The author aims to shed light on the history of the city of Tangier during World War II. The city was an international zone from 1923, arrangement designation that differed from the protectorate applied to the other parts of Morocco. Spain under the Franco dictatorship took advantage of the outbreak of World War II to occupy Tangier on June 14, 1940, thereby actualizing a longstanding Spanish imperialist aspiration to control the city. All the existing institutions of the international zone were abolished and the city was annexed in full to the Spanish protectorate. The economic, social and political impacts of the Spanish occupation were negative. This led to many reactions by the inhabitants of Tangier who rejected the occupation that threw their city into crisis, and dashed their hopes for a restoration of the rights usurped by the international zone system. The occupation ended with the end of the war, and on October 11, 1945 the Spanish withdrew from Tangier, which returned to international control once again, setting the stage for a new chapter in the history of Tangiers which, together with other Moroccan cities, quickly moved to make the most of new dynamics in world affairs to demand independence for the country.