- In 1954 the Algerian war began. But faced with a conflict that escalates, successive governments fail to provide an adequate response to the decolonization movement that has been underway since the end of the Second World War.
- If the war can find a favorable military outcome for France, the political end does not seem viable. The Algerians are actively campaigning for their independence and the French population accepts this idea, as evidenced by the demonstrations, the carriers of suitcases with false papers, or even the commitment of intellectuals (Manifeste des 121) like Sartre.
- In 1958, de Gaulle returned to power, proposing a degree of Algerian autonomy, without, however, endorsing independence. But the evolution of the Gaullist policy leads to dissatisfaction among the supporters of French Algeria:de Gaulle goes so far as to evoke the "Algerian Republic" in November 1960.
April 21, 1961
Characters
Charles de Gaulle
Maurice Challe
Edmond Jouhaud
André Zeller
Raoul Salan
Procedure
If De Gaulle's positions worried supporters of French Algeria, the planned negotiations with the FLN led to the preparation of a coup d'etat in Algiers, planned since the end of 1960. De Gaulle on April 11, 1961 ends up ratifying the plans:the general justifies the decolonization of Algeria, in particular because it is too expensive for the metropolis.
A form of executive board, composed in particular of Generals Challe, Valluy, Zeller and Jouhaud, directed the operation. On the night of April 21, the 1 st foreign regiment of parachutists invades Algiers and seizes the key administrative buildings (town hall, headquarters of the general staff, etc.). The initial plan was to drop paratroopers on Paris and the Élysée:the photo of the tanks parked in front of the National Assembly, taken on April 24, however, makes an impression.
On April 22, Algiers radio announces the generals' seizure of power:Challe takes the lead of the movement and tries to rally different armies to his side. The same evening, de Gaulle made a televised speech, in his military uniform and not a civilian costume:he denounced in particular the "quadron of retired generals" , and calls on the soldiers under their orders to disobey. The coup collapsed on the evening of April 25 for lack of support and rallying, and Challe negotiated his surrender.
Consequences
- De Gaulle emerges stronger from this failed coup, on the eve of negotiations with the FLN.
- The lack of a clear political vision is also seen as a factor in the failure of the Algiers putsch. Challe and Zeller are sentenced to imprisonment:different laws will however come to pardon the putschists. Generals Salan and Jouhaud, meanwhile, go underground alongside the Secret Army Organization.