The French Stake in Algeria, 1945-1962
This is less a history of the Algerian war of independence than it is a keen, critical study of the French "consensus" on colonial policy and its link to the great-power status and destiny of France itself. Smith shows how large was de Gaulle's contribution to the national obsession with the maintenance of empire, and how he alone, after years of tragedy, could persuade his fellow citizens to recognize the error.
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