Houari Boumediene’s Followers (4)

Houari Boumediene

Born

in Guelma , Algeria

August 23, 1932

Died

December 27, 1978

Website

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houari_Boumediene

Genre

Politics

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Houari Boumediene (1932-1978) was an Algerian revolutionary and military leader who won power by a military coup and led Algeria during a turbulent period after nearly 8 years of war.

Houari Boumediene was born on Aug. 23, 1932, into a poor peasant family in Clauzel near Guelma in eastern Algeria. His real name was Mohammed Ben Brahim Bou Kharouba, but in 1957 he adopted the name he later used as a nom de guerre. He derived it from the names of two western Algerian patron saints venerated by the population of Tlemcen and Oran, whom he helped organize for the revolutionary war.

Until the age of 14, Boumediene attended French and Koranic schools in Guelma, then went on to a conservative Moslem religious school in Constantine. When the French c Houari Boumediene (1932-1978) was an Algerian revolutionary and military leader who won power by a military coup and led Algeria during a turbulent period after nearly 8 years of war.

Houari Boumediene was born on Aug. 23, 1932, into a poor peasant family in Clauzel near Guelma in eastern Algeria. His real name was Mohammed Ben Brahim Bou Kharouba, but in 1957 he adopted the name he later used as a nom de guerre. He derived it from the names of two western Algerian patron saints venerated by the population of Tlemcen and Oran, whom he helped organize for the revolutionary war.

Until the age of 14, Boumediene attended French and Koranic schools in Guelma, then went on to a conservative Moslem religious school in Constantine. When the French called him to serve in the colonial army in 1952, he fled to Tunis and then moved to Cairo, where he studied at al-Azhar University. His early formation and the years spent in the Middle East provided him with a solid Arabic background rarely to be found in other Algerians.

He discontinued his studies when the Algerian revolution broke out in November 1954 and trained as a commando at a military camp near Cairo. Passing through Morocco, he joined the underground resistance in western Algeria. In 1956 Boumediene became the military assistant of Abdelhafid Boussef, the revolutionary chief of Oran Province. After reaching the rank of colonel, Boumediene replaced him in October 1957. In September 1958 Boumediene was promoted to coordinator of military operations and head of the general staff in the west. In February 1960, probably on Boussef's recommendation, he became the head of a strengthened army general staff and made Gardimaou, Tunisia, his headquarters.

From that point on, Boumediene turned his attention to organizing a modern standing army in Tunisia and Morocco, indoctrinating his troops in revolutionary principles and the importance of Islam and demanding total loyalty from them. His success worried civilian leaders of the revolution, and in May 1962 at Tripoli differences between civilians and officers broke out into the open. Backed by the frontier army and aided by Ahmed Ben Bella, Boumediene decided to take over power. On June 30 the provisional government revoked Boumediene's command, but the majority of the military supported their chief, who, together with Ben Bella and a group centered in Tlemcen, marched on Algiers and crushed their opponents.

In the first Ben Bella government, formed Sept. 28, 1962, Boumediene served as the minister of national defense and became first vice president on May 17, 1963. In these posts he consolidated his hold over the army. Gradually Boumediene became disillusioned with Ben Bella's moves toward a Castro-styled Algeria and deplored government inefficiency. As Ben Bella succeeded in strengthening the party and labor unions, army officers feared that their influence on decisions would decline. Boumediene, in a series of well-planned maneuvers during the night of June 18/19, 1965, led the coup which brought him to power.

A Strong Personality

Boumediene had none of the charisma which his predecessor possessed, but gradually, as success marked his regime, this gaunt, red-haired ascetic developed into a self-confident head of state and gained popularity. Basically a moralist, he prided himself on his simple tastes and austerity. He was quiet and reserved, yet passionate when calling for sacrifice, discipline, and purity from his fellow Algerians.

In public he seldom smiled, spoke infrequently, and appeared dispassionate. Because of his authoritarian temperament, he picked the men he trusted and gave them his confidence, often disregarding the advice of others. Benevolent in his dictatorship, he understood the necessity of strengthening the country's institutions. Besides holding elections for a series of regional assemblies, he began to forge a solid administration and state institutions.

Once he assumed the presidency, h ...more

Combine Editions
Houari Boumediene’s books

Average rating: 4.38 · 8 ratings · 0 reviews · 2 distinct works

	La stratégie de Boumediénne 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 1978	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The battle against underdevelopment: Being the text of his keynote address to the United Nations' General Assembly, in the special session on problems ... and development (Spokesman pamphlet ; no. 42) by Houari Boumediene, Houari Boumédienne 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Houari Boumediene (?)

“Independence has made us Soft”
― Houari Boumediene, The battle against underdevelopment: Being the text of his keynote address to the United Nations' General Assembly, in the special session on problems ... and development

tags: independence, politics, revoloution

6 likes

“L'Algérie ne peut renoncer à ses principes politiques et à son droit de proclamer le principe de l'autodétermination, sans préjuger pour autant de sa position définitive quant à l'avenir de la région, que celle-ci devienne marocaine ou mauritanienne, qu'une partie aille au Maroc et une autre à la Mauritanie, l'essentiel pour nous est que le Sahara redevienne arabe et musulman."
Discours du président Boumediène aux cadres de la nation (le 19/6/75). Révolution Africaine (592) 27-3/7/1975, p. 19-34”
― Houari Boumediene

2 likes

“Quoted on page 50 of: JACK PARSONS ON HUMAN POPULATION COMPETITION A short synopsis of his major work by Edmund Davey
ISBN: 0-9541978-3-6

"No quantity of atom bombs could stem the tide of billions … who will someday … erupt [from] the poor southern part of the world … into the relatively accessible spaces of the rich Northern Hemisphere looking for survival."

President Boumedienne of Algeria.”
― Houari Boumediene

tags: environmentalism-and-immigration, immigration, migration, overpopulation

0 likes

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