377. Algerian Revolution: Repression and Rebellion (Ep 2)
Summary
Hosts Anita Anand and William Dalrymple explore the roots of the Algerian War, tracing the 1848 decision to integrate Algeria into France while enforcing a racist dual legal system. They examine how the 1945 Sétif massacre and France’s defeat in Vietnam radicalized Algerian nationalists, leading to the formation of the FLN. The episode sets the stage for the brutal anti-colonial conflict that would ultimately dismantle the French Fourth Republic.
Topics discussed
Intro: Sponsor, hosts, and episode overview
Algeria declared part of France and the Pieds-Noirs
Albert Camus: A Pied-Noir philosopher's complex stance
The Code de l'Indigénat and formalized apartheid
Land laws, racial ideology, and the civilizing mission
Rise of nationalism: Ferhat Abbas and Messali Hadj
WWII impact: French defeat and American promises
The 1945 Sétif massacre and French retaliation
Radicalization of veterans and the end of peaceful protest
Dien Bien Phu, the FLN, and the start of the war
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