A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 (New York Review Books Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Alistair Horne
Publisher: NYRB Classics
Category: Book
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Avg. Customer Rating:  44 reviews
Sales Rank: 36444
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 624
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 1590172183
Dewey Decimal Number: 965.046
EAN: 9781590172186
ASIN: 1590172183
Publication Date: October 10, 2006
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Product Description
The Algerian War lasted from 1954 to 1962. It brought down six French governments, led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic, returned de Gaulle to power, and came close to provoking a civil war on French soil. More than a million Muslim Algerians died in the conflict and as many European settlers were driven into exile. Above all, the war was marked by an unholy marriage of revolutionary terror and repressive torture.
Nearly a half century has passed since this savagely fought war ended in Algeria’s independence, and yet—as Alistair Horne argues in his new preface to his now-classic work of history—its repercussions continue to be felt not only in Algeria and France, but throughout the world. Indeed from today’s vantage point the Algerian War looks like a full-dress rehearsal for the sort of amorphous struggle that convulsed the Balkans in the 1990s and that now ravages the Middle East, from Beirut to Baghdad—struggles in which questions of religion, nationalism, imperialism, and terrorism take on a new and increasingly lethal intensity.
A Savage War of Peace is the definitive history of the Algerian War, a book that brings that terrible and complicated struggle to life with intelligence, assurance, and unflagging momentum. It is essential reading for our own violent times as well as a lasting monument to the historian’s art.
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 Masterpiece August 23, 2008
Written by a British expert on French history, A Savage War of Peace is the definitive account of the Algerian War of Independence. It is brutal account of a brutal war which militarily resembled in many ways our war against the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, but turned France itself upside down politically in ways Americans can only imagine. Horne's account contains a nice blend of descriptive and analytic history.
Frequent large-scale massacres, political coups, mutiny - the war had it all. Anyone who thinks that the French Army will not fight is in for a huge disapointment. Following embarrassing defeats during World War II and in Indochina they were determined not to repeat the experiences. The FLN, for its part, was an equally ruthless revolutionary movement that was prepared to do nearly anything to win, as well as exact ferocious vengeance in victory.
The only issue I have with Horne is his annoying tendency in all his books to mix his english with french phrases that he assumes the author can understand and parse. A sophisticated skill perhaps, but also a counterproductive one.
Positively 6 stars August 4, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Alistair Horne is one of the preeminent historians of the 20th Century. I've read several of his books, including the entire trilogy on the three Franco - German wars. I've found each of his books excellent, but this one will always rate as his best - for the complexity of the material that he has mastered. In the preface is an impressive list of the principal actors interviewed. He acknowledged that it is virtually impossible to have seen the "entire picture," and suggests that no one will. He combines the specific information on the war with an overall splendid erudition. He tells the drama lucidly, with irony where appropriate, as it is so often. I first read this book over 30 years ago, and was even more impressed the second time around.
He draws you in immediately with the ironic title to his first chapter; a quote from former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, that Setif was "A Town of No Great Interest." It was in this non-descript town that the native Muslim Algerians revolted against the French at the end of the WW II, and were in turn brutally massacred. And it was near Setif that two young French teachers, "dedicated liberals", bookish and bespectacled, were murdered on All Saint's Day, 1954, in the commencement of Algeria's war of liberation.
Horne uses a wild range of sources for incisive epigraphs at the commencement of each chapter, and perhaps none is better than the one from Jonathan Swift: "In war opinion is nine parts in ten." That opinion was spun and spun again as events repeatedly outraced the expectations of the actors.
France first went to Algeria in 1830, colonizing it under the rubric of a "civilizing mission," (a forerunner of bringing the natives democracy). But they carried the seeds of their own destruction, believing their mission involved the education of the natives, and after a few generations, was it any surprise that the natives were asking: Where are our fraternity, equality and most definitely, liberty? Generations of white French, ironically called "pied noirs," considered the country there own too. Horne's strength in this work is his understanding and depiction of the numerous factions on the two principal sides. After the humiliating French defeat in Indochina, occurring only six months prior to the commencement of this struggle, it was imperative that they not lose again. Furthermore, unlike Indochina, Algeria was considered an integral part of France (though, of course, by in large, the Muslims did not get the vote). The struggle on the French side nearly lead to civil war. It did culminate in the collapse of the Fourth Republic, when tanks surrounded the key government buildings in Paris, in anticipation of an assault by rebel French paratroopers, lead by four French generals who had revolted. De Gaulle rode to the rescue, creating the Fifth Republic, and going to Algiers, where he gave his famous "Je vous ai compris" (I understood you) speech to the pied noirs. He was a master of ambiguity, and would ultimately betray pied noirs aspirations.
