Wanted to write about this topic for a while. The story of the Pied-Noirs is fascinating albeit tragic. I heard it several times. The first time when meeting the family of Ahmed, my gardener. His father was one of the 250’000 Algerian Harkis who fought with the French Army against the Algerian Independence Movement (FLN). He got almost lynched but by chance escaped to France. Most of his comrades were not so lucky. 900’000 French citizens who had settled in Algeria in the 19th century fled as well. They feared they would be next. Most of them settled in the South of France. 15’000 in Corsica. Many of them were wine makers. They were called Pied-Noirs (Black Feet). Today they make the fabulous Rosés of Corsica.
French Navy bombarding Algiers in 1830 at the begin of the French invasion
France conquered Algeria in 1830 for two main reasons. To finally end piracy and prisoner taking of which we heard so much in previous blogs. It was not anymore on the scale of Turgut Reis but a painful reality still and mostly done to ransom people. My American readers may be familiar with the Barbary War (1801 – 1805) when US President Jefferson sent four of the US Navy’s six frigates to bombard and blockade the North African coast. The second reason was to shore up the French King’s popularity. He hoped that a quick military victory would make him a national hero. It was not to be. The Algerian resistance was fierce. The French King was toppled. The war continued to 1836 with many massacres and atrocities against the Berbers. It is estimated that up to one of the country’s three million people died. When the war was over Algeria was like a cemetery – pacified but dead.
The French government invited his citizens to settle and re-populate the deserted areas. A pattern of emigration followed as we have seen in Italy. After the Napoleonic wars, France was a late bloomer in industrialization. The loss of Belgium’s heavy industry took time to compensate. There was no work. But contrary to Italy where people emigrated to the United States, Brazil or Argentina, the French went to Algeria, mostly towards the end of the 19th century. They took over large parts of the fertile lands – by 1940 French settlers controlled 40%. – and built modern, French looking towns on the North African coast. The sidelined Berbers lived in the mountain villages where they continued their semi-nomadic lifestyle. The war from 1830 – 1836 had eliminated their leadership. The Pied-Noirs never counted for more than 10% of Algeria’s population but they undoubtedly called the shots in politics and business. They could vote in the three departments of Algiers, Oran and Constantine, which formed an "perpetual" part of France. The Berbers had no voting rights.
Algerian prisoners of war in the First World War – called Zouaves or Chasseurs d’Afrique
This form of apartheid could probably have lasted for a while were in not for the First World War. Large parts of France’s industrial north were occupied by Germany, agricultural output dropped sharply due to the mobilization of men and horses, the losses of the French Army were catastrophic. Over the entire war, 70% became casualties. The 1.4 million strong French Force needed constantly new recruits to replenish its ranks. The French industry needed men power to replace the enlisted workers. France called on its colonial empire. In Algeria, 175’000 men joined the French Army as volunteers and fought bravely in all the main battles. 125’000 young men were recruited as workers for the industry. Without the 300’000 Berber, France’s war efforts would have collapsed. Whilst France welcomed the men power, it did not welcome the human beings. Treating proud warriors as gun fodder did not go down well and created a lot of resentment. What changed history was the training the young Algerians got in industrial and military organisation. Whilst the officers in the Algerian divisions were all French, the sergeants and staff sergeants were Algerians. A new class of leaders was created who asked as to why they were excluded from the privileges the French enjoyed, both politically and economically. US President Wilson’s declaration of the right of self-determination for every country gave these claims the legitimacy they needed.
US Troops in Algiers in 1942
Whilst it was possible to suppress the popular discontent in the interim years, French Authority collapsed after its defeat in 1940 at the hand of the Wehrmacht. The unpopular Vichy Regime had little credibility and when American troops landed in November 1942, the message of “fighting for freedom and democracy” undid the little authority that was left. The young Algerian people wanted freedom and would fight for it. After fruitless negotiations, the War of Independence started in 1954 end ended with Algeria’s victory in 1960. Sure, France won most of the tactical battles and inflicted heavy losses on the FLN, but the French people lost the will to fight when casualties reached 25’000 killed and 60’000 wounded soldiers. After considerable political turmoil, General De Gaulle, France’s leader during the second World War, was called back to govern France, a referendum was held in Algeria which voted with 99.7% for independence and a peace treaty signed. The war formally ended in 1962.
Algerian Delegation at the Peace Conference in Evian in 1962
Completely left out were the Pied-Noirs. Nobody wanted them. They left Algeria because they feared for their lives and thought France would welcome them with open arms. They had been the Great Nation’s loyal supporters. But it was not to be. For the French elite, they were an embarrassment and left to themselves. All of them had to rebuild their life from scratch. They became deeply anti-establishment. It is not a co-incident that the French Political Right has such strong roots in the South of France. Politics apart, the Pied-Noirs are the most hardworking and hospitable people and brought Mediterranean charm back to France. Family matters tremendously – that is all they had in 1962 when they left with just a suitcase. Plus their skills in making delicious wines. I wonder whether we will meet some of them when sailing around Corsica.
