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Essay on The Algerian War of Independence is published for informational purposes only. The free papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. If you want to buy a quality Essay on Essay on The Algerian War of Independence at affordable prices please use our essay writing services offered by EssayEmpire.
Algeria had been a French colony since 1948, when, in 1954, Algerian nationalists, buoyed by the success of Vietnamese rebels in the Indochina War, formed the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) and launched a series of small attacks on the colonial government. In 1956, the FLN bombed two popular cafes in Algiers, setting off the battle of Algiers, a struggle that lasted for a year, ending with the capture of the FLN chief, Yacef Saadi. But the fight continued elsewhere in Algeria, where the terrorism of the rebels was matched by that of the Organization de l'Armee Secrete (OAS), the most recalcitrant of the French Algerians.
Meanwhile, in a foreshadowing of the American home front during the Vietnam War, the war proved to have a traumatic, divisive effect on the French people. Central figures in this debate were the pieds noir, the French Algerians, many of whom had been living in Algeria for generations. Like the Unionists in Northern Ireland, they identified themselves with the colonizing nation, while refusing to concede compromises with people they regarded as terrorists. Working in conjunction with the military, whose use of torture against the rebels had left many people on the mainland appalled, the French Algerians seemed to be acting independently of the French government. The continuing chaos led to the fall of the Fourth Republic and the call for the return of General Charles de Gaulle to put an end to the war. In 1958, the general was elected president of France. To the surprise of many, the great nationalist and military leader adopted a compromise policy offering "self-determination" to the people of Algeria, a plan that was approved in a national referendum in 1961. In 1962, members of the OAS attempted to assassinate de Gaulle.
Despite continued resistance by the military leadership and the French Algerians, in 1963 the French people approved a referendum on Algeria: Independence was achieved on July 3, 1962. The best estimates indicate that the Algerian rebels lost at least 150,000 fighters and at least that many Muslim civilians. Roughly 25,000 French troops were killed, and more than 100,000 French Algerians were forced into exile. Subsequent years saw an influx of Algerians into France in search of work.
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