Changing Attitudes Of Ferhat Abbas :: essays research papers

Changing Attitudes of Ferhat AbbasIntroductionFerhat Abbas believed in the peaceful solution and that the cut arewilling to co-operate with the Algerians. With this co-operation, he thought, itwas possible for all to live together. He was brought up and thought to believein democracy and parliament, to look for these in a peaceful fashion and thatthe people have to be asked what to do with their country and not to beterrorised to be convinced differently. However in the 1950s we can see aclear change, a turn in his thoughts. He accepts more violent ways in order to pull what he believes in. In order to explain the change in attitudes of FerhatAbbas it is main(prenominal) that we first look at his background. In 1899 FerhatAbbas was born. He had, like somewhat(prenominal) others, received entirely French education atConstantine and at the University of Algiers. after(prenominal)wards finishing his studies hehad served the French Army for two year after which he founded a pharma cist shopin Setif. There he also founded a student union which was a start of hispolitical career. Soon he was accepted into the city Council where he foughtfor the emancipation of Algerians from the French. In 1938 Abbas founded theUnion Populaire Algrienne which peacefully fought for the equal rights ofAlgerians and French. Believing in the possible co-operation of French andAlgerians he had, fought alongside the French.Political CareerDuring the war Abbas still continues his persist towards the equality. In1943 he wrote the Manifesto of the Algerian People which was than proclaimedand several times direct to the French authorities. "The French colony only admitsequality with Muslim Algeria on one level sacrifice on the battlefields." Thismanifesto represented some very revolutionary ideas and proposed the equality ofrights and "immediate and effective participation." Also in this manifestoAbbas continuously condemns the French oppressive colonialism and even ask s forthe self- determination of the consentient population as a different culture. Soonafterward he wrote an addition to the manifesto in which he sees the Algeria asthe country break in from France. In the book A Savage War of Peace hisattitude is described as following"Of pacific temperament, although he was a skilful debater, he was no rabble-rouser..."(Horne,1979, p.40).The A.M.LOn its rejection by the French governor general, Ferhat Abbas and an Algerianworking-class leader, Messali Hadj, organise the Amis du Manifeste et de la Libert(A.M.L. Friends of the Manifesto and Liberty), which envisioned an Algerianautonomous republic unify to a renewed, anti-colonial France.