Abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate and socio-political situation in Morocco in November 1922 (basing on the French archival documents)

Abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate and separation of the Sultanate from the Caliphate in 1922 seriously influenced not only the history of Kemalist Turkey but also of all Eastern countries. The article aims to identify the impact of the decision taken in Ankara on the social and political situation in the French Morocco. Basing his conclusions on the dispatches sent to Paris by the Marshal Hubert Lyautey, Resident-General of France in Morocco, which are conserved in the French National Archives, as well as in published diplomatic documents, author reveals how France functioned as the “intelligence state” in the protectorate.Sound intelligence and counter-intelligence were means to lessen the probability that direct military violence would be used. Scrutinizing the social and political situation in Morocco fits well into the concept of the “intelligence state”. In 1922, Lyautey’s intelligence service, service of indigenous affairs and civil controllers conducted a secret “sociological research” which showed the impact of the Kemalist revolution on different strata of the Moroccan society. Sympathy for Mustafa Kemal was widespread, though he was seen as the “champion of Islam” and national independence rather than as the future architect of secular and modernised Turkey. Nevertheless, the French administration in Morocco did not show much concern about the repercussions of the revolution. Lyautey thought that his policy which was based, besides the military force, on the loyalty of the Sultan and Moroccan elites and on respect for Islamic traditions, gave him confidence in the future

Administration (probate law · Caliphate · Foreign policy · Independence (probability theory · Indigenous · Islam · National Question · Politics · Spanish Civil War · Islamic Studies and History · North African History and Literature · Turkey's Politics and Society