20th century – 20th century
North Africa
Algeria experimented with a socialist framework under Ben Bella after independence. Within three years, the military-backed Colonel Boumedienne arrested and imprisoned him, criticizing his call for “the withering away of the state” before the state had been fully established. The subsequent 1965 coup transformed the political trajectory toward a one-man presidentialist state.
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The Story
After independence, Algeria became one of the African states that sought to organize political life through a socialist framework. The experiment reflected a revolutionary experience and a colonial background that the passage compares with Mozambique. Its political language emphasized the transformation of the state rather than the preservation of inherited colonial institutions.
Ben Bella led this early experiment, but his position soon became vulnerable. Within three years of independence, he was arrested and imprisoned by the military-backed Colonel Boumedienne. Boumedienne condemned Ben Bella’s call for “the withering away of the state” at a moment when the postcolonial state was still being consolidated.
The decisive rupture came with the coup of 1965 that overthrew Ben Bella. Twelve years later, Algeria is described as having become, like many other African states, a one-man presidentialist state. The trajectory illustrates the fragility of revolutionary constitutional projects in the early years after independence.
20th century – 20th century
North Africa
Algeria experimented with a socialist framework under Ben Bella after independence. Within three years, the military-backed Colonel Boumedienne arrested and imprisoned him, criticizing his call for “the withering away of the state” before the state had been fully established. The subsequent 1965 coup transformed the political trajectory toward a one-man presidentialist state.
Continue exploring
The Story
After independence, Algeria became one of the African states that sought to organize political life through a socialist framework. The experiment reflected a revolutionary experience and a colonial background that the passage compares with Mozambique. Its political language emphasized the transformation of the state rather than the preservation of inherited colonial institutions.
Ben Bella led this early experiment, but his position soon became vulnerable. Within three years of independence, he was arrested and imprisoned by the military-backed Colonel Boumedienne. Boumedienne condemned Ben Bella’s call for “the withering away of the state” at a moment when the postcolonial state was still being consolidated.
The decisive rupture came with the coup of 1965 that overthrew Ben Bella. Twelve years later, Algeria is described as having become, like many other African states, a one-man presidentialist state. The trajectory illustrates the fragility of revolutionary constitutional projects in the early years after independence.