...Decolonization in the Battle of Algiers In Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth, violence was a cornerstone in the very heart of Decolonization. The proletariat in The Communist Manifesto was recognized as people with the right to congregate and bring up issues for their class to be recognized. However the proletariat class of the colonized countries was not given the same opportunity because their class was determined by race and was perceived as an inferior that can be denied basic human rights because of their inferiority. This is coupled by the fact that the settlers are completely thriving in all aspects of life while the native people are left to barely scrape by in crowded neighborhoods for an extended period of time. Regardless...
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...Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers is a must see movie for all. From acting to directing to politics, the audience cannot help but appreciate the film and see all of its glory. But one cannot watch it without understanding and accepting the true meaning behind this film. It is the real deal about anti-colonialism and freedom. Pontecorvo sets it up as a documentary, not wanting to take any sides. The film is very straightforward and makes the viewer feel like they are really there by a lot of the scenes that are shot. The score plays a big role in the movie by adding suspense, tension, and unity. The film had a lot of criticism when it first came out because it was the first movie set in Algeria, the first movie about anti-colonialism, and the first movie that showed a lot of violence and torture scenes. The Battle of Algiers is about a freedom fighter Algerian group called the National Liberation Front, or the FLN, who is trying to gain their independence from the French foreign legion in the early 1960’s. It is a bout a clash between two groups of people who wholeheartedly believe they have the right to occupy the land of Algeria. The French have been ruling there for the past 150 years without any resistance, so they believe why should they give it up all of a sudden. Yet the Algerians have dwelled in this land forever and feel like it is time to stand up and gain their independence. The opening scene starts out with a torture scene; any film that starts out that...
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...Comparison between Morocco and Algeria Morocco and Algeria are neighborhood countries and share almost 1500 Kilometers of frontiers, and both of them are limited be the Mediterranean Sea in the north. Algeria is the second powerful country in Africa after South Africa while Morocco is the fifth one after the Egypt and Nigeria. In addition to Arabs, Sahraouis and Berbers represent the two main populations in the two countries. Moreover, both of them have Arabic as official language and French as second and administrative one since their independences from France colonization. Another similarity between Algeria and Morocco is their identical climates that differ as we move along both countries, extreme temperatures in the south, and moderate weather in the north. Despite these numerous similarities, Morocco and Algeria differ in three major domains: Their area, their resources, and their political systems and actions over the history of country. The first big dissimilarity between Algeria and Morocco is their areas. In fact, Algeria counts four times the area of Morocco. Algeria extends in more than two millions kilometers square and it is the second big country in Africa after the Sudan and the eleventh worldwide whereas Morocco has only seventh hundred thousand kilometers square whereof two-hundred fifty in Western Sahara which makes Morocco in the eight rank of superficies in Africa and the fifth-seventh in the world. Morocco claims a big part of Algeria that extends from Figuig...
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...I decided to interview and write this paper on my grandfather. I thought he would be the best selection since this man was raised overseas and seen a lot of North African and European/ Arabic culture and was part of the Muslim religion for some time. In this paper I will be writing down the answers I received from him while conducting an interview, but I will write the answer in a way of a story. Born in the City of Algiers Yousef (or as he sometimes went by in America Joe) Mouheb, was born in the 40s my grandfather has grown up with a passion for cars; learning how they work, repairing them, and customizing them. He lived most of his younger life in Algeria; the culture there was much different then here, especially when it came to family....
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...could demean your sacrifice, and threaten your security at cellular levels. As a major settler country that faced many social, economic, and political injustices in comparison to their settled French counterparts, Algeria took a stand to end French settlement. This sacrifices however only proved to be have disappointing outcomes leaving the country highly fractured both short term and long term, leading up to the civil war of 1992. I say with great emphasis that it is more difficult to govern a government that is faces post-revolutionary crisis than it is to overthrow an entire establishment. Such is proven in the wake of Algeria's revolution in the 1950s which has left an estimated 700,000 dead, and thousands more scarred physically and psychologically. Both sides of the battle, the Algiers and the French paratroopers, used merciless guerrilla tactics and torture against its own people.[1] Algeria continued however to struggle with civilian casualties. Among those the “Berber people at the hands various factions of insurgents, and was successful for a while”[2]. It is my assertion that decolonization France did not grant formal eminent rule, nor did it administer political order and help cultivate Algeria peacefully as a nation. The question remains however, would Algeria have succeeded long term as a nation under French rule? One can argue that Algerian ties to advanced French culture, language, medicine, technological advancement and western culture would have left Algerians in...
