FORMER ENEMIES, NEW ALLIES: SCOPE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GENERAL VARELA POLITICO-MILITARY TOUR (OCTOBER, 1948)

Abstract

The Government of the general Varela as High Commissioner of Spain in Morocco (1945-1951) was developed at a key moment for the survival of the Franco regime and for Moroccan nationalism aspirations. The subordination of colonial policy to the evolution of the “Spanish issue” in an international context led to a difficult tilt between repression of nationalism and maintenance of Spanish-Arabic brotherhood, of which Protectorate served as a promotional image. In this context, the reappearance of Abdelkrim was considered a threat to the Zone’s stability. To avoid it, the High Commissioner decided to undertake a political and military tour into the regions of Gomara, Rif and Kert in October 1948, whose impact is analyzed through documents of Spanish and Moroccan Archives.