he insists on the various groups bearing the memories of the Algerian war: from conscripts to career soldiers, passing through the rebellious, the separatists of the FLN/ALN, and its supporters, at the MNA, from the harkis to the black-footed, through the OAS.
Introduced by historians (Marc André, Raphaëlle Branche, Olivier Dard, Jean-Jacques Jordi, Abderahmen Moumen, Yann Scioldo-Zurcher-Levy, Tramor Quemeneur), these extracts from testimonies make it possible to grasp the diversity of the paths and experiences of men and women actors or witnesses of the Algerian war.
You can also find these videos onthe ONACVG Youtube channel!
I-Presentation
II-What is a called?
Between 1954 and 1962, nearly 1.2 million conscripts did their military service in Algeria. Their backgrounds are very diverse, when some took part in armed operations, others were teachers or doctors. This experience of the Algerian war marks the memory of each of them.
III- What is a career soldier?
During the war, nearly 320,000 career soldiers were serving in Algeria. Some of them had already fought in Indochina and during the Second World War. Professional soldiers were often mobilized on the most combat missions.
IV- Who are the rebels and supporters of the National Liberation Front (FLN)?
From the start of the conflict, networks were set up in mainland France to support the FLN. These networks of “suitcase carriers” helped the FLN by transporting arms, funds and hiding combatants. Added to this were rebellious and refractory people who deserted or refused to bear arms.
V- What are the FLN and the National Liberation Army (ALN)?
In 1954, the National Liberation Front triggered an insurrection in Algeria and demanded independence. Composed of a political branch and an armed branch, the National Liberation Army, the FLN has multiplied political and armed actions in Algeria and France to achieve its ends.
VI- What is the Algerian National Movement (MNA)?
Founded in 1954 by Messali Hadj, the MNA was an Algerian nationalist party with a reformist tendency which was directly opposed to the FLN. The struggle between the FLN and the MNA for the domination of the Algerian national movement during and after the war resulted in ten thousand deaths in Algeria and in mainland France.
VII- Who are the harkis?
The Harkis were Algerians who were part of an auxiliary unit within the French army during the war. The term comes from the Arabic word meaning "movement". The number of auxiliaries during the conflict is estimated at 200,000. At independence, they were victims of reprisals in Algeria, many of them sought refuge in France. Many of them were accommodated in camps.
VIII- Who are the French in Algeria?
The French in Algeria represented on the eve of the war nearly a million people. Coming from French or European Jewish families from Algeria naturalized at the end of the 19th century, their origins are plural, as are their socio-economic situations. It was only after the war that these French from Algeria were called Pieds-Noirs.
IX- What is the Secret Armed Organization (OAS)?
Created in 1961, the OAS is a clandestine organization bringing together supporters of French Algeria. The OAS wanted to prevent Algeria's independence by force. To do this, it establishes a climate of terror by committing numerous attacks and targeted or indiscriminate assassinations in Algeria and France. The number of Algerian and French victims is estimated at 2,000.
Les commentaires récents