Page "Nationalism and resistance in Algeria" Paragraph 11

Blum and Viollette gave a warm reception to a congress delegation in Paris and indicated that many of their demands could be met.

Meanwhile, Violettee drew up for the Blum government a proposal to extend French citizenship with full political equality to certain classes of the Muslim " elite ", including university graduates, elected officials, army officers, and professionals.

Messali Hadj saw in the Viollette Plan a new " instrument of colonialism … to split the Algerian people by separating the elite from the masses ".

The components of the congress — the ulema, the FEI, and communists — were heartened by the proposal and gave it varying measures of support.

Mohamed Bendjelloul and Abbas, as spokesmen for the évolués, who would have the most to gain from the measure, considered this plan a major step toward achieving their aims and redoubled their efforts through the liberal FEI to gain broad support for the policy of Algerian integration with France.

Not unexpectedly, however, the colons had taken uncompromising exception to the Viollette Plan.

Although the project would have granted immediate French citizenship and voting rights to only about 21, 000 Muslims, with provision for adding a few thousand more each year, spokesmen for the colons raised the specter of the European electorate's being submerged by a Muslim majority.

Colon administrators and their supporters threw procedural obstacles in the path of the legislation, and the government gave it only lukewarm support, resulting in its ultimate failure.