Imperialism In Algeria Essay

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Colonialism is the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. In addition, a colony is a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country. Following the end of the slave trade, between the period 1871- 1914 European nations rushed on the African continent to exploit its large fields of raw materials and precious metals. Also known as the scramble for Africa, different territories on the continent experienced various forms of colonisation. This paper will focus on the Algerian case. If looking today at the different aspects of European imperialism, Algeria seems to be …show more content…

With a population of 40400000 people, this Mediterranean country has known a particular colonialist experience. It is a transit area between the Middle East and Europe, hence received several cultural experiences. Subject to different rivalries between the empires of Europe and the ones of the Middle East, it ended under the domination of the Ottoman reign. Also known as the Ottoman Algeria or more formally the Regency of Algiers (1525-1830), most of the populations were Turks and Jews although there were minorities of Muslim Berbers. Most importantly, it was a major hub of Mediterranean piracy and slave markets. But In 1830, France invaded and occupied the coastal areas of Algeria, citing a diplomatic incident as casus belli. French colonization then gradually penetrated southwards and came to have a profound impact on the area and its populations. “In 1827 the French consul in Algiers has an audience with the dey, the Turkish governor of the province. The subject under discussion is the bill for a consignment of wheat, payment for which is now overdue by some thirty years. An invoice was first submitted to the French government by two Algerian citizens in the 1790s. The dey threatens to withdraw certain French concessions in Algeria. The consul becomes heated in response, whereupon the dey flicks him with his fly whisk: it is called the fly whisk incident.” The prominent figures of this invasion were Charles X and Pierre Deval. The former was the French King after the July revolution and the latter was the French Consul-General in Algeria from 1814 to 1827. However, despite the incident with the Turkish Emperor, the French invasion of Algeria could be seen as a propaganda exercise for the king seeking glory and distract the public opinion and the media from domestic problems. It was a good way to increase nationalism in the country. The methods of this