That what I mean when I said Pied Noir dominated but moving on would it be viable ?No, there's a more than likely chance that Pied Noir-led Algeria will look akin to Apartheid South Africa.
Say the Pied Noir declare an independent Algeria with the backing of France
Would a Pied Noir dominated Algeria without troops from mainland France be viable
It was 11 million in 1960There are less than 2 million French Algerians. There are more than 40 million Algerians the pied noirs are out numbered twenty to one, no way there maintaining a hold on the country without the French army.
It was 11 million in 1960
While it certianly wouldn't be viable in the long term it could drag out the Algerian War long enough for a Rhodesia-esque compromise peace where the new majority government promises to respect the settler's property rights and at least initially reserving some representation in the government for the Pied Noirs (and in the Algerian context, presumably also getting French as an official language and not enshrining Islam in its constitution). An Algeria which retains a white (and Catholic) population of at least a few hundred thousand is an interesting premise in an of itself.Say the Pied Noir declare an independent Algeria with the backing of France
Would a Pied Noir dominated Algeria without troops from mainland France be viable
I doubt it, since what are all those surplus pied noirs supposed to do in Oran (it's not like they're going to displace the natives as poor agricultural workers, after all)? Bum off government dole?Perhaps if cooler heads prevailed when the Algerian rebellion broke out (I know a real long shot) a deal could have been struck preserving one of the littoral departments (maybe Oran?) as an integral department within the French republic, with the pieds noirs from the other departments migrating there rather than fleeing back to France as in OTL.
?The best bet is to un-Arabize the native Berbers, let those who re-adopt Berber identity have the same status as Europeans
You have good lands, you can have an industry similar to Southern Italy. A lot of the agricultural workers could be Spanish or ItaliansI doubt it, since what are all those surplus pied noirs supposed to do in Oran (it's not like they're going to displace the natives as poor agricultural workers, after all)? Bum off government dole?
it would be difficult to Frenchify the locals without coming off as un-Islamic.
There are less than 2 million French Algerians. There are more than 40 million Algerians the pied noirs are out numbered twenty to one, no way there maintaining a hold on the country without the French army.
The population of Algeria in 1960 was ~11 Million, meaning that those two million pied-noirs are 18% of the population. To put that into perspective, the highest the White population in South African ever got was 22%.
I think the 2 million was an extrapolation to today, like the 40 million Algerians. As far as I know, in 1960 the European population of Algeria was around 10%.