A case study of violent decolonization
 1954-1962
 War between Algeria and
France resulting in Algerian
independence
 Extremely violent: perhaps
300,000 killed
 Terrorism, guerilla warfare,
torture, and atrocities on
both sides
 Case study of independence
through violence
 1830: France invades
Algeria
 1848: Algeria becomes a
departement of France
 French settlers (piedsnoirs or colons) migrate
in large numbers
 Land
 French government distributed prime land to pieds-
noirs
 Economic inequality
 Power
 French citizens had more rights than Algerian Muslims
 Settlers blocked moves to give Muslims more rights
 Worldwide trend of decolonization, 1945-1960s
 Founded November 1, 1954
 Coalition of Algerian
nationalist groups
 Became the major combatant
against the French in the
Algerian War
 May 8, 1945: V-E Day
 Activists demonstrated for
Algerian independence
 Fight between protesters
and French police
 Muslim protestors killed 103
Europeans that evening
 French military cracked
down and took revenge,
killing thousands
 March 13 – May 7, 1954
 Battle in Vietnam resulting
in defeat of French army by
Vietnamese nationalists
 Resulted in French
withdrawal from Vietnam
 Sign of French military
weakness
 November 1, 1954: FLN
launched coordinated
attacks across Algeria,
killing 7 people
 FLN declared goal of
establishing an
independent Algeria
 Sparked a series of attacks
and counter-attacks by
French and Algerian forces
 Irregular combatants
 Surprise attacks
 High mobility
 Sabotage
 Avoidance of direct confrontation
 Often used by weaker forces against more
conventionally powerful opponents
 August 1955
 FLN massacred 123
people in Philippeville,
including civilians – a
change in tactics
 French army responded
with massive retaliation,
killing thousands
 Terrorism succeeded –
generated tremendous
support for the FLN
“European mothers were
found with their throats slit
and their bellies dashed
open… infants in arms had
their brains dashed against
the wall.”
“There were so many [dead
Muslims] that they had to be
buried with bulldozers.”
 September 30, 1956: women
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bombed three sites in Algiers,
the capital
Started a year-long guerilla
campaign in Algiers
Civilian casualties; heavyhanded response
Bombings spread a sense of
insecurity – war was everywhere
FLN aimed to draw more
attention by attacking cities
French
Algerian
 Torture
 Torture
 Illegal executions
 Terrorism
 Military rule – no
 Targeting civilians –
democracy
 Forced disappearances
 Censorship
especially Muslims
 Algeria and other crises
undermined faith in the
French government
 May 1958: angry piedsnoirs demanded the
return of Charles de
Gaulle to keep Algeria
French
 De Gaulle took over
France on June 2, 1958
 Expense
 Domestic opposition
 International opposition
 September 1959: de Gaulle offered Algeria a vote on its
future status after violence stopped
 Possibility of independence angered pieds-noirs, led to
unrest
 Fall 1961: France began secret




negotiations with FLN
March 1962: ceasefire signed
April 1962: 90% of French
voters endorsed Algerian
independence
July 1, 1962: Algerians voted
for independence, 6 million
versus 17,000
July 3, 1962: Algeria became
an independent state
 Signed March 18, 1962
 Provisions:
 Ceasefire
 France recognizes Algeria’s right to independence and
agrees to withdraw troops
 Algeria guarantees political and economic rights to
pieds-noirs
 Violently opposed by some radical settlers
 Approved by French and Algerian voters by July 1962
 Nearly 1 million Europeans left Algeria before
independence
 Organization de l’Armee Secrete (OAS)
 Founded December 3, 1960
 Radical French settlers dedicated to keeping Algeria
French
 Attempted to stop the progress of Algerian
independence
 Assassination attempts against de Gaulle and Sartre
 Reprisals against supporters of France
 Algerian Muslims who fought
for or supported the French
 Significant contribution to the
French war effort – roughly
236,000 by 1962
 Many fled to France after the
end of the war
 Between 50,000 and 150,000
Harkis and families killed
after independence