The first anti-French actions of the Arabs occurred almost immediately after the end of World War II. At first they were solitary demonstrations, which turned into a guerrilla warfare over time. The Colonial War in Algeria has become one of the most violent of these clashes.
How it all started
Already at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Algeria was part of the Ottoman Empire, and in 1711 it became an independent pirate, military republic. Bloody coups were constantly carried out inside the country, and foreign policy was a slave trade and pirate raids. Their activity was so active that even the English-speaking countries tried to neutralize the pirates by military operations. But after Napoleon’s defeat in the Mediterranean, Algerian raids were resumed. Then the French authorities decided to solve the problem radically - to conquer Algeria.
In 1830, the French airborne corps landed on the shores of northern Africa. After a brief occupation, the capital of Algeria was taken. The conquerors explained this fact by the need to get rid of the rulers of Turkey. And the diplomatic conflict that occurred three years earlier (the French ambassador received a fly swatter from the Algerian Bey) served as a pretext for taking the city. In fact, the French authorities decided to rally the army in this way, which would help to confirm the restored power of Charles H. But the calculation turned out to be incorrect, and the ruler was soon overthrown. But this did not stop the French from capturing the rest of the state. Thus, the occupation of Algeria began, which lasted more than one hundred and thirty years.
The Golden Age of Colonization
At the beginning of this period, foci of uprising initiated by the local population broke out in different parts of the country, but they were quickly suppressed. And by the middle of the century, France declared Algeria its territory, governed by the Governor General and divided into departments led by prefects.
During active colonization, French citizens were not the majority; Portuguese, Spaniards, Maltese, Italians moved here. Even Russian white emigrants who fled from the civil revolution moved to Algeria. The Jewish community of the country also poured here. Such Europeanization was actively encouraged by the metropolitan government.
The Arabs called the first colonists “black-footed” because of the black leather boots that they wore. Those with whom Algeria is fighting have modernized the country, built hospitals, highways, schools, railways. Some local people could study the culture, language and history of France. Thanks to their business activities, the French Algerians in a short time achieved a higher level of welfare, compared with the indigenous people.
Despite a small proportion of the population, they held a dominant position in all the basic aspects of the life of the state. It was a cultural, managerial and economic elite.
Algeria's national economy and the welfare of local Muslims have grown markedly during this period. According to the code of conduct of 1865, the local population remained the subject of Islamic law, but at the same time, indigenous people could be recruited into the French army and could obtain citizenship of this country. But in fact, the latter procedure was greatly complicated, therefore, by the middle of the last century, only thirteen percent of Algerian natives became French subjects. The rest, however, possessed the citizenship of the French Union and could not work in a number of state institutions and hold high posts.
In the army, there were units consisting of Algerians - spagi, tyiraliers, camps, gums. As part of the armed forces of France, they fought in the First and Second World Wars, and then in the wars in Indochina and Algeria.
After World War I, some intellectuals began to spread the ideas of self-government and independence.
National Liberation Front. The beginning of the struggle
By the end of World War II, about a million Frenchmen, only a fifth of whom were purebred, inhabited Algeria. They owned both the most fertile lands and the power in the country. High government posts and suffrage were inaccessible to indigenous people.
Despite more than a century-long history of capture, the war in Algeria for independence began to flare up. Initial solo stocks became increasingly successful. The rebellion in the small town of Setif, which provoked unrest throughout the country, the authorities of the invaders reacted with terrible punitive actions. These events made it clear that the peaceful return of their rights to Algerians is impossible.
In such a struggle, the leading role was taken by a group of young residents of Algeria, who created several clandestine groups that had bases throughout the country. Later, they united, and as a result of such a merger, the largest movement fighting for the independence of Algeria arose. It was called the Front of National Liberation.
Over time, the Algerian Communist Party also joined it. The basis of these partisan detachments was the Algerians who had received military experience during the Second World War and were former employees of the French army. The leaders of the Front were about to declare the right to self-determination in the international arena, counting on the support of the communist bloc countries and Arab states, as well as the UN.
The territory of the Ores massif was chosen as the main field of activity of the rebels, since it was a shelter from government troops. The highlanders repeatedly revolted against French rule, so the leadership of the movement hoped for their help.
Background of the war of independence of Algeria
After the end of World War I , the national liberation movement began to spread throughout the world. The global reorganization of the world political system has begun. Algeria after World War II became part of such modernization.
English-speaking countries, as well as North Africa and Spain, have embarked on anti-French policies.
