OAS Role in Algerian War Torture: French Textbooks and Curricula

SUMMARY

The Organisation armée secrète (OAS) was a far-right French paramilitary organization active during the final phase of the Algerian War (1961-1962), aiming to prevent Algeria's independence from French colonial rule [3, 5]. France's colonial past, including the Algerian War, was largely absent from official high school curricula and textbooks prior to the 1980s [2, 6].

Starting in 1983, calls emerged for the integration of controversial subjects, such as torture during the Algerian War, into French history education [6]. However, the extent to which OAS's specific involvement in torture during this period has been incorporated into French high school history textbooks published between 1983 and 2017 remains an open question [1]. Some academics note a controversy surrounding the depiction and minimization of torture in French colonial history, indicating an unstable relationship between the French and Algerian governments on the topic [4].

CLAIMS

1. CORROBORATEDCONF 0.90

   The Organisation armée secrète (OAS) was a far-right French paramilitary organization founded in 1961.

   — attributed to: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica

   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_arm%C3%A9e_secr%C3%A8te
   • https://www.britannica.com/topic/Secret-Army-Organization
2. VERIFIEDCONF 0.95

   The OAS aimed to prevent Algeria's independence from French colonial rule during the Algerian War.

   — attributed to: Wikipedia

   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_arm%C3%A9e_secr%C3%A8te
3. CORROBORATEDCONF 0.90

   Prior to the 1980s, France's colonial past and the Algerian Independence War were largely absent from official high school history curricula.

   — attributed to: ResearchGate, X-Mol

   • https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355862145_The_representation_of_the_Algerian_War_in_French_high_school_history_textbooks
   • https://www.x-mol.com/paper/1455968619625086976
4. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80

   Starting in 1983, critical voices advocated for the inclusion of controversial subjects like the Algerian War into French history textbooks.

   — attributed to: X-Mol

   • https://www.x-mol.com/paper/1455968619625086976
5. VERIFIEDCONF 0.95

   The extent to which the Algerian War has been present in French high school history textbooks between 1983 and 2017 has been investigated through bibliographical research.

   — attributed to: Wiley Online Library

   • https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/hic3.12696
6. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.70

   There is a controversy around the numbers of victims and the portrayal of torture in the Algerian War, which is linked to political stances and the relationship between the French and Algerian governments.

   — attributed to: MyStudies.com, Claude Liauzu (implied)

   • https://www.mystudies.com/en-us/history-geography/modern-history/book-review/interrogations-french-colonial-history-984269.html

TIMELINE

• 1961Organisation armée secrète (OAS) is founded. [src]
• 1962Algeria gains independence; OAS disappears shortly thereafter. [src]
• Before 1980sAlgerian War and France's colonial past were 'blind spots' in official French high school curricula. [src]
• 1983Publication of Pierre Assouline's article 'Faut-il brûler les manuels d'histoire?' called for integrating controversial subjects into textbooks. [src]
• 1983-2017Period during which bibliographical research was conducted on the presence of the Algerian War in French high school history textbooks. [src]

ENTITIES

• ORG Organisation armée secrète (OAS) — Far-right paramilitary group active during the Algerian War
• EVENT Algerian War of Independence — Historical conflict involving France and Algeria
• PLACE France — Colonial power and nation whose textbooks are being examined
• PLACE Algeria — Former French colony, central to the conflict
• PERSON Raoul Salan — Co-founder of OAS
• PERSON Pierre Lagaillarde — Co-founder of OAS
• PERSON Jean-Jacques Susini — Co-founder of OAS

OPEN QUESTIONS — PENDING LEADS

• Which specific French history textbooks published between 1983 and 2017 mention the OAS and its role in torture during the Algerian War?
• Do any official French Ministry of Education curricula explicitly mandate teaching about the OAS's involvement in torture during the Algerian War?
• Are there academic studies or reports that specifically analyze the representation of the OAS and torture in French history education beyond 2017?
• What are the different interpretations or framings of OAS's actions in French history textbooks that do mention the organization?
• Have any teachers' organizations in France published summaries or recommendations regarding the inclusion of OAS's role in torture in history education?

EVIDENCE — CAPTURED SOURCES

1. [WEB] https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/hic3.12696

   Based on bibliographical research undertaken at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, this paper investigates the extent to which the Algerian War of Independence has been present in French high school history textbooks published in the period between 1983 and 2017.

2. [WEB] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355862145_The_representation_of_the_Algerian_War_in_French_high_school_history_textbooks

   Before the 1980s, France's colonial past, and in particular the Algerian Independence War, featured among the blind spots of the official curriculum for lycéens - or high school students.

