Timeline of the Algerian War of Independence
Part 1: From French Colonization to the End of the 'Battle of Algiers'
By Alistair Boddy-Evans, About.com
| The War's Origins in French Colonization of Algeria | |
| 1830 | Algiers is occupied by France. |
| 1839 | Abd el-Kader declares war on the French after their meddling in the administration of his territory. |
| 1847 | Abd el-Kader surrenders. France finally subjugates Algeria. |
| 1848 | Algeria is recognized as an integral part of France. The colony is opened to European settlers. |
| 1871 | Colonization of Algeria increases in response to the loss of the Alsace-Lorraine region to the German Empire. |
| 1936 | Blum-Viollette reform is blocked by French Settlers. |
| March 1937 | The Parti du Peuple Algerien (PPA, Algerian People's Party) is formed by the veteran Algerian nationalist Messali Hadj. |
| 1938 | Ferhat Abbas forms the Union Populaire Algérienne (UPA, Algerian Popular Union). |
| 1940 | World War II -- Fall of France. |
| 8 November 1942 | Allied landings in Algeria and Morocco. |
| May 1945 |
World War II -- Victory in Europe. Independence demonstrations in Sétif turn violent. French authorities respond with severe reprisals leading to thousands of Muslim deaths. |
| October 1946 | The Mouvement pour le Triomphe des Libertés Démocratiques (MTLD, Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties) replaces the PPA, with Messali Hadj as president. |
| 1947 | The Organization Spéciale (OS, Special Organization) is formed as a paramilitary arm of the MTLD. |
| 20 September 1947 | A new constitution for Algeria is established. All Algerian citizens are offered French citizenship (of equal statues to those of France). However, when an Algerian National Assembly is convened it is skewed to settlers compared to indigenous Algerians -- two politically equal 60-member colleges are created, one representing the 1.5 million European settlers, the other for 9 million Algerian Muslims. |
| 1949 | Attack on the central post office of Oran by the Organization Spéciale (OS, Special Organization). |
| 1952 | Several leaders of the Organization Spéciale (OS, Special Organization) are arrested by French Authorities. Ahmed Ben Bella, however, manages to escape to Cairo. |
| 1954 | The Comité Révolutionaire d'Unité et d'Action (CRUA, Revolutionary Committee for Unity and Action) is set up by several former members of the Organization Spéciale (OS, Special Organization). They intend to lead the revolt against French rule. A conference in Switzerland by CRUA officials sets out the future administration of Algeria after the defeat of the French -- six administrative districts (Wilaya) under the command of a military chief are established. |
| June 1954 | New French government under the Parti Radical (Radical Party) and with Pierre Mendès-France as chairman of the Council of Ministers, an acknowledged opponent of French colonialism, withdraws troops from Vietnam following the fall of Dien Bien Phu. This is seen by Algerians as a positive step towards recognition of independence movements in French occupied territories. |
| Beginning of the War of Independence | |
| 1 November 1954 | Guerrilla attacks in the Aurès mountains signal the start of the Algerian War of Independence coincides with All Saints' Day. |
| The Comité Révolutionaire d'Unité et d'Action (CRUA, Revolutionary Committee for Unity and Action) changes its name to the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN, National Liberation Front). | |
| The Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN, National Liberation Army), the armed wing of the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN, National Liberation Front), attacks police and military posts in Aurès and Kabylia with the intent of capturing arms. France responds by deploying over 450,000 troops. | |
| Messali Hadj, under house arrest in Britany, France, founds the Mouvement National Algérien (MNA, Algerian National Movement) as a moderate alternative to the FLN. | |
| 1954 | Pierre Mendès-France, chairman of the Council of Ministers in France, negotiates with Habib Bourguiba, the nationalist leader in Tunisia, for the independence. |
| 26 January 1955 | Jacques-Émile Soustelle appointed governor-general of Algeria. He introduces liberal reforms and a wide ranging welfare program. |
| February 1955 | The Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN, National Liberation Army) targets Muslims who they have identified as collaborators -- any one who works on the European owned farms, attends the associated rural schools, and other forms of colonial life, particularly around Constantine (where the highest concentration of 'settlers' is found). |
| 17 February 1955 | Pierre Mendès-France of the Parti Radical (Radical Party) loses French government. Christian Pineau (also Radical Party) is now the acting chairman of the Council of Ministers in France. |
| 23 February 1955 | Edgar Faure for the Parti Radical (Radical Party) is the new chairman of the Council of Ministers in France. |
| 18-24 April 1955 | Front de Libération Nationale (FLN, National Liberation Front) attend Bandung Conference (aka Afro-Asian Conference) in Indonesia. Representatives of twenty-nine countries discussed economic cooperation, the effects of the US-Soviet Cold War, and the end of colonialism. The conference was a major step towards the creation of the Non-Aligned Movement. |
| May 1955 | Front de Libération Nationale (FLN, National Liberation Front) announce a boycott of tobacco and alcohol. |
| June 1955 | Ramdane Abane announces terror campaign against French settlers and Muslim collaborators. |
| 20 August 1955 | Front de Libération Nationale (FLN, National Liberation Front) massacre of Pied-noirs at Philippeville. The FLN kill 71 French citizens and 52 pro-French, Algerian Muslims (mostly local politicians). The local French police kill around 130 FLN commandos and fellagha and injure a few hundred more. On the same day, European women and children are slaughtered at their homes in the countryside surrounding Constantine, whilst their men are working in the mines. French forces, including two aircraft, mount a rescue mission a few hours later. |
