Algeria, 1830–2000: A Short History

by Benjamin Stora, Jane Marie (Translator) Todd, Jane Marie Todd (Translator)

"This book translates three of Stora's published works into one concise, scholarly, and welcome survey.... Accessible to the nonspecialist.... Highly recommended for all levels." — Choice Foreword by William B. Quandt A particularly vicious and bloody civil war has racked Algeria for a decade. Amnesty International notes that since 1992, in a population of 28 million, 80,000 people have been reported killed, and the actual total is almost certainly higher. This terrible war overshadows Algeria's long and complex history and its prominence on the world economic stage—second in size among African nations, Algeria has the longest Mediterranean coastline and contains the world's fifth-largest natural gas reserves. Algeria, 1830-2000 is a comprehensive narrative history of the country. Benjamin Stora, widely recognized as the leading expert on Algeria, presents the story of this turbulent area from the start of formal French colonialism in the early nineteenth century, through the prolonged war for independence in the latter 1950s, to the internal strife of the present day. This book adapts and updates three short volumes published originally in French by La Découverte. For this English edition, Stora has written a new introductory chapter on Algeria's colonial period (1830-1954) and has revised the final section to bring the volume up to date.

Genres: Algeria, Africa, History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2001

About the author

Benjamin Stora, né le 2 décembre 1950 à Constantine en Algérie1,2, est un historien français, professeur à l'université Paris-XIII et inspecteur général de l'Éducation nationale depuis septembre 2013. Ses recherches portent sur l'histoire de l'Algérie et notamment la guerre d'Algérie3,4,5, et plus largement sur l'histoire du Maghreb contemporain, ainsi que sur l'empire colonial français et l'immigration en France. Il assure la présidence du conseil d'orientation de la Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration depuis août 2014.

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish there was something I could say to commend this work, but, frankly, it's terrible. Firstly, the title is extremely misleading: the first 22 pages are actually dedicated to the pre-Franco-Algerian war period. That's it. So don't expect that you will actually read anything about Algeria prior to the outbreak of war against France in the 1950s. Secondly, the title is extremely misleading because definitely up until 1962 and for much of the book thereafter, the focus is overwhelmingly on France itself. Indeed, a more apt title might be "A History of Algeria via France". Algerian political agency is nearly nil. The period of the war, overdone in other works and hardly in need of the amount of space Stora dedicates to it in what is supposed to be, well, read the subtitle, is overly Francophile, not in its sympathies, but in its orientation. Algerian nationals barely figure as more than a confusing litany of names and groups. Thirdly, there is a strong focus on economic issues with culture and the role of religion sidelined until the later parts of the book. Algeria has a rich history of religion, religious activism, and Sufism: none of this is on evidence here. Weirdly counter to other general histories, the more valuable parts of this book are the sections on the 1980s up until 2000, with the earlier sections extremely wanting. I wouldn't recommend this one.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an English translation of three books by French historian Benjamin Stora about the history of Algeria from its colonization by the French up to 2000. The period of 1830 to the beginning of the Algerian revolution against the French in 1954 is covered in a single chapter, then there are several chapters each on the period of the war (1954-1962) and the country up to the beginning of the 21st Century. There is precious little to read over here in France about this period of time which is still a taboo for French people. Stora describes the colonial regime and the damage it made on the population of Algeria, the origins of the revolt, the complexities of the situation for Jewish, "Muslim" and "European" Algerians, and the horrors of military dictatorship ever since. It makes for an interesting a relatively quick read and taught me a lot about this period of history. There is not a lot of moralizing either way - it is a relatively objective account about this, the world's 5th largest country in surface area with some of the world's largest deposits of oil outside of the Middle East and natural gas. A truly tragic tale, however, for the Algerians and one which still has not found its happy ending.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first hundred pages or so are a francophone drag. Takes some real endurance to muster through the litany of names he drops, it's sort of like listening to "The Game" rap if you've no idea who any hip hop artists are. The Algerians don't really get much agency or analysis until 1962, and even then The early schisms within the FLN are not entirely clear (very little ideological analysis at all). The most fascinating section is certainly the analysis concerning the rise of the ISF and Islamism in general. I garnered the most from this section but there are gems throughout.

[Carla Prado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a must read on Algerian history. Clear, concise but extremely helpful.

[Lillian]

I've learned more about this country than I ever actually knew before. I hope he, or someone else, comes up with a continuation from this book. I really do feel sorry for the people who live there under extremist control.