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Ahmed Ben Bella أحمد بن بلّة | |
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| Born | 26 December 1916 Maghnia, French-occupied Algeria |
| Died | 11 April 2012 Algiers, Algeria |
| Political orientation | Left-wing nationalism |
| Political party | FLN |
Ahmed Ben Bella (26 December 1916 – 11 April 2012) was an Algerian revolutionary and the first leader of independent Algeria.[1]
Early life
Ben Bella was born on a small farm near the Moroccan border. He fought in the Second World War, where he was commended by Charles de Gaulle.[1]:119
Independence struggle
Ben Bella joined the national liberation movement in 1945 after the French massacred peaceful protestors in Sétif. He joined Messali Hadj's Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties and created an armed wing, which led to his imprisonment. After being released, he and eight other revolutionaries created the FLN. They began an open armed struggle on 1 November 1958 after the French defeat at Điện Biên Phủ.[1]:119–20
Presidency
In March 1963, under Trotskyist influence, Ben Bella passed a series of laws that would let workers take over vacant property and manage it themselves. He appointed Ali Mahsas, a former member of the MTLD, to oversee agrarian reform.[1]:125 Ahmad Aït's forces tried to assassinate Ben Bella on 31 March 1964. Following a series of strikes, Ben Bella democratized the state and improved relations with the ACP. He received the Lenin Prize on 19 June 1965. On the same day, his former ally Houari Boumédiène overthrew him.[1]:130
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Vijay Prashad (2008). The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World: 'Algiers'. [PDF] The New Press. ISBN 9781595583420 [LG]