The Constantine Plan produced measurable Algerian economic and educational gains.

Evidence

The visit of Premier Debré on 3 October, to celebrate the second anniversary of the Plan, furnished an occasion to survey its achievements. The agricultural programme of constructing “a thousand villages” had been virtually completed, and arable production had been augmented from 270,000 tonnes to 390,000 in one year. Over the same period industrial output had risen by ten per cent; the 400th new enterprise had just been launched; 100 milliard francs had already been invested, while a further 400 milliard were budgeted for 1961. As far as education was concerned, the number of pupils in primary schools had increased from 650,000 in 1958 to nearly a million in 1960, an improvement of well over fifty per cent. So much for the credit side of the balance. But more than half of all Algerian children still did not attend school, and technical education was paralysed for want of skilled personnel. Technicians in the new industries were equally lacking and, for all the vast efforts made, only 28,000 new jobs had actually been created — compared with the target of 400,000. In land redistribution the original target of 250,000 hectares to be shared out among 15,000 families (there were in fact an estimated 600,000 needing land) had been revised drastically downwards to 41,000 hectares to be shared among a paltry 1,800 families. Although forty-five per cent of the investment funds for 1961 would come from government sources, little more than a quarter of the remainder was forthcoming from pied noir enterprises — justly apprehensive about the future. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1284 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The Constantine Plan made unprecedented economic investment in Algeria — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1028; Demographic pressure rather than French presence produced Algerian misery — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 346; The Constantine Plan’s achievements masked severe shortfalls in jobs and land distribution — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1284 (+3 more)

Related

• The Constantine Plan’s achievements fell far short of its targets. (similarity 0.96)
• The Constantine Plan’s real achievements were dwarfed by its unmet job and land targets (similarity 0.95)
• The Constantine Plan’s achievements masked severe shortfalls in jobs and land distribution (similarity 0.93)
• The Constantine Plan made unprecedented economic investment in Algeria (similarity 0.91)
• The Constantine Plan proposed deep economic integration of Algeria with France (similarity 0.88)
• Algerian land produced ever-diminishing returns while the Muslim population trebled (similarity 0.84)
• France made substantial material and infrastructural improvements in Algeria (similarity 0.83)
• Demographic pressure rather than French presence produced Algerian misery (similarity 0.81)
• French Constantine Plan aid inadvertently created Muslim economic competition that threatened pieds noirs (similarity 0.80)
• Post-independence Algeria’s economic planning badly damaged its agriculture and trade. (similarity 0.79)
• French aid unintentionally accelerated Muslim economic competition against pieds noirs. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• The Constantine Plan’s achievements masked severe shortfalls in jobs and land distribution #qualifies (0.80) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1284
• The Constantine Plan’s real achievements were dwarfed by its unmet job and land targets #qualifies (0.75)
• The Constantine Plan’s achievements fell far short of its targets. #qualifies (0.70)
• The Constantine Plan made unprecedented economic investment in Algeria #expands (0.60) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1028
• Demographic pressure rather than French presence produced Algerian misery #complicates (0.40) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 346
• French Constantine Plan aid inadvertently created Muslim economic competition that threatened pieds noirs #complicates (0.40)