Desperation drove the poorer pieds noirs to rally to the O.A.S. as their protector

Evidence

By and large the pieds noirs were led to believe and trust in the O.A.S. as an organisation protecting their interests, just as the F.L.N. had fought so successfully for Muslim interests over the past seven years. In their growing despair, and with principles distorted by the isolation in which they had so long existed, perfectly decent citizens turned to the O.A.S. to reverse the trend of history. Much as the German working classes had flocked to the Nazi party in the 1930s out of fear of the Bolshevik bogey, so the poor whites — the petits blancs — in particular now rallied strongly to the O.A.S. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1487 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The grands colons could (and did) afford to get out, write off their stake in Algeria, and start up somewhere else before the debacle of 1962. But not the petits blancs. Thus (not unlike the artisan class Rhodesians who backed Ian Smith), fear at losing all drove them progressively into hard-line reaction — finally, in desperation, into the arms of the O.A.S., which, in tragic paradox, was to make it impossible for any of them to remain at all in the native land. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1652 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Although differing degrees of violence were advocated by these various pied noir factions in Algiers, all basically agreed on one thing: a “second front” should be opened, both against F.L.N. terrorism and the government in Paris, and now. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 462 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Desperate petits blancs rallied to the O.A.S. as the F.L.N. had to Muslims; Pied noir militants read self-determination as betrayal of the war dead; Desperate pieds noirs rallied to the O.A.S. to reverse their decline — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1487 (+3 more)

Related

• Desperate petits blancs rallied to the O.A.S. as the F.L.N. had to Muslims (similarity 0.96)
• Desperate pieds noirs rallied to the O.A.S. to reverse their decline (similarity 0.94)
• Pied noir militants read self-determination as betrayal of the war dead (similarity 0.91)
• Petit blanc poverty drove them into O.A.S. extremism that doomed them (similarity 0.91)
• Pied noir factions demanded a second front against FLN and Paris alike. (similarity 0.87)
• O.A.S. terror drove out the very pieds noirs it claimed to defend (similarity 0.84)
• Pied noir survival in Algeria was untenable even without O.A.S. violence (similarity 0.83)
• Most pied-noir OAS supporters sought to stay in Algeria rather than share its ideology (similarity 0.83)
• The pied noir lobby immediately demanded violent suppression of the revolt (similarity 0.83)
• The O.A.S. extorted pieds noirs with surveillance and threats (similarity 0.83)
• The pieds noirs, not Muslims, triggered the events sealing Algérie française’s fate (similarity 0.83)
• Pieds noirs never honestly wanted Algérie française but a protected white-ruled Algeria (similarity 0.82)
• The bazooka assassination attempt stemmed from pied noir ultras, not the FLN (similarity 0.81)
• Pied noir civilians enthusiastically participated in killing O.A.S. targets directly (similarity 0.81)
• The O.A.S. terror campaign backfired and sped French withdrawal from Algeria. (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Desperate pieds noirs rallied to the O.A.S. to reverse their decline #corroborates (0.90) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1487
• Petit blanc poverty drove them into O.A.S. extremism that doomed them #corroborates (0.85) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1652
• Pied noir factions demanded a second front against FLN and Paris alike. #expands (0.55) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 462
• Pied noir civilians enthusiastically participated in killing O.A.S. targets directly #complicates (0.50) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1504