Democratic Union of the Algerian Manifesto
Encyclopedia
Democratic Union of the Algerian Manifesto (in French
: Union Démocratique du Manifeste Algérien) was a political party in colonial Algeria
founded in 1946 by Ferhat Abbas
, who was than elected deputy. The UDMA reflected the change in Abbas' point of view. He considered that after the failure of the implementation of significant reform, the assimilation of the Algerian people into France
as French citizens, was no longer a viable alternative. He then advocated for an autonomous state within the French framework; no longer would Algeria be considered a province of France
; rather it would be an autonomous state within the French federalist system. UDMA won the elections to the Constituent Assembly in June 1946, by gaining 11 of the 13 seats devoted to the colonized population of Algeria.
After 1948, fraud in the elections prevented nationalist parties from any significant success in the elections. Nevertheless, the UDMA took part in the electoral campaign. After the creation of the FLN (National Liberation Front) and the beginning of the War for Independence, negotiations took place to discuss the UDMA adhesion to the FLN. In the end, it was decided that the UDMA, like the Algeria communist party, would dissolve and that its members would individually join the FLN. Ferhat Abbas and Ahmed Francis, two of the most prominent party leaders, joined Cairo and the FLN leadership.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Union Démocratique du Manifeste Algérien) was a political party in colonial Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
founded in 1946 by Ferhat Abbas
Ferhat Abbas
Ferhat Abbas Kabyle: Ferḥat Σabbas, was an Algerian political leader and briefly acted in a provisional capacity as the yet-to-become independent country's President from 1958 to 1961.- Background :...
, who was than elected deputy. The UDMA reflected the change in Abbas' point of view. He considered that after the failure of the implementation of significant reform, the assimilation of the Algerian people into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as French citizens, was no longer a viable alternative. He then advocated for an autonomous state within the French framework; no longer would Algeria be considered a province of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; rather it would be an autonomous state within the French federalist system. UDMA won the elections to the Constituent Assembly in June 1946, by gaining 11 of the 13 seats devoted to the colonized population of Algeria.
After 1948, fraud in the elections prevented nationalist parties from any significant success in the elections. Nevertheless, the UDMA took part in the electoral campaign. After the creation of the FLN (National Liberation Front) and the beginning of the War for Independence, negotiations took place to discuss the UDMA adhesion to the FLN. In the end, it was decided that the UDMA, like the Algeria communist party, would dissolve and that its members would individually join the FLN. Ferhat Abbas and Ahmed Francis, two of the most prominent party leaders, joined Cairo and the FLN leadership.
Sources
- Tlemcani, Rachid, State and Revolution in Algeria. Boulder: Westview Press, 1986.
- Rahal, Malika, « Reconsidérer l’UDMA, la place des réformistes dans le mouvement national algérien », Vingtième siècle. Revue d’histoire, n°83, 2004.