Republic of the Rif
The Republic of the Rif (Tarifit: Tagduda n Arrif, Arabic: جمهورية الريف Jumhūriyya ar-Rīf), officially The Rifian People's Democratic Republic, also known simply as the Rif, was a confederate republic in the Rif, a region in northern Morocco, that existed between 1921 and 1926. It was created in September 1921, when the local people of the area revolted, declaring their independence from Spanish colonization, as well as from Sultan Yusef. The French would intervene on the side of Spain in the later stages of the conflict. The Rif was the last sovereign republic in Morocco to date. A protracted struggle for independence killed many Riffians and Spanish–French soldiers, and witnessed the use of chemical weapons by the Spanish army—their first widespread deployment since the end of the Great War. The eventual Spanish–French victory was owed to the technological and manpower advantages enjoyed by the colonizers, in spite of their lack of morale and coherence. Following the war's end, the Rif Republic was ultimately dissolved in 1926.[1][2][3]
Republic of the Rif Tagduda n Arrif | |||||||||
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| 1921–1926 | |||||||||
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Anthem: National Anthem of the Republic of the Rif | |||||||||
![Territory of Spanish Morocco under control of the Rif Republic (outlined in red)[citation needed]](../I/Territorio_de_la_Rep%C3%BAblica_del_Rif_(1921-1926).png.webp) Territory of Spanish Morocco under control of the Rif Republic (outlined in red) | |||||||||
| Capital | Ajdir | ||||||||
| Common languages | Riffian Berber, Arabic | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
| Government | Parliamentary confederate republic, (1920–1927). | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1921–1926 | Abd el-Krim | ||||||||
| Vice President | |||||||||
• 1923–1926 | Hajj Hatmi | ||||||||
| Historical era | Interwar period | ||||||||
• Established | 18 September 1921 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 27 May 1926 | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• Estimate | 7.5 million | ||||||||
| Currency | Rif Republic Riffan (RIFF) | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+1 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||
| History of Morocco |
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History
In 1921, local Rifians, under the leadership of Abd el-Krim, crushed a Spanish offensive led by General Manuel Fernández Silvestre at the Battle of Annual, and soon after declared the creation of an independent republic on 18 September 1921.[4] The republic was formally constituted in 1923, with Abd el-Krim as head of state, and Ben Hajj Hatmi as prime minister.[5]
El-Krim handed the Spanish numerous defeats, driving them back to coastal outposts. With the war ongoing, he sent diplomatic representatives to London and Paris, in an ultimately futile attempt to establish legitimate diplomatic relations with other European powers.
In late 1925, the French and Spanish created a joint task force of 500,000 men, supported by tanks and aircraft.[6] After 1923, the Spanish employed the use of chemical weapons imported from Germany.[7] The Republic was dissolved by Spanish and French occupation forces on 27 May 1926, but many Rif guerrillas continued to fight until 1927.[8]
References
- Day, Richard B.; Gaido, Daniel (2011-11-25). Discovering Imperialism: Social Democracy to World War I. BRILL. p. 549. ISBN 978-9004201569. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- Wyrtzen, Jonathan (2016-02-19). Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity. Cornell University Press. p. 183. ISBN 9781501704246. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- Hall, John G.; Publishing, Chelsea House (2002). North Africa. Infobase Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 9780791057469. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- David S. Woolman, Rebels in the Rif: Abd El Krim and the Rif Rebellion (Stanford University Press, 1968), p. 96
- "Morocco - The Spanish Zone". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- Slavin, David H. (Jan 1991), "The French Left and the Rif War, 1924–25: Racism and the Limits of Internationalism", Journal of Contemporary History, 26 (1): 5–32, doi:10.1177/002200949102600101, JSTOR 260628, S2CID 162339547
- Rudibert Kunz: "Con ayuda del más dañino de todos los gases" – Der Gaskrieg gegen die Rif-Kabylen in Spanisch-Marokko in Irmtrud Wojak/Susanne Meinl (eds.): Völkermord und Kriegsverbrechen in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts, Frankfurt/Main 2004, pp. 153–191 (here: 169–185).
- "Abd el-Krim - Adb el-Krim during the Rif War". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-08-11.