The Battle of Algiers(rough draft)

AP World History (Period #1)

Elite Scholar Academy
Page count; Word count
Brian Wallace, April 29
Mr. Omowale

In analyzing the views of the Battle of Algiers, one can tell that they were caused
primarily by Muslim Algerians and Algerians willing to fight for their independence. In the time
of the Battle of Algiers, about January 7, 1957 October 8, 1957, how did torture and
imprisonment play a role on the France side during the war was expressed by fear and power.
Additionally, why was the Battle of Algiers considered a series of terrorism rather than an actual
war was expressed by the actions of the FLN and their non strategized plan of killing. These
views summarize the actions of the Battle of Algiers.
On January 7, 1957, the Algerian war escalated into an epic battle. It was known as the
Battle of Algiers. Fought in the streets of Algiers and French Algeria, this bloody war involved
the National Liberation Front, also known as FLN, against French Algerians. In other

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words(French), FLN meant the Front de Libration Nationale. Surprisingly this well fought
battle lasted for nearly a year.
The battle of Algiers was similar to a David versus Goliath scene having crooked
citizens/non uniformed soldiers fight against an organized military unit. The National Liberation
Front army men were basically civilian volunteers, yet they still put up a fight. The French
Algiers army men were well structured, orderly fashioned, and larger than their enemy.

Algeria has been in France control ever since the 1800s. Some Algerians were not given
equal rights upon France colonization. Over the years, Algerians have been organizing and
creating groups of men that would do anything for independence for themselves and their
country. They would put their life in danger. Their independence was compared to as a pot of
gold.
Imprisonment was a key role towards the French side of the Battle of Algiers.
Imprisonment is considered the state of being imprisoned. Bassically, it is captivity usually
occurring during war times. The French colonial imprisoned a lot of rebellions during the war
including leaders that helped keep the fight going on. After they received a number of prisoners
they either slaughtered them or slowly tortured them while learning science about the human
body in the process. Only a certain number of prisoners were given mercy and just served a
sentence until the war ended.
Rabah Bitat was the speaker/leader of the National Liberation Front in Algiers. He was
caught and imprisoned by the French. Abane Ramdane(famous imprisoned yet got freed political
leader) strived his hardest to help and encourage people to help the National Liberation Front .
Time passed by and the conflict kept escalating in widespread. The rebellious, risky, brave

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movements were based off of violence towards anything of France, including their military, their
government, etc.
Some people noted the Battle of Algiers as terrorist attacks, because it involved shooting
of innocent people. A the beginning of the war, the min conflict was terrorist attack fought out by
the National Liberation Front. Although history recorded shows that the start of the war was the
only sign of terrorism, many people disagree and has an argument that the whole war was just
terrorism in massive acts.
The terrorism begin with the National Liberation Front movement of it to the French
colonial, hich took place in Algiers on the date of 1956. To get straight to the point the Battle of
Algiers was considered a series of terrorism because it was fought out by people of a religion
known for their terrorist groups, parties, and organizations such as Al Qaeda and ay ideas were
used by both sides back and forth such as the counterterrorist strategy, which was made by the
French colonial rule. All this ties to why the Battle of Algiers was considered just a bunch of
terrorism.
While terrorism was a big key part of the Battle of Algiers, Torture was also a key part to
the vicious French army strategies. Torture is the action or practice of inflicting severe pain on
someone as a punishment. Torture can also be to force them to do or say something, or for the
pleasure of the person inflicting the pain. Torture helped the French Colonial by shoving fear into
the the National Liberation Front face.
When the National Liberation Front heard about the torture the French were dealing to
the rebellions, many people dropped out of the movement and less recruits were joining the
National Liberation Front rebellion. French researchers tested and discovered several ways to
torture the human body to the fullest throughout these evil yet fearsome exercises.