| August 1955 | French government announces recall of 60,000 army reservists. |
| 1 February 1956 | Guy Mollet for the Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière (SFIO, French Section of the Workers' International) is new chairman of the Council of Ministers in France (replacing Edgar Faure). Pierre Mendès-France briefly appointed as Minister of State before resigning over the French government's approach towards Algeria. |
| 9 February 1956 | Jacques-Émile Soustelle is recalled to Paris, Robert Lacoste takes over as governor-general of Algeria. |
| 2 March 1956 | Morocco granted independence by France. |
| 16 March 1956 | French Assemblée Nationale (National Assembly) vote on special powers with regard to Algeria. |
| 20 March 1956 | Tunisia granted independence by France. Only the small enclave at Bizerte remains French (with a military base). |
| March 1956 | Shortly after gaining independence, both Morocco and Tunisa grant the FLN the opportunity to set up training camps and logisitic centers. |
| 18 May 1956 | Palestro Massacre -- conscripts of the 9 e Régiment d'Infantrie Coloniale (RIC) under the command of Lieutenant Hervé Artur are ambushed near the Palestro Gorge by Ali Khodja's ALN forces. Nineteen mutilated bodies are eventually recovered. Six soldiers are taken captive. |
| 19 June 1956 | First Front de Libération Nationale (FLN, National Liberation Front) prisoners executed. |
| 10 August 1956 | Explosion on the Thebes Road, in the Casbar of Algiers, claims 73 lives. Beginning of bombing campaign in Algiers. |
| 20 August 1956 | Front de Libération Nationale (FLN, National Liberation Front) establishes its policy statement at the Soummam Conference. FLN leaders, Abane Ramdane and Larbi Ben M'Hidi, decide to concentrate their actions in the capital Algiers. |
| 30 September 1956 | Djamila, Zohra and Samia Lakhdari, aka Yacef's girls, bomb a European milk bar, travel agent, and a cafeteria signaling the beginning of the Battle of Algiers. |
| 16 October 1956 | The Athos is intercepted on its way from Egypt to Algiers with a cargo of arms destined for the FLN. |
| 22 October 1956 | Ahmed Ben Bella is arrested by French military authorities when his airplane was controversially intercepted and diverted to France -- he was on his way to peace negotiations in Rome with the French premier Guy Mollet. |
| 5 November 1956 | Anglo-French landings at Suez. See The Suez Crisis and Timeline.) Suez Crisis leads Egyptian leader, President Nasser, to increase aid to the FLN. French pull-out at end of Suez Crisis leads to increased contempt by French army officers for the French government. |
| 14 December 1956 | Raoul Albin Louis Salan appointed commander-in-chief in Algeria. |
| 7 January 1957 | Jacques Émile Massu's paratroopers, 10e Division Parachutiste (DP), begin fight back against FLN forces in Algeria. Casbah area of Algiers is controlled by use of ID checks and enforces responsibility on heads of family for anything anyone in a particular household does. Road checks include masked Muslim informers, those taken into detention are tortured to reveal intelligence, and many detainees die during their captivity (and are passed off as suicides). |
| 16 January 1957 | Assassination attempt (by bazooka) on Raoul Albin Louis Salan by French residents of Algiers who wanted General René Cogny to take his place -- he was seen as more in tune with their ideals. |
| 28 January 1957 | Jacques Émile Massu's paratroopers sent in to break a general strike. |
| 14 March 1957 | 'Suicide' of Larbi Ben M'hidi, whilst in custody of Massu's paratroopers, is announced. |
| 26 March 1957 | 'Suicide' of Ali Boumendjel, an Algerian attorney, from 6th floor of building where he is being held in Algiers. |
| 21 May 1957 | Guy Mollet of the Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière (SFIO, French Section of the Workers' International) loses seat as chairman of the Council of Ministers in France. France is effectively without government for 22 days. |
| 31 May 1957 | FLN guerrillas massacre 303 Muslims supporters of Messali Hadj's Mouvement National Algérian (MNA, Algerian National Movement) at the village of Melouza by FLN Wilaya 3 leader Colonel Amirouche. The FLN then drop leaflets blaming French 'pacification' for the massacre. |
| 13 June 1957 | Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury for the Parti Radical (Radical Party) is new chairman of the Council of Ministers in France. |
| 1 July 1957 | John F Kennedy supports Algerian independence in a speech. |
| July 1957 | FLN leader Colonel Si Chérif (Ali Mellali) of Wilaya 6 defects giving the French a propaganda coup. |
| September 1957 | French finish the Morice Line, a defensive barrier (a 700 km long, 2.5 m high 5,000 volt electric fence and 90 m minefield) along the border of both Morocco and Tunisia to prevent Algerian FLN forces crossing into Algeria from training and logistic camps in the neighboring countries. Additional measures involved almost 10,000 French troops on call, plus the use of radar and air patrols. |
| 24 September 1957 | Yacef Saadi captured. Battle of Algiers won by Jacques Émile Massu and his paratroopers. |
More of the Algeria War of Independence Timeline
• Part 2: End of the 'Battle of Algiers to Independence
Algeria War of Independence Events
• Battle of Philippeville, 20 August 1955
• Blum-Viollette Proposal
Algerian War of Independence Terms
• Pied-Noir
• Fellegha
• Harkis
• Wilaya
Algeria Timeline
• Part 1: Prehistory to Colonization
• Part 2: Colonization to Independence
• Part 3: Independence to State of Emergency
• Part 4: State of Emergency to Present Day
Algerian Leaders
• Ferhat Abbas
• Ahmed Messali Hadj
• Ahmed Ben Bella
