Messali Hadj - Radicalization in Algeria

Radicalization in Algeria

In May 1945, nationalist riots and clashes between French troops and native Algerians during World War II victory celebrations led to reprisals; around 6000 Algerians were killed. Many realized then that the independence movement would not succeed by peaceful means.

In 1946 Messali founded the Mouvement pour le triomphe des libertés démocratiques (MTLD). Messali lived under house arrest in Brittany, France, and could not travel to Algeria. His group was perceived as moderate and accommodating, but his revolutionary ideals alienated parts of Algeria's conservative Muslim society. Messali's brand of Algerian nationalism gained its most important following among Algerian workers in France, while the FLN and other grass-roots groups took hold in Algeria.