Algerian War of Independence

I

Introduction

Algerian War of Independence, liberation conflict of Algeria against France, which took place over eight years between 1954 and 1962, culminating in the independence of Algeria from French colonial rule in July 1962. It was the longest and most bitter colonial war fought by a European power which, at its height, raised passions which threatened the stability of France itself. The fighting was characterized by the Algerian use of urban and rural guerrilla warfare, coordinated by the Front de Libération Nationale (Algerian National Liberation Front; FLN).

II

Background to War

At the end of World War II, the VE celebrations of May 8, 1945, were marred in Algeria by violent demonstrations in the town of Sétif and the first Algerian attacks against European settlers (or colons), of whom around 100 died. French retributions for this uprising, resulting in the deaths of several thousand Algerians, radicalized the approach of many Algerian nationalists towards gaining independence from France. Attempts by Paris to implement more liberal reforms were thwarted by the colons’ resistance and Algerian dissatisfaction.

From the late 1940s, the main Algerian political parties under Messali Hadj and Ferhat Abbas participated in French-organized elections. Pressures for more direct action, however, led to the creation of a clandestine revolutionary group, the Organization Speciale (OS), uncovered by the French in 1950. In March 1954, nine of the younger radical nationalists (later known as the “historic chiefs”) formed the basic structures of what became the FLN to plan for revolutionary action.

III

The Outbreak of War

On November 1, 1954, FLN committees coordinated bomb attacks and assaults throughout Algeria. Almost immediately, Paris sent military reinforcements to track down suspects in rural areas. Under FLN command, Algeria was divided into military zones, or wilayas, each headed by a colonel. These were Wilaya I: the Aures Mountains (south-east Algeria); II: the city of Constantine and north-eastern coastline; III: the Berber region of Kabylia; IV: the capital Algiers; and V: the city of Oran and west Algeria.

The first problem for expanding the FLN was its shortage of arms. Additionally, in the harsh winter of 1954-1955, the leader of Wilaya II was killed and the Wilaya IV commanders were imprisoned. In March 1956, another FLN colonel was killed by a booby-trapped radio. During 1954-1956, the French strengthened security forces throughout Algeria. Retaliations against Algerian villages were often indiscriminate, by French paratroop regiments and colons alike. The FLN in turn staged counter-attacks, creating a climate of terror to pressure Algerians into joining them. Under intensified colon pressure, the French government repeated assurances that Algeria would never be abandoned. A new French representative, Jacques Soustelle, was nevertheless sent to negotiate reforms with Algerian political moderates.

IV

1955: The Philippeville Massacres

Until the summer of 1955, European civilians had not been direct victims of the guerrillas, the main targets being communications networks, public buildings, and Algerian officials working for the French. On August 20, 1955, 80 FLN guerrillas of Wilaya II descended on a suburb of the town of Philippeville and killed an estimated 123 people, including women and children.

The French response to the “Philippeville massacres” was to track down and kill up to 12,000 Algerians in the Wilaya II region. This polarized the European and Algerian communities. Reformist Algerian politicians, like Abbas, and Soustelle himself, thenceforth renounced negotiations in favour of full confrontation.