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It was a fight that involved Muslim Algerians and the road to what they wanted. They
wanted freedom and independence. They were call the Freedom Fighters. Freedom Fighters
broke out because Muslims were not given their rights as an European citizen just because of
their religion and ethnicity group. They were denied their right to vote, they were given higher
taxes than the non-Muslim Europeans, and they were segregated in places such as restaurants
parks and beaches(similar to African Americans situation in the 1900s).
These attacks were so destructive toward the French government that they sent army men
out to Algier to squash and put a hold to the National Liberation Front. They were brought to a
halt with the use of illegal methods. Generally, General Jacques Massu had the non-legal power
to kill anyone he wanted from the National Liberation Front after they were captured. Some
fighters did not even spend one day as a war prisoner before being subsequently murdered.
The battle of Algiers was a battle that took place on their homeland/territory. It was
armies taking the battle field/location the conflict started on and working on close counter attacks
rather than militaria. Some may ask what is close counter attacks. Close counter attacks are
shootings in a war that occur no more than a few yards away from each other targets.
Close counter attacks was one of the few advantages the National Liberation Front had on
their side, yet the National Liberation Front still strategized and worked for independence to all
Algerians, including Muslim Algerians, who did not have the right to vote and much more.
Ali La Pointe was a terrorist (helped the National Liberation Front) who still participated
in politics. The French government ordered the French military not only to murder the captured
rebels but to torture them. This spread fear into their opponents leading to civilians quitting
fighting. Col Mathieu was in charge of all the torturing and murdering going on behind France

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bases. He was a cruel and straightforward general. This was exactly what France need to strike
fear into the rest of the eyes of the National Liberation Front.
The France not only were more organized than the National Liberation Front, but they
had more commanders. Jacques Massu, Yves Godard, Marcel Bigeard and Paul Aussaresses were
all of the French commanders/ generals. The National Liberation Front had less commanders
than France counting up three. Larbi Ben M'hidi , Saadi Yacef, Ali La Pointe were all of the
National Liberation Front commanders/ generals.
Although the National Liberation Front had less commanders, they had more members in
their army. They had a staggering number of 24,000 FLN members. The France however had less
army men. They had 9,500 soldiers. At the time, the France flag color was red blue and white.
The National Liberation Front was red, green and white.
The battle of Algiers was a definite win for the French at the start. Following the victory,
a few years after it a movie came out giving a full description and detail of the war. The film was
called Battle of Algiers by Gillo Pontecorvo. Some of the actions in the battle are not able to be
determined but everything in the war made an impact to the lost. All together about 24,000
Muslims were arrested during the battle of Algiers. About 1,000-3,000 were FLN dead or
missing after the battle. About 300 French soldiers were dead after the battle.
The Battle of Algiers film was forbidden to be played in France, because it displayed
maltreatment on Algerians from Frances military. This lasted for a few twelve month periods.
An uncut version was never released in the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2001
Aussaresses gave in and told the world about all the torture that was committed towards the
Algerians. Still to this day French hasnt yet apologized for inflicting torture as a war strategy
among the rebellious Algerians who fought in the battle.

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The battle of Algiers included key scenes of battle that are useful still today throughout
many countries. The battle scenes involve new but old strategies that can be used to defeat an
opponent in war. Officers of the law use them as guidance activities in boot camps, academies,
and stations.

This explains that the movie was extra correct down to the military plans.

In the Battle of Algiers women and children also put up a fight on the Algerian side.
Some women dressed up as spies and got key information from the French or positioned
explosives in the France army camps and more. Some women took on the male representation of
a duty in war and fought off the battle killing as many French as they could. Some children
supplied ammunition and water for the fighters. Some children pointed and fired guns as big as
AK-47s and M16A2 Commandos to Magnum-style pistols. Although they were women, the
French did not hold back. They killed tortured or imprisoned any rebellious Algerian in their
sight. This means women too, but that shows how much the Algerians wanted their
independence.
Altogether Muslim Algerians and Algerians of other religions all teamed up to fight off
the French authority. Although it took many loses in close quarter combat and it took many
Algerian citizen lives, they finally achieved their goal as a country uniting together to fight for
their freedom. In 1962 the country of Algeria was finally given their independence and set free
from the control of great Britain. In conclusion, I can infer that the Battle of Algiers was a series
of terrorism and torture between the French and Algerians rather than an actual war.

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Bibliography

Tunzelmann, Alex Von. "Alex Von Tunzelmann on The Battle of Algiers: A Masterpiece of Historical
Accuracy." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 Mar. 2009. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/26/the-battle-of-algiers-film-historical-accuracy>

Evans, Martin. "The Battle of Algiers: Historical Truth and Filmic Representation." OpenDemocracy.
N.p., 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <https://www.opendemocracy.net/martin-evans/battle-ofalgiers-historical-truth-and-filmic-representation>.

Ted Morgan. My Battle of Algiers: A Memoir.

Harper Collins, Feb 6, 2007. Print.
Tues. 8 Mar. 2016
Alistair Horne. A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962
New York Review of Books, March 1, 2011. Print
Tues. 8 Mar. 2016
Zeynep elik, Julia Ann Clancy-Smith. Walls of Algiers
Getty Research Institute, 2009. Print.

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Tues. 8 Mar. 2016