Aspects of the Contributions of Leading Figures from Colonised Algeria to Supporting the Maghrebi Unitary Struggle (1920–1962)

Abstract

European colonial policies and objectives pursued in the Maghrebi region, together with the impact of shared foundations and commonalities uniting the region's populations, prompted leading figures of the national movements to adopt the idea of strengthening the common Maghrebi struggle and activating it on the ground. They regarded this approach as the most effective means of liberation from the colonial grip and of restoring usurped national sovereignty in all its pillars and components. Given that Algeria was among the earliest victims of French colonial domination, it constituted an early arena of resistance to colonialism and a platform for the articulation of unifying ideas that viewed the Maghreb as a single entity confronting the same danger and sharing the same destiny. This was manifested in the positions and contributions of prominent figures within the national movement and the liberation revolution, who enriched and reinforced the trajectory of the Maghrebi unitary struggle.