Algeria: post-colonial power structure and reproduction of elites without renewal

In order to understand the composition of the Algerian elites and the resources they control, we must start by explaining the nature of Algerian society and the post-colonial Algerian state. The type of colonization that took place in Algeria, in contrast to other

countries such as Tunisia and Morocco, forbade the formation of any native form of social or cultural cohesion, as well as destroyed the resources of pre-colonial elites (agriculture and commerce). This entailed the following three consequences:

1 Unlike other countries, when independence arrived in Algeria, traditional groups (rural aristocracy and commercial bourgeoisie) practically disappeared from the power struggle.