Algeria, French North African colony divided into three provinces. Each was administered by a governor-general who was responsible to the French ministry of the interior. In 1939 the colony had 6.6 million inhabitants, including nearly a million Europeans.

In September 1940 General Weygand was appointed the Vichy government's delegate-general in North Africa and his presence in Algeria encouraged the French settlers (colons) to accept the regime he represented. Repressive measures were taken against the local Jews, whose French citizenship was withdrawn, and against nationalist Muslims. This pushed the more moderate Muslims such as Ferhat Abbas into the radicals' camp, and the radicals such as Messali Hadj into prison. In December 1941 General Juin replaced Weygand who sided with the Allies when they occupied Algeria at the start of the North African campaign in November 1942.

The presence of the Allies in Algeria, and General Giraud's decision to re-form Algerian army units, gave Ferhat Abbas the opportunity he sought. He presented an independence manifesto to the governor-general, Marcel Peyrouton, who accepted it and the need for change. However, in June 1943 the French Committee for National Liberation, which had its HQ in Algiers, replaced Peyrouton with General Catroux. He introduced more liberal policies, but opposed the immediate unconditional independence the followers of Messali Hadj demanded, as did the Brazzaville conference in January 1944. On V-E Day in May 1945 civil disturbances erupted which were repressed with great severity, and independence was not finally achieved, after much bloodshed, until 1962.

A number of Algerian Tirailleur regiments took part in the fighting which preceded the fall of France in June 1940 and two fought with the Allies during the North African campaign.See also France, 4.

Algeria A country extending from the North African coast southward across a large part of the Sahara. Algeria's narrow coastal strip is bounded by Morocco on the west and Tunisia on the east.

Physical

The coast has an equable Mediterranean climate well suited to agriculture. Inland the ground rises until it is mountainous, though here also the valleys are fertile. Plains and plateaux provide grazing, while many of the mountain slopes are forested. South is the desert and further south-east are more mountains with desolate plateaux and volcanic cones and craters.

Economy

Algerian industry, mainly stateowned, is based on oil-refining, but cement and steel are also produced. The country's main exports are crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas. Agriculture is limited: the northern mountainous region is suited only to grazing and timber, and the south of the country is the Sahara Desert. Algeria imports much of its food, the EU being the major trading partner.

History

The indigenous population of Algeria were Berbers, but the coast was colonized by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC. In the 2nd century BC the Romans incorporated the whole region into the province of Africa. In the 7th century AD the Romanized Berbers resisted the Arab invasion fiercely. Once conquered they were converted to Islam, and became members of the extreme Kharijite sect. From the 11th century they were repeatedly ravaged by the Banu Hilal and other Arabs, and ruled by a series of dynasties until conquest by the Ottoman empire in the 16th century. Throughout the 18th century, Algeria was notorious as a base for pirates raiding Mediterranean shipping. Conquered by France in the 1830s (when its present boundaries were established) and formally annexed in 1842, Algeria was ‘attached’ to metropolitan France and heavily settled by European Christians. The refusal of the European settlers to grant equal rights to the native population led to increasing instability, and in 1954 a war of national independence broke out which was characterized by atrocities on both sides. In 1962, in spite of considerable resistance in both France and white Algeria, President DE GAULLE negotiated an end to hostilities in the Evian Agreement, and Algeria was granted independence as the result of a referendum. In 1965 a coup established a left-wing government under Colonel Houari BOUMÉDIENNE and afterwards serious border disputes broke out with Tunisia, Morocco, and Mauritania. After Boumédienne's death in 1978, his successor Benjedid Chadli relaxed his repressive domestic policies and began to normalize Algeria's external relations. Algeria was a one-party state, ruled by the FLN (Front de Libération Nationale), from 1976 until 1989, when other political parties were legalized. The fundamentalist FIS (Front Islamique du Salut) party rapidly gained popular support. In 1992 the FIS seemed poised to win a general election but Chadli dissolved the government and resigned. A transitional military regime took over and cancelled the election. FIS supporters continued to wage a campaign of violence and terrorism; an estimated 76,000 people were killed in the years 1992–97.