THE Algeria War (1954-1962) was a conflict between Algerians against the French to gain the country's independence.
The conflict caused the death of more than 300,000 Algerians, 27,500 French soldiers and the exodus of 900,000 French settlers.
Historical context
France had been establishing itself on the African continent throughout the 19th century and since 1830 they had been in Algerian territory. Through the Berlin Conference, borders were defined and France occupied much of North Africa.
However, after World War II, the UN pressured imperialist countries to get rid of their colonies or change their status.
France was not in a good moment, after the weakening resulting from the Second World War and the defeat in the war against Indochina (1946-1954).
Summary
The struggle for the liberation of Algeria is now led by the FLN (National Liberation Front). The FLN was led by Ahmed Ben Bella (1916-2012) and was active in urban and rural guerrilla warfare.
On November 1, 1954, a series of terrorist attacks by the FLN is carried out, which are considered to be the beginning of hostilities between France and Algeria.
The French response was to send some 400,000 soldiers to Algeria, including many who had been in Indochina. This generates protests in France itself, which sees thousands of young people doing their military service in this war.
However, in Algeria, the population is divided. Many Berber Arabs welcomed French colonization and several French settlers had already built their lives there, identifying themselves more with Algeria than with France itself.
French society is scandalized by the news of the use of torture by the French army and the FLN and protests against the war begin.
Conflict
Afraid of losing yet another colony, the French government called in 1958 General De Gaulle (1890-1970) to manage the crisis. De Gaulle had been a commander of the French during World War II and was extremely popular.
The general, however, demands that a new constitution be promulgated and causes the fall of the IV Republic in France. In this way, the V French Republic was born, where the powers of the president were expanded and those of the legislature diminished.
The New Charter was submitted to a referendum on September 28, 1958.
When visiting Algeria in 1958, De Gaulle realized that there was not much to be done and granted the Algerian people self-determination. In that same year, the Republic of Algeria was provisionally founded, but the fighting continued.
Several French settlers feel betrayed by the general and found the OAS (Organization of the Secret Army) which imposed a terrorist policy with a far-right orientation with attacks in France and Algeria.
In 1961, this group and some French generals attempt a coup in Algeria against France. The action fails, but reveals the need to find a quick solution to the dispute.
Without the support of the population in France and without achieving a victory on the battlefield, de Gaulle was authorized by a popular referendum to negotiate peace with the provisional republican government of Algeria.
The end of the war
Only on March 8, 1962, with the signing of the Evian Agreement, did the war in Algeria end. Subsequently, the peace treaty would be submitted to a referendum for the Algerian people in April.
Then, on July 5, 1962, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria was proclaimed. After the convening of the Constituent Assembly, Ahmed Ben Bella - leader of the FLN - was led to the presidency.
Violence would continue, as several pieds noir (black feet, Algerians of European origin) are literally hunted in the country. When they go to France, they are not fully accepted in this society either, because they are seen as inferior.
Curiosities
- In 1966, the Italian-Algerian director Gillo Pontecorvo released the film "The Battle of Algiers" considered a masterpiece of neorealism and fundamental to understanding the conflict.
- To this day, descendants of French Algerian settlers are not well regarded in France or cannot fully identify with the country. An example is the player Karim Benzema, of Algerian origin, who did not sing the French anthem when he played with the national team.
read more:
- Decolonization of Africa
- Cold War