Another prerequisite was the population explosion and the problems of socio-economic inequality. During the golden age of French Algeria, overall growth in the economy and welfare was observed, health care and education improved, internal strife ceased. As a result, the Islamic population tripled in this time period. Due to such a population explosion, there was an acute shortage of agricultural land, most of which was controlled by large European plantation farms. This problem has led to increased competition for other limited resources of the country.
A large number of young men who gained extensive combat experience in World War II. Due to the fact that tens of thousands of inhabitants of the colonies of this country served in the French army, white gentlemen were rapidly losing their authority. Subsequently, such soldiers and sergeants formed the backbone of various nationalist organizations, anti-colonial armies, partisan and patriotic (illegal and legal) units.
The reason for the colonial war in Algeria was the formal inclusion of it in the metropolis, so its loss would adversely affect the country's prestige. In addition, a large number of immigrants were present in this Arab country. In addition, oil deposits were discovered in the south of the territory.
Riots escalated into war
In October of the fifty-fourth year, the TNF launched a vibrant effort to create a network of clandestine workshops for the production of explosive devices. Partisans secretly received firearms, magazine rifles from the First World War, weapons lost by the Americans when landing in North Africa, and much more.
The guerrillas chose the eve of All Saints Day as the start of the war in Algeria, and it was then that the decisive moment for the uprising came. Seven attacks were carried out in different parts of the country. This was done by about seven hundred rebels who injured four and killed seven Frenchmen. Due to the fact that the number of rebels was small, and the weapons left much to be desired, the French authorities did not see the beginning of the war in this attack.
The partisans were determined, forcing the Europeans to leave the territory under the threat of death. Such calls surprised those who for several generations considered themselves full Algerians.
On the night of November 1, it became a rather convenient date for the outbreak of war in Algeria. By then, France had survived the occupation and the humiliating defeat, defeat in Vietnam and the unpopular war in Indochina. The most combat-ready troops have not yet been evacuated from Southeast Asia. But the military forces of the TNF were also insignificant and amounted to only a few hundred fighters, which is why the war took on a partisan character, and not open.
At first, the colonial war of France in Algeria was inactive, the hostilities were not large-scale. The number of rebels did not allow to clear the territory of Europeans and organize significant hostilities. The first major battle took place less than a year after the official start of the war in Algeria. In Philippville, the rebels slaughtered dozens of people, including Europeans. Franco-Algerian militias, in turn, destroyed thousands of Muslims.
In favor of the rebels, the situation changed after Tunisia and Morocco gained independence, where rear bases and training camps were created.
Combat tactics
Algerian rebels adhered to the tactics of waging war with "little blood." They attacked convoys, small units and fortifications of the colonialists, destroyed bridges and communication lines, terrorized people for helping the French, introduced Sharia norms.
Government forces used quadrilage tactics, which consisted of dividing Algeria into squares. For each of them, certain units were responsible. The elite units - paratroopers and the Foreign Legion throughout the country conducted counter-guerrilla actions. The helicopters used to transfer the units significantly increased the mobility of these units.
In parallel with the French war with Algeria, the colonialists launched a successful information campaign. Special administrative sections urged residents of remote areas to maintain the loyalty of France by contacting them. For the defense of the villages from the rebels, Muslims were recruited into Hark units. A major conflict was provoked in the TNF over thrown information about the betrayal of leaders and commanders of the movement.
Terror. Tactics Change
Later, in the war for independence of Algeria, the rebels launched a tactic of urban terrorism. Almost every day, the French Algerians died, bombs exploded. Colonists and French responded with acts of retaliation, from which innocents often suffered. By such methods, the rebels aroused the hatred of Muslims towards the French and drew attention to the world community, receiving assistance from the Arab states and countries of the communist bloc.
In the colonial country, these events led to a change of government, headed by Prime Minister Guy Mole. His policy was to first win the war in Algeria, and only then to carry out reforms there.
As a result, the size of the army contingent increased significantly, which led to a nationwide level of hostilities. At first, such growth was achieved due to veterans returning from Indochina, but then one of the most combat-ready units of France, the so-called Foreign Legion, appeared.
The most important venue of the struggle was the Algerian capital, where Jázef Saadi, one of the leaders of the TNF, was tasked with organizing ruthless terror. Its purpose was to discredit the French government. The city plunged into chaos with widespread killings and constant bombings.
Immediately followed by retaliatory measures by the French, who staged a rattonage, which is the beating of the Arabs. As a result of such actions, about three thousand Muslims are considered missing.
