The Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962): Causes, Conflict, and Legacy

The Algerian War (1954–1962), also called the Algerian Revolution, was a brutal conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) that ended 132 years of French colonial rule and reshaped both nations.

Roots of the Conflict

• Colonialism: France invaded in 1830; Algeria was administered as integral French territory (départements), not a protectorate.
• Systemic Inequality: European settlers (colons or pieds-noirs) held political power and prime land; Muslim Algerians were second-class subjects under the Code de l'indigénat.
• Nationalist Awakening: Post-WWII, Algerian veterans and intellectuals demanded equality or independence. The 1945 Sétif massacre radicalized many.
• FLN Formation: In 1954, the FLN launched the armed struggle, unifying nationalist factions.

The War (1954–1962)

• FLN Strategy: Guerrilla warfare, urban terrorism, international diplomacy; strong diaspora support (especially in France).
• French Response: Massive troop deployment (400,000+), torture, forced resettlement (regroupement), aerial bombardment, and political repression.
• Battle of Algiers (1956–57): Urban counterinsurgency became a textbook case—and a moral disaster for France.
• Political Crisis in France: The war toppled the Fourth Republic (1958), brought de Gaulle to power, and nearly triggered a coup by French generals (1961).

Resolution: The Évian Accords (March 1962)

Negotiated ceasefire and independence terms. A July 1962 referendum overwhelmingly approved independence. Over 1 million pieds-noirs fled to France; tens of thousands of harkis (Algerian auxiliaries) were abandoned and massacred.

Human Cost and Legacy

• Deaths: Estimates range from 300,000 to 1.5 million Algerians; ~25,000 French soldiers.
• France: Forced confrontation with torture, colonial crimes; shaped Fifth Republic, immigration, and memory politics.
• Algeria: Independence under FLN one-party rule; socialist experiments, 1990s civil war, enduring authoritarianism.
• Global: Inspired liberation movements; influenced Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth; landmark in decolonization.

The war's "legacy of violence and instability" continues to haunt Franco-Algerian relations and Algerian politics today.