Throughout the semester, we covered some of the greatest imperial powers in modern history. Whether it was the strength of the British empire in India, the quiet rise of King Leopald II in the Congo, or the dominance of the French in Northern Africa; we have come to learn that European nations were able to impede large amounts of influence and control over inferior nations. Some of their influence can be seen today when visiting those countries. For instance, French culture is still well instilled in the nation of Algeria as well as British culture throughout India. Although each imperial power proved to be extremely superior to their colonial subjects, particularly during the earlier part of the 20th century, they all eventually fell at some point. Out of the colonial powers we discussed, none fell harder than the French imperial power in Algeria.
France began its movement into Algeria during the early to mid 1800s. Once there, the French maintained a strong hold on the nation, educating the people in French, making that practically the national language, as well impeding a strong French culture on the Algerians. French influence was so strong that they were even able to forcefully enlist Algerian soldiers into the French military at the outbreak of World War I. Part of the early conflicts between the French and Algerians was the matter of language. Just like every other instance of imperialism throughout history, the imperial power initially has some difficulty communicating with their colonial subjects due to the language barrier. The same could be said for France in Algeria. The French insisted that “Learning French was to transform the learner, create a new human being” (Fogarty 137). The French believed that their invasion into Algeria was more beneficial then to the Algerians than it was to the French. When the French arrived in Algeria for the first time, they felt the people of the nation were rather uncivilized. Although untrue, the French used this as reasoning for their actions towards the Algerian people. The enrollment of Algerian soldiers in the French military was a result of what the French called a “blood tax.” “Colonial subjects pay the debt- the ‘blood tax’ they owed to the metropole for the supposed benefits of French colonial rule.” (Fogarty 25). The blood tax was an effective strategy for the French because it allowed them to obtain manpower it needed to stay competitive during the war, and it allows them to put less French bodies in battle. The French government had very little concern for the lives of the Algerian soldiers, therefore it didn’t really pain them to see any of them fall in battle.
After World War II, the French began to see a big decline in their control and power in Algeria. They lost their control because the Algerians had grown angry and strongly indifferent to the French rule and wanted to drive them out. Algerians did not want to be as second class citizens in their own country, they wanted political influence and the right to their country, however they did not feel such with the French inhabiting their country. French officers and citizens felt they were above all of the Algerians, and this carried over from the Algerians who fought for the French army during World War I. During World War I, French officers and even soldiers didn’t see North Africans as any form of equals. “The perceptions of these officers were still filtered through racial stereotypes, and no North Africans enjoyed a reputation as the equals of white soldiers” (Fogarty 77).Thus came the outbreak of the Algerian War in 1954. This gruesome eight-year battle led to many casualties on both the Algerian and the French sides. The Algerian revolt was led by the FLN (National Liberation Front), which were extremely rebellious and unpredictable.
The Algerian War was best depicted by the film, Battle of Algiers brilliantly directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. The film takes the viewer across a few instances of violence between the two sides, showing how both sides proceeded with actions toward one another, each in their own way. The Algerians were shown as guerillas towards the French, continuously entering the European Quarter and unpredictably attacking officers and civilians. The French were much more practical attackers, used more strategy and tactics when orchestrating their attacks. It was insistent throughout the film that the French wanted to maintain order in France and did not want to have to resort to violence as long as the Algerians would follow their demands. There was a scene in the middle of the movie that the French officials went to the Casbah and on the loud speaker told the people of Algeria to that they were there to protect them, and that if they had to unleash force, they would.
The French were not entirely peaceful, early on in the movie, they showed French prison guards decapitating an Algerian inmate. Pontecorvo made a smart decision in showing the year the film was in before every scene. This allowed the viewer to see the progression of the war from a small revolt to a large mosh of murders and the shift of balance during the war. Early in the movie, you can see how the FLN was very small in size, only really having Ali and any of his acquaintances. As the film progresses, the FLN begins to grow, they begin to recruit more and more followers. The scene that really turned the movie around and really portrayed the massive challenge the French had in the FLN was the scene where they send in three women as bombers. One went to a café, one to the airport, and the other to a bar. The timing of the three bombings at once proved to the French that the Algerians were something to be reckoned with. They were able to execute these bombings by disguising the bombers as French Algerians, which allowed them to get through the security with great ease.
To conclude, the French were one of the greatest colonial powers in recent time, they occupied a large part of Northern Africa and their influence is still existent today. The French were in predominant control of Algeria for over a century and it wasn’t until the outbreak of the Algerian war did they see a real resistance to their rule. The revolt came as a result of the Algerians reaching an absolute boiling point with the French control. The tipping point led to a war that lasted ultimately eight years and the eventual independence of the nation of Algeria from French control. The war was tough fought battle between the National Liberation Front and the French, that led to large amounts of casualties on both ends. I would definitely recommend the film, Battle of Algiers as it an excellent movie if you would like to view a near play-by-play of the entire war. The filming genius of Gillo Pontecorvo made this film a great watch even though it was filmed in the 1960s. The layout of the film allowed the viewer to enter the various different time frames of the war and to view the progression properly.
Works Cited
Fogarty, Richard S. Race and War in France: Colonial Subjects in the French Army, 1914-1918. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP, 2008. Print.
The Battle of Algiers. Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo. Prod. Antonio Musu and Yacef Saadi. By Franco Solinas and Gillo Pontecorvo. Perf. Brahim Haggiag and Yacef Saadi. Allied Artists Corporation, 1969.