As for the political maneuvering and machinations on the side of the FLN (National Liberation Front), Horne is not able to describe as well, fundamentally because so many of the principals did not survive the war, or its immediate aftermath. Like in the French revolution of 1789, the revolution "consumed its children." He does quote some cri de coeurs of Frantz Fanon, one of the giants of the anti-colonial movement.
Complementing Horne's knowledge of the military tactics and strategy, he is equally adept at describing the intellectual struggles, with a principal axis being between Sartre-Beauvoir and Albert Camus. This culminated when the later, a pied noir, made the famous statement upon receiving his Nobel Prize for Literature: "I love justice; but I will fight for my mother before justice."
The book contains some excellent maps, a substantial bibliography, and extensive pictures of the main characters in the drama. Particularly haunting is one of a young boy arrested during a "ratonnade." (literally, a raid against the "rats.")
I strongly feel the book should be read as an excellent, almost certainly the best history of one of the major tragedies of the 20th Century. Inevitably though, the question is asked: What lessons can we learn? This question took on additional relevance when it was reported that George W. Bush was reading the book. As a cautionary counterpoint to projecting these events on other circumstances, after my reading of it 30 years ago, I firmly felt this was how a similar situation, a minority of whites, who considered their country home, ruling over a majority of native blacks, in South Africa, would be resolved - through bloody war. Fortunately the Algerian precedent did not hold, as a few principled persons made decisions that avoided that denouement. The circumstances in Iraq, for the United States, are quite different that France in Algeria. Nonetheless, there may be at least two "takeaways". One from Horne himself, who, in the preface to a recently released reprint, said that no country should adopt the tactic of torture, as the French did in Algeria, primarily for what it does to the values and soul of those who torture. Sadly, a significant minority of Americans follow Dick Cheney's lead in embracing torture. The other takeaway is to decide how we would view Camus's position: Would we adopt injustice on behalf of a false concept of "mother"?
 Excellent, but... July 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I read Horne's book on Paris and loved it, so I was anxious to read more of his work. This is a comprehensive, straight forward account of the Algerian War. You probably won't find a better book.
However, there are a few problems. First, Horne uses a fair amount of French quotes and expressions in this book, but provides no English translation. I have some knowledge of French, so I was able to comprehend some of them. For someone with no knowledge, they would be left in the dark.
Also, this book needs a listing of major characters. There are just too many people in this book and it is a challenge to keep them all straight, particuarly the Arab names. Some people are mentioned only once and it gets confusing.
A Slightly Slow, yet Very Good Analysis. July 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Alistair Horne provides the reader with an extensive and very detailed narrative of the Algerian War. His familiarity with the subject matter is plainly evident. On the down side, the book can be slow and confusing in certain parts. It is long at 566 pages and is divided into three parts.
The author does a superb job in describing all aspects of this conflict. The first three chapters are focused on the period of 1830 to 1854. This part provides a good understanding of the problems surrounding French colonialism, the European settlers in Algeria (the pied noirs), and why the F.L.N. began the war. Part two focuses on the actual war years of 1954 - 1958. The detail provided in this part, especially the chapter on the Battle of Algiers, is very informative. Part three covers the period from 1958 to 1962. This includes not only the peace negotiations, but also such events as Barricades Week and the General's putsch. The author not only does an excellent job of describing these events, he also explains why so many high ranking French officers turned against De Gaulle. The author also describes the internal conflicts within the F.L.N. as well as the rise of the O.A.S., the French rebel group that fought against Algerian independence. Of particular interest is the fact that the author interviewed several people who participated, and also survived, the war.
On the down side, the book is slightly difficult to read. Although some parts flow well, other parts seem to drag. One confusing aspect is the author's tendency to use French phrases without providing a translation. In some instances, he will use a French term when an English term would have served equally well. For example, on page 179, he describes the "presence francaise" in Indochina as opposed to simply using "French presence." In other cases, the reader will simply not understand what is being said unless they speak French. For example, the author uses the term "Ce-con-la" in a sentence on page 181. The term is not further explained. Finally, he will add references that do not contribute to the story. Mr. Horne quotes Jean Paul Sartre on page 196 even though it really adds nothing. He also makes references to other people's memoirs and the movie "Battle of Algiers." Such references are indeed useful, albeit at the end of the book, not scattered through the text.
Bottom line: this is an extremely detailed account of the Algerian War. Mr. Horne does a good job of bringing many of the main characters, such as Ben Bella, Ali La Pointe, Generals Massu and Salan to life. The difficulty of reading this book can be found in its writing style and sheer length. That said, any reader who can overcome these minor difficulties, will come away with an excellent understanding of this forgotten conflict.
You want a better understanding of what's going on in Iraq? January 25, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow!!! This almost reads like a playbook for what's currently happening in Iraq. This is highly recommended reading for every person in the country. Whether you are Pro or Anti the Iraq war the events which occured during the Franco - Algerian conflict er war have so many similarities that it's crazy.
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