Violent and non-violent tactics used by the FLN to wage its campaign in Algiers and the impacts that they had
The Battle of Algiers is a movie based on the 1954 – 1962 Algerian War. The battle was characterized by blood and turmoil, meaning that the obvious tactic employed was the violent kind. One of them was the killing of the police officers in the French army.
Despite the prevalence of the extreme techniques, the FNL are known to have adopted some non-techniques. One of them was mass emigration, which saw the Algerians move from the French colonies in large numbers. In addition, the chose mute resistance as another non-confrontational approach to the rule. They declined to enroll in the colonialists’ schools or go to their hospitals.
Both of these actions can be argued to have boosted the confidence of the FLN to fight against the oppression of the French.
The violent and non-violent tactics that the French Military used to counter the FNL in Algiers and their implications
One of the extreme techniques employed by the French forces was torture. Another is the use of bombs on the Algerian families and lynch mobs. Such actions could be argued to have had a positive implication on their side of the war since the insurgencies in the opposition were suppressed temporarily, allowing them to attack. The nonviolent approach adopted was infiltration, which triggered cooperation through informants. These tactics were necessary because they mitigated action from the Algerians.
Function of the civilians in this battle and how they are perceived by both sides
The Algerians could be argued to have considered the civilians as a more peaceful plight that was not supposed to be a part of the revolutionary violence. The Algerian force perceived the civilians as the weak point of the French and targeted them as retaliation to their oppression. By the end of the war, both parties had killed civilians, about one million and 350,000 respectively. The civilians’ role in this battle was to provide either side with the necessary edge to conquer the Muslim capital, which was the underlying struggle (Evans 6).
The good and bad guys in the movie
It is a bit difficult to deduce which of the two parties involved should be considered as right or wrong. The FLN attacked the civilians of the French side, while at the same time, the French officers also sought after the Algerian FNL this time around.
Lessons that we may take away from the film regarding wars of liberation, and colonial endeavors among others
This battle was an anticolonial movement. However, the extremity displayed by both parties led to the deaths of civilians on both sides. The war is not just for the soldiers involved; some innocents suffer a fate that they did not bargain for in their lives. The war, however, has revealed a deeper insight into matters of liberation and politics in a revolutionary perspective.
Part 2:
How did FLN and the French government change their strategies after the Battle of Algiers
Although the severe fighting in Algeria reduced over the years, instances of violence are reported and have continued to happen despite measures put in place. The government offered amnesty for those perpetrators that were willing to surrender and change their ways. Those that did not submit themselves were faced with a different fate. The officers used lynch mobs for those caught in suspicious acts. Intimidation and murder were options utilized for the perpetrators that were captured. The FLN, on the other hand, used violence, and terrorism to harass and intimidate the Europeans that had been deployed to help the military. Their leaders such as Pontecorvo are seen supporting the use of violence publicly as the only solution to get rid of the French army that according to him was no good for the country but was part of the problem
Which side was ultimately successful
The National Liberation Front was defeated by 1957. Some peace was achieved at this point as the air of Algeria was no longer filled with the sound of bombings and shooting all over. Success was promoted by the murder of the Yacef, the bomb maker as well as his deputy. Their death marked the end of the war Military parades on the streets builds confidence among the citizens on the return of peace.
What factors led to the success
The army formed an intelligence collecting team through the city of Dispositif. Veterans were put to lead different groups of people that were divided for ease of rule and monitoring. They were tasked with the role of reporting any suspicious activity that happened within their groups. The FLN then took the responsibility upon them to execute anybody that was reported to them. Their primary consideration was that fighters and terrorists hide in human rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of worship.
The people used this privileges to form groups and make plans of attack. The army, therefore, set up curfew hours, which the people had to respect and follow precisely. Those that did not follow were then captured and send to torture and finally executed. The executions were illegal and therefore, were done in hiding, and no records were kept off the happenings. The use of external sources also came to happen as the government sought to get support from military groups in other countries such a Europe.
Works cited
Evans, Martin. “The Battle of Algiers: Historical Truth and Filmic Representation. Open Democracy. 18 Dec 2012. Web. 25 Mar 2016. (https://www.opendemocracy.net/martin- even/Battle-of-Algiers-historical-truth-and-film-representation)
Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl. “Algeria (1992-Present).”. 12 June 2006. Web. 25 March 2016. (http://faculty.virginia.edu/j.sw/uploads/research/Schulhofer- Wohl%202007%20Algeria.pdf).
