Algerian War

The Algerian War, also called the Algerian Revolution or the Franco-Algerian War, was a fight for independence fought between France and the National Liberation Front (FLN) from 1954 to 1962. It ended with Algeria becoming independent. This key decolonization conflict was messy, marked by guerrilla tactics and serious war crimes. It also turned into a civil war, splitting different communities and even groups within those communities. Most of the fighting happened in French Algeria, but it had major effects back in France itself.

The war effectively began on 1 November 1954, when FLN members launched attacks on what is known as Toussaint Rouge ("Red All Saints' Day"). The conflict triggered deep political crises in France, bringing down the Fourth Republic (1946–1958) and replacing it with the Fifth Republic, which gave the president more power. The harsh methods used by French forces—like torture and massacres—did not win over Algerians, lost support among people in France, and hurt France's reputation abroad. As the war dragged on, the French public turned against it, and key allies like the United States shifted from backing France to abstaining in UN votes on Algeria. After big pro-independence demonstrations in Algiers and other cities in 1960, and a UN resolution backing Algeria's right to independence, Charles de Gaulle, the first president of the Fifth Republic, started talks with the FLN. These talks led to the Évian Accords in March 1962. A French referendum on 8 April 1962 approved the accords with 91% in favor. Then, on 1 July, a second referendum in Algeria saw 99.72% vote for independence, with only 0.28% against.

The planned French pullout caused a crisis. There were several assassination attempts on de Gaulle and a few attempted military coups. Most of the assassination plots came from the Organisation armée secrète (OAS), an underground group made up mostly of French soldiers who wanted to keep Algeria French. The OAS carried out many bombings and murders in both Algeria and France to try to stop independence.

The war killed between 400,000 and 1.5 million Algerians, 25,600 French soldiers, and 6,000 Europeans. War crimes included massacres of civilians, rape, and torture. French forces destroyed over 8,000 villages, used chemical weapons against fighters and civilians, and forced more than 2 million Algerians into concentration camps. When independence came in 1962, about 900,000 European-Algerians (Pieds-noirs) fled to France within months, scared of FLN revenge. The French government wasn't ready for so many refugees, causing turmoil. Most Algerian Muslims who had worked for the French were disarmed and left behind. The Évian Accords said no action could be taken against them, but the Harkis—Algerians who served as auxiliaries with the French army—were seen as traitors. Many were murdered by the FLN or lynch mobs, often after being kidnapped and tortured. Around 20,000 Harki families (about 90,000 people) managed to escape to France, sometimes with help from French officers acting against orders. Today, they and their descendants are a big part of the Algerian community in France.

**Background**

**Conquest of Algeria**

The decision to invade Algiers was made by King Charles X and his ministers in January 1830. An invasion had been discussed during the French blockade of Algiers from 1827 to 1830, partly because of Barbary pirate attacks and their ransoming of Christian captives, and because Marseilles merchants refused to pay their debts to the Dey of Algiers. But by early 1830, the real reason was to distract the French public, who were angry at the king's growing authoritarianism, with a foreign conquest. Using a slight to their consul as a pretext, the French attacked and captured Algiers in June 1830. Over the next years, the conquest spread inland. Led by Marshal Bugeaud, the first Governor-General of Algeria, the invasion was brutal, using a "scorched earth" policy to weaken the resistance of Abdelkader. This included massacres, mass rapes, and other atrocities. Between 500,000 and 1,000,000 out of about 3 million Algerians were killed in the first three decades of the conquest. French losses from 1830 to 1851 were 3,336 killed in battle and 92,329 who died in hospitals.

In 1834, Algeria became a French military colony. The Constitution of 1848 declared it an integral part of France, divided into three departments: Alger, Oran, and Constantine. Many French and other Europeans (Spanish, Italians, Maltese, and others) later settled there. Under the Second Empire (1852–1871), the Code de l'indigénat (Indigenous Code) was set by the sénatus-consulte of 14 July 1865. It let Muslims apply for full French citizenship, but few did because it meant giving up the right to be governed by sharia law in personal matters, which was widely seen as apostasy. Its first article stated: "The indigenous Muslim is French; however, he will continue to be subjected to Muslim law. He may be admitted to serve in the army and the navy. He may be called to functions and civil employment in Algeria. He may, on his demand, be admitted to enjoy the rights of a French citizen; in this case, he is subjected to the political and civil laws of France." Before 1870, fewer than 200 requests were made by Muslims, and 152 by Jewish Algerians.