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...impressionable and take whatever our educators tell us as undisputed facts. My understanding of the many wars we have been taught has evidently not been the entire truth. I have been shielded from the violence and racism that was used to carry out such wars. It is apparent that the motives behind many historical actions have been misguided with half-truths and whole lies. My teachings have revolved around bettering inferior lands with generosity and a duty to teach a better way of life. An event that exemplifies dominance through violence and belief of superiority was that of the 19th century overtaking of Algeria by France, better known as the Pacification of Algeria. The event began in the late 1830s and continued well into the 1840s when Algeria was finally annexed to France in 1848. The French military was ordered to pacify the country of Algeria using any means necessary to push out the native Algerians. This in turn opened the doors to French expansion into this Northern African Country. An army of 108,000 French troops tracked down Algerians, tortured, humiliated, and killed them, or ejected them from their lands and villages. The crimes related with this violent process cannot be understated and escalated in severity in 1845. As French troops continued their devastating display through the country,...
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...Battle of Algiers The Battle of Algiers is a film by Italian filmmaker, Gillo Pontecorvo. The film was nominated for three Oscars for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Director. It won the grand prize at Venice and was given top honors in London during its debut. The Battle of Algiers reveals the questionable effects of Western imperialism and how the legacy of imperialism is tied to the suppression of indigenous resistance. The film is set in the city of Algiers which was the capital of Algiers, during French colonist rule of the 1950s and 1960s. The film depicts how the French colonists were successful in winning the Battle of Algiers in 1957, however, in the end, their tactics cost them the colony of Algeria; three years later, the people overthrew French colonial rule and won their independence. The film is an insightful interpretation of the effect of Western colonialism; as such, it's an important source of reference in the discussion of current events involving the West's intervention in the Middle East. The movie begins with a torture scene in which French paratroopers have just gained information about the freedom fighters. The French know where the leader, Ali Pointe, is hiding and he has thirty seconds to surrender. Much of the film is a flashback from the point of view of Ali Pointe, the leader of the resistance. The way the film came about is surprising in many ways. The movie was subsidized by the Algerian...
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...Review: The Battle of Algiers Gillo Pontecorvo was a director way ahead of his time. He directed two anti-colonialism in the 1960, when most of the movie-going audience was probably comfortably numb to the plight of the Third World. He created a film genre (anti-colonialism) that while at first controversial would eventually become a mainstream source for modern classics. He was one of the first directors to take on the challenging subjects of terrorism and torture, in an era where the preferred treatment of the historical film was sterilization, not realism. Pontecorvo portrayed women realistically, not as an idealized pieces of scenery. Most important, Pontecorvo achieved the admirable feat of creating films that accurately reflected historical accuracy and cinematic excellence. And he did all this while advancing a political thesis. In The Battle of Algiers (1966) Gillo Ponetcorvo uses factual content extrapolated from the history of the Algerian War to demonstrate a historical lesson: to defeat an ideologically entrenched, locally supported underground nationalist movement, you must employ measures (suppression of civil liberties, police brutality, military aggression, and eventually torture) that while crucial to winning battles against underground networks (like the FLN in Algiers) in the short run, these counter-insurgency actions will ultimately serve to bolster the opposition to authority in the long run. Eventually, as Pontecorvo's coda suggests, the tactics of the...
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...ALLIED BATTLE STRATEGY The attack of Japan on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor resulted in the USA entry into the war in December, 1941. These were the culminating events that required the Allies forces to develop a strategy defeat of the Axis powers. The Allied forces had to work together in order to coordinate actions and win World War II. Hitler’s Germany presented the biggest threat for the Allies. The German army succeeded in its invasion into Europe and started its blitzkrieg strategy, and it seemed that Allies forces ware almost defeated by Hitler. The leaders of the USA, Britain, and Soviet Union had their own opinions on the strategy of the Allies against Axis powers. As Russia was under the threat of defeating, Josef Stalin insisted on Allies’ opening the second front in France as soon as possible. Churchill and Roosevelt claimed that they needed more time to prepare for the invasion. They were convinced that it was more effective to nibble at the edges of the German empire. Thus, they planned to bomb Germany from the air. Despite the different views, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin had a common aim to win the war, and they came to a joint resolution. During the war, the leaders met several times in order to develop a strategy of the Allies forces victory. As it was planned, in the summer of 1942, Allied forces began its attack against Axis powers. Allies planes began bombing strategic targets in Germany. In the autumn of 1942, Allies began its operation in...
