Thursday, July 17, 2014

What happened between,during,after when French got control of Algeria?

A variation of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria has existed since 1515. For over 300 years, Algeria was partially ruled by the Ottomans. Two Turkish brothers, Aruj and Hayreddin Barbarossa, conquered the areas of Jijel and Algiers from the Spanish and expanded to the surrounding region, making Algeria part of the Ottoman Empire. A regular Ottoman administration was established, but corruption led to regular revolts. Slavery and piracy were common and rampant practices during the Ottoman era.
France began to colonize Algeria in 1830. France captured the city of Algiers and ended piracy and the slave trade. The invasion, as well as a serious epidemic, resulted in the deaths of nearly one-third of the native Algerian population within a span of fifty years. The French created a government run by an elite group of French-speaking native Algerians known as Kabyles. During French rule, hundreds of thousands of Europeans emigrated to Algeria, including approximately 50,000 French. Europeans flocked to the area to take advantage of the government's confiscation of tribal land.
Resistance amongst native Algerians increased during the twentieth century. An uprising occurred in May 1945, resulting in the Sétif and Guelma Massacre during which French police fired upon demonstrators. Tensions rose, and the Algerian War began in 1954. The war was violent and led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, but Algeria gained independence in 1962.
Within two years after independence was gained, 90,000 Europeans fled Algeria to escape violent attacks. The first president of Algeria, Ahmed Ben Bella, was elected in 1963, but he was overthrown two years later by Houari Boumédiène. Under Boumédiène, Algeria adopted authoritarian socialism. Political parties were reduced and agriculture was collectivized. The goal of post-war Algeria was the creation of a state-controlled economy.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is the theme of the chapter Lead?

Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...