After over a decade of hosting the Historical Committee, MUNDP 2024 proudly presents the French Conquest of Algeria.

The French Conquest of Algeria spanned from 1830 to 1903 and led Algeria to become one of France’s most significant overseas territories for most of the 20th century. The conquest began as a result of an 1827 dispute between Hussein Dey of the Algerian capital and the French head of the consulate.

Afterward, the French army led a swift blockade of the capital city of Algiers and would later be ordered by the July Monarchy of the time to invade the city in its entirety. France then proceeded to invade key coastal cities.

As France itself faced domestic setbacks, it led to a policy of slow warfare favoring keeping territory rather than gaining new territory.

The Algerians swiftly mounted rebellions against these French invasions of coastal cities. These rebellions were divided into independent legions such as Ahmed Bey Ben Mohamed Cherif’s militia in Constantine which aimed for the regency of Algiers to regain power.  As other different militias began to capitulate, France started gaining land and mounting power.

Later, as the head of the main militia was driven out of the country, France began gaining even more land. However, the conquest was not swift like Napoleonic times, as it took a renowned empire 73 years to beat independent militia. Moreover, this conquest is considered to be genocide by many historians. Algeria would later declare independence in 1962 after what is referred to as French occupation.