Berber Decree

Morocco [1930]

Also known as: Berber Dahir

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 22, 2026

Quick Summary

The Berber Decree of 1930 was a French policy in Morocco aimed at dividing the Berber and Arab populations. The French sought to administer Berber communities under their own customary laws, separate from the rest of the country, in an effort to weaken growing Moroccan nationalism. This decree, however, had the opposite effect, unifying Berbers and Arabs in their opposition to French rule and strengthening the nationalist movement. The decree highlighted the French strategy of "divide and rule" within their colonial territories.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Morocco
The pre-World War II period
…the French to issue the Berber Decree in 1930, which was a crude effort to divide Imazighen and Arabs. The result was just the opposite of French intentions; it provoked a Moroccan nationalist reaction and forced the administration to modify its proposals. In 1933 the nationalists initiated a new national…
Read More
…the French to issue the Berber Decree in 1930, which was a crude effort to divide Imazighen and Arabs. The result was just the opposite of French intentions; it provoked a Moroccan nationalist reaction and forced the administration to modify its proposals. In 1933 the nationalists initiated a new national…
Read More

Muḥammad V
…the French to abandon the Berber Dahir legislation of 1930 that had established different legal systems for the two Moroccan ethnic groups, Imazighen (Berbers) and Arabs—a policy resented by both groups. It had been promulgated to help the protectorate, but, instead, it divided the country and accelerated nationalism. Wanting to…
Read More
…the French to abandon the Berber Dahir legislation of 1930 that had established different legal systems for the two Moroccan ethnic groups, Imazighen (Berbers) and Arabs—a policy resented by both groups. It had been promulgated to help the protectorate, but, instead, it divided the country and accelerated nationalism. Wanting to…
Read More