French army officers blamed politicians for colonial defeats in Indochina and Tunisia

Evidence

On taking up the command in Algeria, General Lorillot had confided with grim emphasis to a political contact: “They made fools of us in Indo-China … They screwed us in Tunisia … We are being screwed in Morocco. But they will never screw us in Algeria, I swear to you. Let this be known in Paris.” Already by 1956 there was a strong feeling in the army that the politicians were a chief source of its misfortunes, and this was to grow from Suez until May 1958. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 528

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: French colonial army campaigns bypassed both governors and Parliament.; The French army won militarily while losing the political and world battle — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1653; Winning militarily while losing politically doomed the French army in Algeria (+3 more)

Related

• French colonial army campaigns bypassed both governors and Parliament. (similarity 0.92)
• Winning militarily while losing politically doomed the French army in Algeria (similarity 0.83)
• The French army won militarily while losing the political and world battle (similarity 0.80)
• The French army in Algeria transformed from clumsy to effective by 1956 (similarity 0.80)
• France believed wrongly that toppling Nasser would collapse the Algerian revolt. (similarity 0.79)
• Mollet’s political-warfare policies propelled the French army into politics. (similarity 0.79)
• By late 1956 both France’s military and diplomatic options in Algeria had failed (similarity 0.79)
• Military success on the battlefield coexisted with a sense that political betrayal was imminent. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• The French army won militarily while losing the political and world battle #corroborates (0.70) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1653
• Winning militarily while losing politically doomed the French army in Algeria #corroborates (0.65)
• Fear of another Indochina made the army resent the Fourth Republic’s political system #expands (0.60) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 529
• French military contempt and complacency blinded them to the coming revolt #complicates (0.50)
• Colonial officials blamed elite ambitions rather than taxation for the tax revolt #corroborates (0.45)