France in Eastern Morocco
El Merada. Morrocans died in the combat (March 16th, 1912)
Formation of the colonial empires (1881-1898)The period which starts in 1881-1898, and which will continue until 1914, is marked by the colonial expansion of the European great powers, which will lead to a kind “of Europeanization” of the world. After having completed, during first half of the XIX E century, to subject India to its domination, Great Britain took possession of vast territories in Southeast Asia and in the Pacific. This expansion will turn from now on to Egypt, the Southern Africa and Eastern Africa.
France, which started to reconstitute its colonial empire by conquering Algeria, now subjects to its protectorate Tunisia, then, after being itself seized the countries of the Western coast of Africa and of the gulf of Guinea, turns to Madagascar and Indo-China.
This period is also marked by the entry on the lists of new colonial powers: Germany, whose activity extends in Oceania (New Guinea, Samoa, Marshall Islands) and in Africa (Togo, Cameroun, Africa Eastern); Belgium, of which the sovereign, Léopold II, creates the State of Congo, its personal possession; Italy, whose colonial activity appears initially in Somalia and Erythrée, before turning to Libya.
The decolonization (1945-1962)The decolonization operated after the Second world war generally took on the aspects of a confrontation between indigenous nationalisms and the white imperialisms. It borrowed several forms. Sometimes it was done through negotiations (emancipation of the British Indies in 1947, and the French colonies of Black Africa as from 1958), sometimes it was the result of national liberation wars (Indo-China, Algérie, Angola, Mozambique).
In most case, it involved the massive departure of the nationals of the old metropolis and the confiscation of their goods. Certain independent countries preserved bonds with their old metropolises and sought to be integrated in the market economy; others were directed towards a directed economy and the nationalization of the agricultural and industrial means of production.
The third worldEntered the usual vocabulary, the term “third world”, indicating the poor worldwide, other than any element of the old Soviet block, was standardized in the form of an image with vague contours. It is accompanied by various concepts - countries “underdeveloped” or “in the process of development”, “country of the South” -, often considered as synonyms.
A debate on the “support of the Third World”, very sharp in France at the end of the years 1980, related to the existence even of the third world, whereas no one did not deny that there were inequalities of development.