solid work for anyone wishing to know about this conflict.
