Soustelle Plan

Last updated

The Soustelle Plan was a reform program envisioned by Jacques Soustelle, then governor general of Algeria, for the improvement of several administrative, political, social and economic works which emphasized the integration of Muslim Algerians within the French system. [1] The plan was proposed to the French government in June 1955 but was never fully implemented. [2]

Contents

The proposal

Soustelle’s first concern for the implementation of his plan was to inject funds into the Algerian economy for small improvement projects designed to have an immediate effect. After a short struggle with the finance ministry in Paris, an allocation of 4,300 million francs was obtained. [3] Thereafter, Soustelle engaged in social-political reforms by sending out a circular, making it compulsory on all persons in authority to pursue a "policy of consideration and confidence". [4]

His intention was to eradicate the superiority complex which the European population had adopted in terms of discrimination and condescension towards the Arab-Algerian populace. Third, Soustelle took into consideration the agricultural situation of Algeria as this was the primary source of revenue for the country. However, there were several obstacles; erosion had claimed 100,000 acres (400 km2) per year.

To meet the challenge of the countryside, Soustelle administered an agency with wide powers to acquire public and private land for redistribution to Muslim peasants and to secure land beneficiaries with the technical and financial assistance which could improve these new holdings. He also expanded the existing facilities such as the Provident Societies and Rural Improvement Sectors [5] and also abolished the cultural phenomenon of khammessat, a sharecropping system under which the tenant got one fifth of the crop and the landowner four-fifths. [6] As the cost of power in Algeria was 60% higher than in metropolitan France; Soustelle advocated lower costs of power which increased industrialization. He sought to amalgamate the Algerian Gas and Power Company with the nationalized Electricité de France or through a system of tax relief.

Soustelle also had concerns about the social structure of the country. Only 29% of civil jobs were held by Muslims, while the rest were occupied by Europeans. [7] To amend this anomaly, Soustelle instituted an Administration Training Center in Algiers, as a means of finding qualified Muslim candidates for suitable jobs. He also attempted, without success, to implement a system whereby qualified Muslims would be exempted from completing any competitive entry examination. Likewise, Soustelle was passionate about schools. He fought for funding to build 1,200 schools instead of the originally planned 600 schools. [7]

Faced with an overwhelming number of requests from teachers that wanted to leave the unsettled areas of Algeria, he hired supplementary teachers to keep the schools open. Likewise, he proposed to make the study of Arabic compulsory or at least optional in all schools. [8] He also planned to envelop the country with social centers which would combat illiteracy, promote hygiene and encourage small crafts. [9]

He also had a goal to reduce the large territory division into more manageable units and to bring administration closer to the people. He intended to create several departments to aid him. Soustelle proposed to divide the previous administrative townships into smaller rural townships each corresponding with their own natural community. Soustelle envisaged that the rural townships would remain under the subtle tutelage of the administration until they were ready to self-govern themselves. Finally to fill in the vacuum between the civil administrator and the dispersed inhabitants Soustelle set up 400 Specialized Administration Sections (S.A.S) to be manned by a new corps of Algerian Affairs officer. [7] Amongst their many duties were to create a protective web for populations that might be subject to rebels or trammeled by the army or both.

The Soustelle Plan was submitted to the French government in June 1955; however it was never fully carried out in all the planned prospects.

Notes

  1. ↑ Bocca (1968) , p. 12
  2. ↑ Clark (1959) , p. 162
  3. ↑ Clark (1959) , p. 157
  4. ↑ Clark (1959) , p. 158
  5. ↑ Clark (1959) , p. 159
  6. ↑ Brace (1960) , p. 117
  7. 1 2 3 Clark (1959) , p. 161
  8. ↑ Adams (1998) , p. 42
  9. ↑ Ageron (1990) , p. 109

Bibliography

  • Adams, Geoffrey (1998). The Call of Conscience. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN   0-88920-299-0.
  • Ageron, Charles (1990). Modern Algeria. New Jersey: Africa World Press. ISBN   1-85065-027-6.
  • Bocca, Geoffrey (1968). The Secret Army. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Publishers.
  • Brace, Richard (1960). Ordeal in Algeria. New Jersey: D.Van Nostrand Company.
  • Clark, Michael (1959). Algeria in Turmoil. New York: Frederick A Praeger Publishers.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algerian War</span> 1954–1962 war between France and the Algerian independence movement

The Algerian War was a major armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria winning its independence from France. An important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by guerrilla warfare and war crimes. The conflict also became a civil war between the different communities and within the communities. The war took place mainly on the territory of Algeria, with repercussions in metropolitan France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clark, New Jersey</span> Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States

Clark is a township in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,544, an increase of 788 (+5.3%) from the 2010 census count of 14,756, which in turn reflected an increase of 159 (+1.1%) from the 14,597 counted in the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winfield Township, New Jersey</span> Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States

Winfield Township is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,423, its lowest decennial census and a decrease of 48 (−3.3%) from the 2010 census count of 1,471, which in turn reflected a decline of 43 (−2.8%) from the 1,514 counted in the 2000 census. The township is the sixth-smallest municipality in the state. Winfield and Linden share the same ZIP Code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jules Ferry</span> French Prime Minister in the 1800s

Jules François Camille Ferry was a French statesman and republican philosopher. He was one of the leaders of the Moderate Republicans and served as Prime Minister of France from 1880 to 1881 and 1883 to 1885. He was a promoter of laicism and colonial expansion. Under the Third Republic, Ferry made primary education free and compulsory through several new laws. However, he was forced to resign following the Sino-French War in 1885 due to his unpopularity and public opinion against the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic City Expressway</span> Highway in New Jersey

