WHY DID THE FRENCH ASSIMILATION POLICY FAIL IN ALGERIA?

Approach
• Back ground about French colonial rule in Algeria and establishment of assimilation
Explain reasons which led to the failure of the assimilation policy in Algeria
• Logically conclude
Background to the question.
• Algeria became the first country in the Maghreb to be colonized.
• It was colonized by France by 183 0
• Like in the rest of other colonies the French employed the assimilation policy of administration in Algeria.
• However the policy turned out to be fertile and it accumulated a lot of resistance.
Reasons/or the failure.
1. The Moslem background of the people of Algeria led to the resistance of assimilation because it was associated to Christianity.
2. The policy was resisted by the French settlers themselves who feared that policy would promote rivalry and competition in trade and commence with Africans
3. The high costs that were resulted to implement the policy. These resources were not readily available.
4. The policy was opposed by French scholars who argued that it was wrong to assimilate people of different race and culture.
5. The strict conditions required for assimilation one had to be educated French, with Catholic etc most Algerians could not meet these standards
6. The policy threatened to erode African and Moslem culture values like monogamy to which most Algerians were already attached.
7. The effect of numerous resistances against the French rule e.g. the Abde Kadir resistance of 1832-1847 and the Muhamad Mukrari resistance 1871.
8. Weaknesses of the successive French govenunents like one of Charles the 8th up to 1830 one of Louis Philippe 1830-1848.
9 .There existed many differences between the French culture and the people of Algeria in terms of religion, ways of dressing, feeding etc.
10. The limited number of French settlers in Algeria
11. The earlier attachment of Algeria to the Ottoman founder of Turkish Moslems
12. Education as a tool of assimilation did not materialized because it was dramanated by Christian missionaries thus discouraging many Algerian Moslems.
13. The conflicts between settlers from other countries like Spam, Italy and the French government also led to the failure of assimilation. They were divided in approach of Algeria colonization.
14. Unlike for the case Senegal, the French lacked adequate knowledge Algeria. The colonial government Jerome sat in Paris and in Algeria.
15. Assimilation was opposed by some French imperialists because it intended to sabotage colonial exploitation i.e. there would be no body to offer labour on plantations and other works