The Secret Army Organization (O.A.S.) in the face of Algerian independence: Historical genesis, strategies of terror, and the collapse of the colonial system (1961–1962).

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed the historical context that led to the emergence of the the Secret Army Organization, we also examined the violent and criminal acts it committed against civilians during the final years of the Algerian War of National Liberation, particularly between 1961 and 1962. The main objective of our work is to understand the way a part of the European population settled in Algeria, favored by the colonial settlement policy, reacted to the inevitable process of Algerian independence, following the creation of the organization. This group engaged in a violent and repressive struggle aimed at preserving the colonial order. Based on these observations, our research question is structured around the following issue: how did the Secret Army Organization evolve from a structured and organized movement into a true instrument of violence and sabotage aimed at preventing Algerian independence? To answer this question, we analyzed the historical context of its creation while highlighting the main crimes it committed against the civilian population between 1961 and 1962. we have also examined the fate of the organization after the signing of the Évian Accords. To carry out this analysis, we adopted a historical approach, both descriptive and analytical, which allowed us to examine the Secret Army Organization in all its complexity. We relied on a set of primary sources as well as the work of scholars and historians, in order to place the events in their chronological context, to describe the historical unfolding of the facts, and to analyze the factors and circumstances that led to the creation of the organization, the crimes it committed in Algeria, and their impact on the acceleration of the collapse of the colonial system. Our study is based on administrative archival documents, official communiqués from the organization, and press articles from the time related to bombings and assassinations dated 1961 and 1962, we also consulted published testimonies both Algerian and French addressing the topic of the organization. In addition, we drew upon contemporary studies concerning the crimes committed by the organization during the final phase of the Algerian War of Liberation, in order to enrich our analysis.

Through this study, it becomes clear that the Secret Army Organization, born in a context of deep colonial crisis, resorted to extreme violence, like bomb attacks, targeted assassinations, and sabotage, with the aim of spreading terror, instilling fear, and halting the decolonization process as much as possible. However, despite the intensity and scale of this violence, the organization failed to prevent Algeria’s independence, which was proclaimed in July 1962. This marked not only the definitive collapse of the « French Algeria » project, but also the end of colonial presence in Algeria.

Key words: Secret Army Organization, Algerian Independence, European Settlers, French Colonial Crimes