Algerian underdevelopment stemmed from a century of persistent underinvestment
Evidence
Germaine Tillion’s findings on the economic plight of the Algerians were substantially corroborated by the Maspétiol Report, published about the same time as a result of an extensive survey made by a group of senior French officials and economists. They reported that one million Muslims were totally or partially unemployed, while a further two millions were seriously under-employed. About three-quarters of the Muslim population was illiterate in Arabic, and ninety per cent in French. Although France appeared to be spending more on Algeria, in real terms — because of depreciation of the franc — the sum earmarked for 1953 had not exceeded that for 1913. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 347
Categorization
- XREF: France spending no more on Algeria in 1953 than 1913 echoes themes of colonial extraction; supports the reader’s causal chain from metropolitan neglect to revolt. — connects to: Latin America’s underdevelopment stems from its early insertion into world capitalism.
Related
- Roughly three million Algerian Muslims faced serious underemployment by 1955 (similarity 0.82)
- A French official survey documented mass unemployment and illiteracy among Algerian Muslims (similarity 0.79)