The Casablanca Anfa Conference of January 1943 Produced the Unconditional Surrender Policy That Shaped All of World War II; Hassan II Survived Two Military Coup Attempts in 1971 and 1972 and Organized the 1975 Green March of 350,000 Civilians Into Spanish Sahara; Morocco's Moroccan Jewish Population Declined From 265,000 in 1948 to Approximately 2,500 Today
The 1943 Anfa Conference unconditional surrender policy; Hassan II surviving two coup attempts and the 1975 Green March; the Moroccan Jewish community declining from 265,000 to 2,500; Casablanca Finance City twin towers as Africa's tallest west of Cairo; Attijariwafa Bank in 23 African countries; and Casablanca's Atlantic position as the primary connector between Europe and West Africa in the 21st century.
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The Almoravids and Almohads - The Berber Empires That Built Morocco
The Almoravid dynasty (al-Murabitun) founded approximately 1040 by Abdullah ibn Yasin among the Sanhaja Berber confederation of the western Sahara: the Almoravids established Marrakech as their capital (1070) and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to conquer al-Andalus in 1086: Yusuf ibn Tashfin defeated King Alfonso VI of Castile at the Battle of Sagrajas (1086) preventing the Christian reconquest for another century: the Almohad dynasty (al-Muwahhidun) founded by the Moroccan Berber scholar Ibn Tumart (1080-1130) among the Masmuda Berber tribes of the High Atlas: the Almohads overthrew the Almoravids and captured Marrakech in 1147: the Almohad empire at its peak was the largest Islamic empire in the western Mediterranean covering Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and al-Andalus: the three great Almohad minarets built under Yaqub al-Mansur (1184-1199): the Hassan Tower in Rabat (stopped at 44m when the sultan died in 1199 - planned to be 86m), the Giralda in Seville (now a bell tower), and the Koutoubia in Marrakech (70m - the tallest Almohad minaret completed): the Almohad collapse after the decisive defeat at Las Navas de Tolosa (1212) which ended Almohad power in Spain permanently.
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The Casablanca Conference 1943 - Churchill, Roosevelt, and the Unconditional Surrender Policy
The Anfa Conference (code name Symbol) January 14-24 1943 held in the Anfa Hotel and villas in the Anfa suburb of Casablanca: President Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA), Prime Minister Winston Churchill (UK), and the Combined Chiefs of Staff attended: General Charles de Gaulle and General Henri Giraud (competing leaders of Free France) were also present: Joseph Stalin was invited but declined citing the Battle of Stalingrad then in progress: the primary decisions: Roosevelt announced the unconditional surrender policy - the Allies would accept nothing less than the unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy, and Japan - a policy that shaped the entire subsequent course of the war: the decision to invade Sicily (Operation Husky) rather than France as the next operation: the Combined Bomber Offensive decision (USAAF by day, RAF Bomber Command by night against Germany): the famous forced handshake between de Gaulle and Giraud brokered by Roosevelt and Churchill: the Anfa Hotel was demolished in the 1960s and a luxury apartment complex now occupies the site: the conference made Casablanca temporarily the center of Allied strategic planning for World War II.
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Hassan II and Morocco's Years of Lead - 38 Years of Authoritarian Modernization
Hassan II (1929-1999) ruled Morocco for 38 years (1961-1999) through a combination of modernization, authoritarianism, and skilled political maneuvering: the Years of Lead (Les Annees de Plomb) - the period of political repression primarily in the 1960s-1980s: victims included leftist politicians, Marxist student activists, Islamists, and Berber cultural activists: the secret detention centers: Derb Moulay Cherif in Casablanca, Kenitra Central Prison, Agdez in the Sahara, and Kalaat M'gouna: the two military coup attempts: July 1971 at the Skirat birthday party where generals staged a coup killing 92 guests - Hassan II survived by hiding in a bathroom: August 1972 when General Mohammed Oufkir ordered the Moroccan Air Force to shoot down the royal plane (the plane landed with 7 bullet holes - Oufkir was found dead the next day officially a suicide): the Green March (November 6 1975) - Hassan II organized 350,000 Moroccan civilians to march into Spanish Sahara waving Moroccan flags and Qurans forcing Spain to transfer the territory before Franco died November 20 1975: the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER 2004-2006) under Mohammed VI - Morocco's truth commission documenting human rights abuses: the first such process in the Arab world.
