Ahmed Ben Bella
Ahmed Ben Bella
Ahmed Ben Bellawas an Algerian socialist soldier and revolutionary who was the first President of Algeria from 1963 to 1965...
NationalityAlgerian
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth25 December 1918
CountryAlgeria
marxist left
I am not a Marxist, but I place myself resolutely at the left.
military struggle leader
Everywhere that the struggle for national freedom has triumphed, once the authorities agreed, there were military coups d'etat that overthrew their leaders. That is the result time and time again.
son cities age
I am the son of poor peasants who came at a very young age to live in Algeria. I only recently saw the place where they were born, near the city of Marrakech.
country europe ideas
Colonialism is an idea born in the West that drives Western countries - like France, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain - to occupy countries outside of Europe.
country fighting government
With my government, we engaged in bringing our help to fights for national freedom. At that precise moment, several countries were still colonised or had barely overcome colonisation. This was the case in practically all of Africa. We supported them.
years long algeria
The French colonisation of Algeria lasted a long time: 132 years.
country struggle special
My life has been a bit special, this is true. I participated in the liberation of my country. I was one of the organisers of its struggle for liberation. I likewise actively participated in all the struggles for liberation.
military years two
In two years, there were 22 military coups d'etat, essentially in Africa and the third world. The coup d'etat of Algiers, in 1965, is what opened the path.
army years phases
Colonialism is known in its primitive form, that is to say, by the permanent settling of repressive foreign powers, with an army, services, policies. This phase has known cruel colonial occupations which have lasted 300 years in Indonesia.
development algeria capitalist
Algeria was therefore only the beginning of something that was in development: this is why I say that it's the global capitalist system that finally reacted against us.
break-up algeria
Algeria is not breaking up.
years half prison
I spent 24 and a half years in prison
thinking people support
I think that they participated in something that was not very proper and was very pitiful, not only for the Algerian people, but also for the other people who counted on our support.
party different leftists
Those who are leftists, once in power, are not different from other parties.