French Settlement In Algeria And Its Impact On Rural Areas (1834-1900)

Abstract

This study aims to highlight the importance of both official and free settlement in consolidating the foundations of the French colonial project in Algeria, after Algeria was directly annexed to France and considered part of its possessions in North Africa in 1834. Following this, the new colonial authority in Algeria, after the dismantling of the Algerian state, sought to encourage European migration to Algeria. They promised to settle these migrants on the land at the expense of the indigenous population, providing them with all the facilities to own and exploit it, while making its rightful owners serve them. Settlement was one of the key pillars relied upon by the French colonial administration to impose its dominance over Algeria, control it, and establish the occupation as a reality. The success of their project could not be achieved without settlement, as it alone ensured their control over Algeria and their permanence in it