Class Homepage Home Page
Algeria: Colonization
Daniel Superina
World History-Hjelmgren
5/7/09, Period 1
The European country that colonized Algeria was France in 1830. The French were dedicated to the idea of colonizing Algeria and they used all their resources successfully complete it. The French raid took place on June 12, 1830. The French used Napoleon’s contingency plan from 1808 and finally used it in 1830 to raid the Algerians. The French invasions came at a difficult time for the French and the Algerians because both of their governments were going through a hard time. “The restored French monarchy was in crisis, and the dey was weak politically, economically, and militarily.” (Metz, 1994)
The reason the French were so successful was because they had a unique style of battle. They came by sea with massive artillery. They first invaded the beaches 27 kilometers away from Algiers, Algeria’s capital. The French arrived with 34,000 soldiers who were opposed by 7,000 Janissaries, 19,000 troops from the Beys of Constantine and Oran, and about 17,000 Kabyles. While the French encountered all these soldiers, they were able to fight them off, due to the strong position they established on the beach they landed on. Also, they were able to push the enemies back thanks to superior artillery and more efficient organization. (Metz, 1994) The Algerians continued to resist for 18 years. The French over the course of one year went from 34,000 troops to 17,000 troops. Three years later, due to fierce opposition, they doubled their troops. After a major defeat at the city of Constantine, the French had to double their army again to over 60,000 troops. (Wall, 2004)
The French also gained control of Algerians native resources. They were able to take control of these resources and use them to their advantage. The French took these resources, such as oil and gas, and shipped them back to France. Since there was so much, they most likely used the local Algerian slaves to retrieve it and do with it as the French pleased.
The French were absolutely terrible to the Algerians. As they invaded the new land, they tore through everything, leaving nothing behind. The French showed no mercy whatsoever. They raped people, desecrated mosques, and destroyed all the cemeteries. They looted everything they could find; they stole 50 million Francs from the treasury in the cabash. (Metz, 1994).
I was not able to find any first hand accounts on the devastated Africans but I’m sure this today affected almost all the people in Algeria either directly or indirectly.
Annotated Bibliography
"Algeria - NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY." Country Studies. 29 Apr. 2009 <http://countrystudies.us/algeria/83.htm>. “This helped a lot showing me what the major resources of Algeria. Especially when I couldn’t find the answer to what resources the French had utilized while in Africa. This website showed me the different kinds of resources they had in Africa, there for leading toan easier way of finding out the answer to that question.”
"Bayphase Ltd - Algeria Oil Production Report." Bayphase Ltd - Oil & Gas Consultants - Prospect Evaluation - Reserves Assessment - Surrey. 29 Apr. 2009 <http://www.bayphase.com/products/algeria.php?gclid=CK3ImcmEpJoCFQzxDAodbk4J-Q>. “As the first site I had used helped me narrow the options down, this site helped me see what resources were most important to the French during their invasion. It gave me the ability to see why the French found this resource so valuable and how they used the slaves and oil to there advantage.”
Metz, Helen. "Algeria - FRANCE IN ALGERIA, 1830-1962." Country Studies. 29 Apr. 2009 <http://countrystudies.us/algeria/18.htm>. “This website gave me loads of information on all sorts of different techniques the French used and how they pulled it off. It was an over all amazing source because it had all the information needed to write an essay about this topic on it.”
Wall, Richard. "Algeria 1830: Legacy of an Occupation by Richard Wall." LewRockwell.com. 06 May 2009 <http://www.lewrockwell.com/wall/wall24.html>. "It showed me the determination of the Algerian resistance against the French colonists"
Last updated by Daniel Superina May 21, 2009