The Atlantic City Expressway, officially numbered, but unsigned, as Route 446 and abbreviated A.C. Expressway, ACE, or ACX, and known locally as the Expressway, is a 44.19-mile (71.12 km) long toll road in the U.S. state of New Jersey, managed and operated by the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA). A controlled-access highway, it serves as an extension of the freeway part of Route 42 from Turnersville southeast to Atlantic City. The Atlantic City Expressway is signed as east-west, though the mileage and exits decrease as if one is travelling north-south. It connects Philadelphia and the surrounding Delaware Valley metropolitan area with Atlantic City and other Jersey Shore resorts, and also serves other South Jersey communities, including Hammonton and Mays Landing. The expressway intersects many major roads, including Route 73 in Winslow Township, Route 54 in Hammonton, Route 50 in Hamilton Township, the Garden State Parkway in Egg Harbor Township, U.S. Route 9 (US 9) in Pleasantville, and the Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector near the eastern terminus in Atlantic City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Algeria</span> French colony and later territory in Northern Africa from 1830 to 1962

French Algeria, also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of Algerian history when the region was a colony and later a part of France. French rule in the region began after the French successful invasion of Algeria and lasted until the end of the Algerian War leading to its independence in 1962. After being a French colony from 1830 to 1848, Algeria was a part of France from 4 November 1848 when the Constitution of French Second Republic took effect until its independence on 5 July 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algerian nationalism</span> Nationalism in Algeria

Algerian nationalism is pride in the Algerian identity and culture. It has been historically influenced by the conflicts between the Deylik of Algiers and European countries, the French conquest of Algeria and the subsequent French colonial rule in Algeria, the Algerian War, and since independence by socialist and Islamic ideologies, Berberism and Arab nationalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Soustelle</span> French politician

Jacques Soustelle was an important and early figure of the Free French Forces, a politician who served in the French National Assembly and at one time served as Governor General of Algeria, an anthropologist specializing in Pre-Columbian civilizations, and vice-director of the Musée de l'Homme in Paris in 1939. Soustelle and his followers opposed any compromise with anticolonial activists in Algeria in the Algerian War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compulsory education</span> Period of education required for a person

Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places.

Education in Algeria is free and compulsory for Algerians from the ages of 6 to 15. However, only half of Algerian students are enrolled in secondary schools. As of 2015, Algeria has 92 post-secondary institutions, which includes 48 universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Frey</span> French politician

Roger Frey was a French politician. His parents were of Alsatian origin. He was Minister of the Interior and president of the Constitutional Council of France.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has emphasized education's importance as a fundamental human right and a necessary element of development. Education encompasses the scope of social values, morality, tradition, religion, politics and history. It is the acquired body of knowledge that equips the emerging labor force with the necessary skills to ensure its active participation in economic development. The acquisition of literacy, arithmetic, and problem-solving skills improves the value and efficiency of labor. It creates a skilled and intellectually flexible labor force through training, expertise, and academic credentials. A professional working force enhances the quality of a nation's economic productivity and guarantees its suitability for global market competitiveness. According to a recent research report by the United Nations Population Fund, countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Algeria have invested in family planning, healthcare, and education and have subsequently experienced more rapid economic development than the countries that were reluctant to invest in social development programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Yemen</span> Overview of education in Yemen

Yemen ranked 150 out of 177 in the 2006 Human Development Index and 121 out of 140 countries in the Gender Development Index (2006). In 2005, 81 percent of Yemen's school-age population was enrolled in primary school; enrollment of the female population was 74 percent. Then in 2005, about 46 percent of the school-age population was enrolled in secondary school, including only 30 percent of eligible females. The country is still struggling to provide the requisite infrastructure. School facilities and educational materials are of poor quality, classrooms are too few in number, and the teaching faculty is inadequate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Algeria</span> Overview of the status of women in Algeria

Throughout Algeria's history as an independent state, there has been conflict between women's rights activists and conservatives about the status of women in Algeria. The 1984 Algerian Family Code entrenched certain forms of gender inequality and discrimination against women. Some progressive reforms were implemented in 2005 amendments to the law, but women are still unequal under Algerian law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Morocco</span> Overview of education in Morocco

The education system in Morocco comprises pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary levels. School education is supervised by the Ministry of National Education, with considerable devolution to the regional level. Higher education falls under the Ministry of Higher Education and Executive Training.

Charles-Robert Ageron was a French historian specializing in colonial Algeria. He was born on 6 November 1923 in Lyon and died on 3 September 2008 in Kremlin-Bicêtre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Mollet</span> French politician

Guy Alcide Mollet was a French politician. He led the socialist French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) from 1946 to 1969 and was the French Prime Minister from 1956 to 1957.

The Constantine Plan was an economic development program aiming to lessen the socio-economic gap between citizens of French Algeria and Metropolitan France. Financed by French capital, it was introduced in 1958 by President Charles de Gaulle during the height of the Algerian War in an attempt to quell uprisings of Algerian independence. The plan was structured based on the former Maspétiol Report, and the report entitled “Les perspectives décennales du développement économique de l'Algérie”, and officially commenced on October 3, 1958 after de Gaulle gave his speech in the Algerian city of Constantine.

The 1920 Algerian Political Rights Petition was the first petition to claim the political rights of Algerians within French Algeria following the 1919 Algerian municipal elections.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.