Major Ossares and General Massu, responsible for restoring order in the capital, barbed the Muslim population of the city with barbed wire and imposed a curfew.
Formally, the TNF lost this battle, and Yosef Saadi was captured, and most of the militants took refuge in Morocco and Tunisia. The French authorities took measures to isolate the camp. They blocked airways and intercepted ships, and on the Tunisian border, a high barbed wire fence under high voltage (5000 volts), observation towers and minefields were erected .
Because of such actions, the rebels sharply raised the question of the existence of partisan detachments due to the catastrophic shortage of ammunition and weapons.
But at this time, the colonial war of France in Algeria became unpopular due to economic and social difficulties in the metropolis. This caused a decrease in the level of government support, while in the colony country the blackfoots considered all plans to change course to be betrayal. They captured its capital and proclaimed their government of emergency there.
The army contingent supported him. TNF leaders, in turn, proclaimed the creation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Algeria, supported by Arab countries.
At this time, Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle came to power, who began raids to search for rebel groups. Half of them were defeated.
Metropolis change
Despite the successes in the French war in Algeria, the leaders of the mother country were not able to work out a political solution to ending the conflict. The Prime Minister insisted on maintaining commonality between the two peoples and providing equal civil rights to Muslims and French, planned a referendum on granting independence to the Arab country.
The underground, in turn, stopped all obvious hostilities, trying to show the world that the TNF remained undefeated. The international arena supported Algeria in the quest for self-determination, and Front agitators tried to quarrel France with the Allies, condemning the actions of the French in the colony.
The army of the metropolis was divided in two. Most of it did not support the policy of surrender of the current government. Nevertheless, it was decided to start negotiations.
A year later, the result of the war in Algeria 1954-1962. became the Evian Accords, which completed all the attempts of the French to keep the colonies. Under the terms of the agreement, the new authorities had to ensure the safety of Europeans for three years. But they did not believe the promises, and most of them hastily left the country.
The fate of Algerians, supporting the French during the war, was the most tragic. They were forbidden to emigrate from the country, which contributed to the brutal arbitrariness of the TNF, which exterminated people by entire families.
Consequences of the 1954 Algeria War
More than half a million people, most of whom were Arabs, died in this eight-year battle for independence. Despite their successes in the conduct of hostilities with the rebels, the French were forced to leave this colony. Almost until the end of the last century, the authorities of the metropolis refused to call the events that happened war.
Only in 2001, General Paul Ossarez recognized the fact of executions and torture carried out with the permission of the colonial authorities.
Doomed to failure was the French goal to maintain their dominance in Algeria, without resorting to radical changes in its political system. The consequences of the French war in Algeria are felt today.
According to the Evian Accords, Algerian migrant workers were granted access to a European country, who later turned into second-class citizens who settled on the outskirts of large cities.
The fact that the historical conflict between France and Algerian Muslims has not been exhausted to this day is evidenced by regular unrest in the former metropolis.
Armed conflict
The civil war in Algeria began in the last decade of the last century due to a conflict between the government of the country and Islamic groups.
During the elections to the National Assembly, the opposition Islamic Salvation Front was more popular with the people than the ruling TNF party. The latter, fearing defeat, decided to cancel the second round. Due to the arrest of the IFF members and its prohibition, armed groups emerged (the largest - the Armed Islamic Group and the Islamic Armed Movement), which launched partisan actions against the government itself and its supporters.
According to various sources, the number of victims of this conflict was about two hundred thousand people, of which more than seventy were journalists killed by both sides of the hostilities.
After negotiations between the IFS and the government, the first announced the end of guerrilla activities, the TIG declared war on them and their adherents. After the presidential election in the country, the conflict intensified, but ultimately ended in a victory for the government’s armed forces.
After this, the Salafi Preaching and Jihad Group, which had distanced itself from the extermination of civilians, had declined in the north of the country.
The next presidential election resulted in an amnesty law. As a result, a large number of combatants took advantage of it, and violence became much less.
But all the same, the special services of neighboring states found extremist bases for the recruitment, training and arming of volunteers. The leader of one of these organizations in 2004 was issued to the Algerian authorities by the Libyan President Gaddafi.
The civil war in Algeria from 1991 to 2002 was long reminded of the surviving state of emergency.
Armed operations continue at the present time, although their intensity is rather low. Despite a significant decrease in the number of attacks by extremists, they have become defiant, and are not limited to explosions of makeshift bombs. Terrorists bombard police stations and embassies, attack cities.