Algerian Independence: Fight Against Colonialism

Ever since the decline of the ottoman empire in north Africa during the 1820’s, the French empire has held a tight grip on the regions ecological and political assets. In 1830 the French launched a military campaign and captured Algeria's capital city of Algiers. This marked the beginning of French colonialism in North Africa. The word colonialism carries many connotations, it is often associated with corruption and exploitation of the people being colonized. And in the case of Algeria this holds decisively true. Not only was the Algerians valuable agriculture exploited for the benefit of the French, but there was a deep level of racism and subsequent subjugation against the Algerian people. The french saw the Algerian people, especially Muslims, as an inferior class who needed to be tightly controlled. They implemented strict laws prohibiting Algerian natives from holding public meetings, bearing arms, or leaving their district or village without government permission. It was a cruel and discriminatory regime which exploited the entire nation. Between the two world wars, subversive groups started to emerge, first demanding rights for the Algerian people. But when this was denied, groups with larger demands began to gain popularity. These groups, which became to be known as Algerian nationalists, began directly announcing the need for the overthrow of the French regime. During the winter of 1954 a revolutionary group formed in Egypt. Headed by Ahmed Ben Bella, this committee was named the National Liberation Front. This group used terrorism against government and military buildings to exercise their demands. The stubborn French government was having none of it and consequently carried out their own attacks. These attacks consisted of bombings of residential buildings and the deaths of many Algerian civilians. This only fueled the revolution, gaining substantial support by otherwise impartial and scared Algerians. The NLF established a guerrilla force that paralyzed the French army, who had to call in a 400,000 man reinforcement force. By this time the french regime where employing concentration camps and torture methods against alleged nationalists in last resort attempts to dissolve the revolutionary forces. In March of 1962 ceasefire was agreed by the French and the NLF. And on July 5th the Algerian people's voice was finally heard as Independence was finally established. The fight against colonialism and the exploitation these empires conducted was not exclusive to Algeria. The world over people have been subjugated by these corrupt powers, for nothing but personal and selfish gain. But in the end, the peoples voices will inevitably be heard it is just a matter of time.