Every Fourth Republic premier refused to accept Algerian independence
Evidence
Thus, armed with this vast influence, in October 1957 Bourguiba tried—once more in conjunction with King Mohammed V, their joint efforts of the previous autumn having been blighted by the hijacking of Ben Bella—to force France and the F.L.N. into negotiations. Already, at the time of the March independence celebrations in Tunis, Bourguiba had been mooting the idea of a Maghreb confederation associated with France, in which Algeria would be a self-governing and equal member; which, could it have proved workable, would have offered a generous and far-sighted solution. … The beleaguered Premier Gaillard replied with a brusque turn-down, repeating the formula of each of his Fourth Republic predecessors since Mendès-France: “Whatever the terms and the periphrasis, we shall never accept Algerian independence.” — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 776
Categorization
- XREF: A recurring formula the reader is tracking: the French intransigence that shaped the whole war’s trajectory. — connects to: A socialist pacifist government escalated the Algerian war beyond all predecessors; The Fourth Republic’s founding charter invoked 1789 rights while fighting colonial wars. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 191
- SEED: A ready-made angle: the repeated rejection formula as a lens on why compromise failed at each Fourth Republic juncture.
Related
- A socialist pacifist government escalated the Algerian war beyond all predecessors (similarity 0.91)
Broader Connections
- The Fourth Republic’s founding charter invoked 1789 rights while fighting colonial wars.
#expands(0.55) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 191