French and Spanish protectorates: 1912 to 1956

Main articles: French protectorate in Morocco and Spanish Protectorate in Morocco

The Treaty of Wad Ras after the Hispano-Moroccan War (1859–1860) bankrupted Morocco's national treasury,

forcing the Makhzen to take on a British loan.[51]
As Europe industrialised, Northwest Africa was increasingly prized for its potential for colonisation.
France showed a strong interest in Morocco as early as 1830, not only to protect the border of its
Algerian territory, but also because of the strategic position of Morocco with coasts on the
Mediterranean and the open Atlantic.[52] In 1860, a dispute over Spain's Ceuta enclave led Spain to
declare war. Victorious Spain won a further enclave and an enlarged Ceuta in the settlement. In
1884, Spain created a protectorate in the coastal areas of Morocco.