The Struggle Of Algerian Immigrants In 20th Century France

During the 20th century, European countries received a massive wave of immigrants. While the European governments were enjoying the benefits of a new labor workforce, and continued promoting immigration, their natural born citizens were violently xenophobic. Such behaviors lead to a major divide between the people. Preceding the year 1919, many French lobbyists feared losing their Algerian labor workforce. Their attempts to denounce the stereotypes associated with Algerian men, such as excessively sexual and aggressive, were unsuccessful. During the Second World War, many leaders claimed the reason behind the massive Algerian emigration was their ‘naïve and politically immature mindset, making them communist prey, and a massive target for …show more content…
The French government accepted Algerians and recognized their importance in reconstructing France’s economy. French natural born citizens segregated themselves from the Algerian immigrants, and if Algerian immigrants dared to challenge the ethnic barriers the local authorities did not hesitate to censure their movements, and assault the opponents. The Algerian immigrants created many ‘sub cities’ and unofficial territories within France. Even though there were social, cultural and linguistic differences, these communities helped immigrants better integrate themselves into France. Although this was a progression for France’s society, this did not solve the massive divide between native-born citizens and the immigrants. When Jean-Jacque Martin an Algerian-French teenager discussed his experience in France he said “I tried. I wanted to be friends with the French kids, but they avoided me. They treated me as if I were a sort of germ...my teacher said to my mother that I was an imbecile. She said that sending me to school was just a waste of time”(Document