3. [WEB] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_arm%C3%A9e_secr%C3%A8te

   The Organisation armée secrète (OAS, "Secret Army Organisation") was a far-right [2][3][4] dissident French paramilitary organisation during the Algerian War, founded in 1961 by Raoul Salan, Pierre Lagaillarde and Jean-Jacques Susini. The terrorist movement was particularly activ…

4. [WEB] https://www.mystudies.com/en-us/history-geography/modern-history/book-review/interrogations-french-colonial-history-984269.html [archived]

   Either the torture is exaggerated, or it is minimized and Claude Liauzu implies when he mentions the controversy around the numbers of victims of the Algerian War which depend on the camp in which one finds oneself and the unstable relationship climate between the French governme…

5. [WEB] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-57267-7_3

   This chapter takes a look at the conflict in Algeria and France between the French state and the OAS, a short-lived organisation, emerging in the final years of the Algerian War of Independence and disappearing again shortly after Algeria gained its independence in 1962. This cha…

6. [WEB] https://www.x-mol.com/paper/1455968619625086976

   Before the 1980s, France's colonial past, and in particular the Algerian Independence War, featured among the blind spots of the official curriculum for lycéens - or high school students. Yet, with the publication of Pierre Assouline's article 'Faut-il brûler les manuels d'histoi…

7. [WEB] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-French-State%2C-French-Algeria%2C-and-the-OAS-McConaghy/75ed1a23fc486cde254f98ff9c0a677ca6c1d329

   This chapter takes a look at the conflict in Algeria and France between the French state and the OAS, a short-lived organisation, emerging in the final years of the Algerian War of Independence and disappearing again shortly after Algeria gained its independence in 1962. This cha…

8. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1bp2pcj/how_can_i_find_history_school_curricula_old_and/

   I have only been able to find current history textbooks sold online. Do you have any suggestions as to where I could find this information (reports from the Ministry of Education, summaries produced by teachers' organizations) or where I might get online access to past curricula?

9. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/coldwar/comments/zvve90/the_oas_the_cia_and_algerian_independence/

   He continued to support Algerian independence after becoming President. Kennedy's position on Algeria made him an enemy of the OAS and anyone else opposed to Algerian independence. This included all right-wing anti-Communists, including those in the United States.

10. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/French/comments/10p50n4/looking_for_history_books_written_in_french/

    Looking for history books written in French Would love any recommendations for history books written in French. Preferably about France and it's colonies/former colonies. Many thanks!

11. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1o37f0/best_books_on_french_history/

    Best books on French history? Hey everybody, I recently wrote a paper on the French-Algerian war for a required class for my history degree (Historical Imagination which is basically a historiography class). It made me realize how little I know about French history in general so …

12. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/learnfrench/comments/k0rqzn/history_books_in_french/

    Histoire de France, Mallet / Isaac lien. 4 volumes, paperback (poche). A really cool classic. You get a nice overview of French history, as taught to a few generations of students. The writing is superb, and it's a great reference book.

13. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/dq51x5/history_text_books_from_different_countries/

    I recommend reading not only foreign textbooks, but also textbooks from different eras in history. I have an old US History textbook from 1929 and one from 1830ish.

14. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/French/comments/l2fh9w/manuels_anciens_old_textbooks/

    Salut tlm! Je suis enseignant de français. Actuellement je m'intéresse aux manuels anciens—je veux dire très anciens, aussi anciens que possibles. Y-aurait-il quelqu'un qui a accès à de tels manuels ici? J'essaie de m'y inspirer pour créer de nouveaux matériaux pédagogiques. Hey …

15. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/alevel/comments/16zcu4n/9489_aslevel_history_caie_top_tips_and_resources/

    Get access to our official A-Level resource repository only on r/alevel discord server. Get free access to official answer keys, notes, past papers, coursebooks, workbooks, famous YouTube channel and much more.

16. [WEB] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Secret-Army-Organization

    The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.

CROSS-REFERENCE

• → SHARES-ACTOR OAS Involvement in Torture During Algerian War: Official Findings — Both reference Pierre Lagaillarde, Jean Jacques Susini, Raoul Salan
• → SHARES-ACTOR OAS Involvement in Algerian War Torture and Declassified Records — Both reference Pierre Lagaillarde, Jean Jacques Susini, Raoul Salan
• → SHARES-ACTOR OAS Involvement in Torture and French Military Collaboration During Algerian War Declassified Archives — Both reference Pierre Lagaillarde, Jean Jacques Susini, Raoul Salan