La nazione senza l’Africa: la difficile decolonizzazione dei possedimenti spagnoli

Abstract

La nazione senza l’Africa: la difficile decolonizzazione dei possedimenti spagnoli

The historical 1898 defeat stripped Spain of her empire in America and Asia. By reaction and for compensation the expansion towards Africa grew with two main epicentres: the Moroccan-Saharian universe and the western coast of black Africa. With a limited amount of capitals, not able to compete with the greatest European powers, Spanish colonialism was superficial, more political than economic, looking for a theoretical “imperial side”. The de-colonization process also suffered, negatively marked in the end by the very contrasting solution to the question of Western Sahara. Even if inspired by the self-determination principle Spain hindered the spontaneous growth of national forces. In Morocco she suffered France’s initiative losing the chance of opening an equal relationship with the independent nation. The 1975 agreement that split Sahara between Morocco and Mauretania opened a dispute with the Polisario that turned into a war and furtherly mortified the results of Spain’s colonial policy in Africa.