Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

disregarded by the government they were forced to obey, leading to resentment and hatred for the
oppressor. Toward the end of WWII, a more distinct divide came as a direct result of the war among the
French-Arab population that my uncle defined as “the ones willing to stay French,” the French-Algerians,
“and the active minority of politically driven guys,” the Algerians (de Montchenu). Despite these
differences, integrated school-children of all backgrounds got along well, though their parents experienced
much discrimination. As this divide continued to grow, the relationship between the France and Algeria
became increasingly one of conflict, leading to violence toward the end of WWII.
The French-Algerian War
The threat of outright war between France and Algeria began with the Sétif Massacre; to celebrate
Germany’s surrender in 1945, a parade was led through Sétif, located southwest of Algiers, and was
predominantly conducted by Muslim French-Algerians. The organizer of the parade, however, was an
Algerian nationalist who sought to promote the need for an independent Algeria, at which point French
soldiers stepped in, turning the celebration-demonstration violent and killing thousands of French-
Algerians (by French estimation, though the actual number was probably closer to tens of thousands) (Stora
Histoire 13). In retaliation, the French-Algerians led a revolt of their own against pied-noirs living in
surrounding villages, killing over a hundred people. This initial phase continued discreetly with small
revolts from 1945-1954. When the official, organized war began and lasted until 1962 when Charles de
Gaulle granted Algeria an election to determine their independence, for which 91.23% of the Algerian
population voted in favor (Stora Histoire 84). This came as a crushing defeat to both pied-noirs and French
citizens of the mainland who very much wanted to keep Algeria as a département (Talbott 357). It was the
strong urging of the French public to maintain control of Algeria that forced the French government to
carry out the war as they did, torturing many Algerians, while the National Liberation Front (Front de
Libération Nationale, FLN) led the opposing Algerian side, both defensively and in offensive terrorist attacks.
French (Colonizer) Offenses
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