French Colonial Policy in the Social Sphere from 1954 to 1962: The Algerian Demographic Reality and Class Racism as a Model

Abstract

French colonial policy in the social sphere, from 1954 to 1962, was marked by a series of contradictions in its handling of Algerian conditions, with the Algerian demographic reality being one of them. Since 1830 until 1962, the French occupation authorities worked, as much as possible, to eliminate the Algerian element that stood as an obstacle to the projects of settlement, exploitation, and the draining of this fertile land’s resources, using various brutal methods such as killing, exile, and starvation.
Because it needed a labor force to serve its interests, it attempted to adjust its policy in line with the objectives set by the colonial authorities and their administration, in service of the settlers. The presence of servants was deemed necessary for the colonizer’s satisfaction to be complete!
Subsequently, class-based racism emerged to lend a form of conditional colonial tolerance by granting certain services to Algerians who demonstrated the fundamentals of obedience and loyalty. These historical realities compel researchers to examine the details of what occurred in light of archival documents, with neutrality and objectivity.