A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 (New York ... (ISBN 1590172183)

Positively 6 stars:
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...:
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.

Masterpiece:
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.

A magnificent book:
This was an excellent history of the Algerian War for Independence. Alistair Horne does a great job giving readers a balanced perspective, and gives a wide range of perspective to this significant work. The book does a nice job flowing between the French and the Algerian perspective, but not only that but he takes a top down approach detailing these events, which broadens the focus while giving the readers a greater insight into not only the leadership's prosecution of the war, but the perspective of those on the ground fighting and trying to live through this war. This means that the human tragedies that accompany a terrible conflict such as this one are not left out. This creates a picture that is much more close to whole than a lot of other works. The significance of this work cannot be overstated. This book does an excellent job detailing an asymmetrical war fought against a superior force, and how each of those forces acted and reacted throughout this conflict. The author discusses in some detail the lessons the Algerians took from some recent successes of Third World nations in fighting nations like France. The Algerians took lessons from the French misadventure in Vietnam, and applied those lessons to their own conflict with the French. While both sides attempted to adapt to the other's actions, it shows the huge disadvantage that an occupying army faces when confronting a determined and motivated foe. As French countermeasures were pursued they tended to run the risk of alienating one population or another whether the pied noir's or the Algerians. This presented the French with the impossible task of trying to please both groups, which ended by ensuring the alienation of both. The power of this book is in what it can teach about this type of warfare. The author has done such a great job outlining the actions and reactions of the various and disparate groups that this book is a definitive look at this type of warfare. The similarities between the way the French fought in Algeria, and the problems that the U.S. faced in Vietnam and in Iraq and Afghanistan today are striking. Read this book because it is a wonderfully well written history of the Algerian War of Independence, but also read this book because of what it can teach about this type of war. It will give you a better historical understanding of past conflicts, but will also give the reader an insight into the conflicts of today and tomorrow. If you want to understand Iraq and Afghanistan then you should read this book.

A Slightly Slow, yet Very Good Analysis.:
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.