HISTORY OF ALGERIA

The War of National Liberation (1954-1962)

At the end of the 2nd World War during which the Algerians participated by thousands to the liberation of Europe and while they expected the freedom promised by the colonizer, the Algerian people underwent one of the wildest repressions since the colonial invasion in 1830.

On May 8, 1945, when thousands of Algerians came out to peacefully demonstrate their joy following the end of the second World War and remind the French colonial regime of its promise to grant them independence following their participation in the victory of the Allies in the Second World War, the French colonial regime, instead of responding favorably to the legitimate aspirations of the Algerian people, responded with a violent repression that caused the death of more than 45,000 Algerians.

The massacres that took place in particular at Setif, Guelma and Kherrata galvanized the independence spirit and accelerated the emergence of a nationalist elite convinced that „what has been taken by force can only be taken back by force“.
“…Through the evocation of the dramatic past following the French invasion, the Algerian people exercise the duty of memory towards their ancestors, millions of whom have fallen into resistance, hundreds of thousands of others have been imprisoned or deported, while millions of Algerians have been dispossessed of their land and property...” extract from the message of H.E the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the occasion of the 55th Anniversary of the Independence of Algeria.
“…The Algerian people have demonstrated, through the centuries, its fierce resistance to any invader it has always managed to undo, like the French colonization evacuated after 132 years of martyrdom and suffering, but also resistance and an ultimate liberating revolution hailed throughout the world…” extract from the message of H.E the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the occasion of the 55th Anniversary of the Independence of Algeria.
Thus, the fate of independent Algeria emerged at the birth of a hard core called „Special Organization“ which transcends the divisions within the nationalist movement to bring the supreme aspiration of the Algerian people to recover their independence by a long and painful armed struggle triggered on November 1st, 1954.