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...During the Civil War the unit participated in the following campaigns: Pennsylvania, Antietam, Frederiksberg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Appomattox, Spotsylvania, Petersburg and Virginia in 1863. The Expansion after the War After the Spanish American War (April 25, 1898 – May 1898), the battalion was expanded to form the 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion of Engineers; the 1st Battalion earned a battle streamer at Santiago Campaign. The 1st Battalion was expanded in 1916 as the 1st Regiment of Engineers. World War...
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...The Bretagne battleship served the French Navy, British battleship sunk Bretagne. The Bretagne battleship was built in 1913. The materials they used to build the battle was steel and armored. “The builders were Arsenal De Brest, France. Bretagne was one of the many French ships anchored in the harbor still” (Chen). Bretagne battleship was sunk July 3, 1940 (Chen). The battleship was sunk by British naval gunfire. 977 men lost their lives during the battle. Before the battleship went down, Bretagne and Cruiser Algeria, escorted by destroyers Vauban, Agile and Breze (Chen). She was also the one to take the main brunt of the British salvos and endured the first of such hits onto her design. The Bretagne was an impressive vessel. She held two...
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...Algeria was invaded when French Official was hit with a fly swatter. The Europeans bought land but Algerians rebelled. French troops were put down. Many nationalist movements occurred as WWI soldiers wanted a higher quality of life. The Algerians supported the nationalist leaders, this called for violent resistance to French rule. The Axis Radio promised Algerians a better world after war. The Free French Government offered citizenship to some Algerian Muslims, this isn’t what they wanted. In the 1950’s a battle for freedom began with French fire on protesters, killing 1000s of Muslims. The French helped get rid of the Ottomans in Tunisia and this caused them to go bankrupt. France helped to rebuild the economy but the Tunisians wanted their freedom. Young Tunisians wanted less French rule, in the 1930s they became radical. WWII exiled leaders who were then able to return. In 1943, the Free French Government regained control but Syria and Lebanon’s independence forced Tunisia to gain...
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...independence in the Algerian war by the FLN after numerous defeats by the French during the Battle of Algiers goes to show that weak forces should never be underestimated. Their superior political determination, strategy and ability to gain foreign support enable them to achieve victory, especially against a strong democratic...
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...French public discourse at the turn of the century. Partisan camps of “Dreyfusards” and “anti-Dreyfusards” waged a war of words against each other as they debated Dreyfus' innocence and, implicitly, what it meant to be French in the Third Republic. Marked by an effusion of antisemitic vitriol, this debate has been characterized by Frederick Brown as a polarizing battle between two rival visions of France.[1] This battle at times extended to the streets, as it did in response to the publication of Émile Zola's 1898 “J'accuse.” Zola's open letter indicted the Army General Staff for antisemitism and cover-up, and prompted reactionary riots across France, the most violent of which occurred in French colonial Algiers. There, the burning of Zola in effigy sparked a riot in which 158 shops were destroyed, six Jews were assaulted (two fatally), and 9 rioters, 47 police, and a large but unknown number of Jews were seriously injured.[2] As the site of some of the only murderous violence during the Affair, colonial Algeria deserves particular attention. Examining the Dreyfus Affair from the perspective of French colonial Algeria illuminates the place of antisemitism in Algerian political culture, the development of modern French antisemitism, and the relationship between antisemitism and colonial racism.[3] According to George Fredrickson, antisemitism, like all Western racisms, is predicated on a presumption of basic human equality rooted in Christian and Enlightenment...
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...Executive Summary The aim of the research was to answer the main research question: ‘What caused the Arab Spring’ In order to tackle this question; desk research, case studies and an interview with Mr Farrid Benkaddour have been conducted. Farrid Benkaddour is a Moroccan sociologist, he started his career in Morocco after obtaining his baccalaureate in 1984. Since then he has been a teacher in Morocco, afterwards he went to the Netherlands to teach Dutch people about Moroccan culture. He currently works for Arabika, a company that specializes in legal assistance, translations, language trainings and intercultural communications. The desk research revealed the opinions of the Arab spring’s countries inhabitants. Inflation, unemployment and poor housing conditions prevailed as a direct consequence of insufficient dictatorial regimes. Freshly graduated youth was left jobless with no sign of improvement in the near future. People became more and more aware of the lack of political influence they had and started idealizing the western political democratic models. The interview and case studies showed there have been negative thoughts about the dictatorial regimes ever since their instalment. Protests have been seen throughout the history of the Arab world. The difference, however, between those protests and the Arab Spring is the modern age. Where earlier protests failed due to lack of support, the modern age tools such as (social-)media carried the Arab spring’s unfolding...
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