Period 2
5/30/2010
French Algeria In 1827, the French consul in Algiers had an audience with the dey, the Turkish governor of the province at the time. They discussed about the bill for a consignment of wheat, payment for which was overdue for about thirty so years. The dey threatens to withdraw certain French concessions in Algeria. Among hearing this, the consul becomes frenetic, and in response, the dey flicks him with his fly whisk. This was taken as a large insult to French national pride, as Charles X, the current French king, issues a naval blockade to the Algerian coast.
When the effects of this operation were very little, a military conflict ensued. Landing in June 1830, the French army easily overpowers the forces of the dey in a three-week campaign thanks to their superior artillery and better organization. However, this victory only secures France a small region around Algiers, as the dey had already long lost control of his subordinated in the provinces. News of the capture of Algiers reached Paris as Charles X was deposed of and his cousin Louis Philippe, the “citizen king”, was named to preside over the monarchy. The new government was reluctant to pursue the conquest issued by the former regime, but alas withdrawing from Algeria proved much more difficult than conquering it. The parliamentary commission that had examined the French Algeria situation deemed that the French characters imposed upon Algeria were failures, but the occupation of Algeria should continue for the sake of national prestige.
In 1834, France annexed the occupied area as a colony. At the time, the colony touted a Muslim population of about 3 million. Colonial administration of the occupied areas was placed under a governor general. On All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1954, FLN guerillas launched numerous attacks on various parts of Algeria against French installations. From Cairo, the FLN broadcasted a proclamation calling upon all Muslims to rise up in their