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Casablanca Finance City and Morocco as Africa's Business Hub
Casablanca Finance City (CFC) established 2010: a special economic zone in the twin-tower CFC complex (the two towers are the tallest buildings in Africa west of Cairo): the CFC hosts Africa headquarters of major global financial institutions and grants tax exemptions for the first 5 years plus free transfer of funds: Attijariwafa Bank (Morocco's largest bank) operates in 23 African countries: Banque Centrale Populaire has similarly expanded across Sub-Saharan Africa in the 2000s-2020s: Morocco is the second largest African investor in Africa after South Africa: Moroccan companies are leading investors in West Africa (Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon) in telecommunications, banking, and construction: OCP Group's Africa strategy provides Moroccan phosphate fertilizers to African smallholder farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer blending plants in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, and other African countries: the Bourse de Casablanca (established 1929) has a market capitalization of approximately 60 billion USD (2024) making it the primary North African exchange outside Egypt: Mohammed VI's vision of leveraging Casablanca's position at the geographic crossroads of Europe and Africa to become Africa's primary financial services hub.
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Moroccan Jewish Heritage - The Casablanca Mellah and the Mimouna Tradition
Morocco has one of the world's most ancient Jewish communities tracing its origins to the 2nd-3rd century CE Jewish diaspora from Judea: the community grew dramatically with the influx of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 (the Alhambra Decree of Ferdinand and Isabella): the Mellah (the Jewish quarter of Moroccan cities - from the Arabic for salt): the Casablanca Jewish quarter was established in the 19th century concentrated in the Belvere and Maarif districts: the Beth-El Synagogue is the primary surviving synagogue: the emigration (the Moroccan Jewish population declined from approximately 265,000 in 1948 - the largest Jewish population in the Arab world - to approximately 2,500-3,000 today primarily elderly Casablancans): primary emigration destinations were Israel (approximately 50%), France (approximately 30%), and Canada and the United States: the Mimouna - the traditional Moroccan Jewish celebration held the evening after Passover ends: a festive gathering featuring mofleta pancakes, honey, fresh butter, and amlou almond paste: the Mimouna is celebrated in Israel by Moroccan Jewish communities as a major national celebration: King Mohammed VI consistently honors Moroccan Jewish heritage as an integral part of Moroccan national identity including the Museum of Jewish Moroccan Heritage in Casablanca.
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Casablanca's Atlantic Legacy - The Engine of Modern Morocco and Africa's Future Hub
Casablanca's fundamental geographic advantage: the Atlantic coast position gives access to both the North Atlantic shipping lanes (Europe and North America) and the South Atlantic (West Africa and South America) - distinguishing it from all other North African cities which are Mediterranean ports: the colonial transformation from a town of 20,000 in 1900 to the largest city in North Africa west of Cairo within one human lifetime - one of the most remarkable urbanization events of the 20th century: Casablanca generates approximately 30-35% of Moroccan GDP: the primary tax base of the Moroccan state: the Hassan II Mosque as Mohammed VI's declaration of Morocco's Islamic identity and international ambition - the largest mosque in Africa built over the Atlantic: Morocco's phosphate reserves (72-74% of world reserves) position it as a primary geopolitical resource power of the 21st century as global agriculture faces phosphate depletion: Casablanca is the destination of internal migration from all regions of Morocco - Souss Amazigh, Rif Berbers, Arabs of the interior, and Sahrawis all meet in Casablanca creating a microcosm of Morocco's social tensions and urban energy: the Atlantic position connecting Europe and North America to the growing economies of West Africa makes Casablanca the most strategically positioned Atlantic African city of the 21st century.