Le Maghreb Dans La Guerre, 1939–1945 par Chantal Metzger

Abstract

The Maghreb Review, Vol. 45, 2, 2020 © The Maghreb Review 2020 This publication is printed on FSC Mix paper from responsible sources BOOK REVIEWS / COMPTES RENDUS Books reviewed in The Maghreb Review can be ordered from The Maghreb Bookshop. Our catalogue is also available on our website: www.maghrebbookshop.com CHANTAL METZGER, LE MAGHREB DANS LA GUERRE, 1939-1945, PARIS, ARMAND COLIN, 2018. 311 PAGES. Chantal Metzger, emerita professor of history at the Université de Lorraine (Nancy), is the authority on the Third Reich’s policy toward France's colonial empire.1 The present publication is an outgrowth of her investigations and a close-up on a key region of France’s overseas possessions during the Second World War. Given the breadth of the title and the reputation of Armand Colin as a publisher of university-level textbooks, the reader could have expected a straightforward exposé of the topic, based on the latest research. It is that undoubtedly, but there is much more. The author makes abundant use of primary sources, especially German archives where her expertise is manifest. Inquiries about France’s dependencies overseas rarely, if ever, refer to German documents. In and of itself, the source material gives this book a novel touch. Relevant French archives are also put to fruitful use. The outcome is a publication that combines the pedagogical qualities of a textbook and the features of an original piece of research normally found in a monograph. No particular thread is pursued and no overarching thesis is argued therein. The reader is provided with an informative and reliable panorama of the complex and quickly evolving situation of North Africa during the war. While the military dimension is present, the scope is wider, encompassing the political context, international relations and the living conditions of the population. The structure is classic. Part I provides a portrait of the Maghreb on the eve of the war. The Tunisian and Moroccan protectorates are presented from different perspectives, such as governance, composition of the population, socioeconomic conditions and rise of nationalism. Algeria is a settler colony divided in three départements and considered an “integral part of France”. Structural inequality between European colons and Algerians breeds blatant injustices, giving rise to deep polarization and setting the stage for a fight to the finish between colonialism and nationalism from 1954 to 1962. Turning to German and Italian designs on North Africa before 1939, the book attests to their reality 1 L’Empire colonial français dans la stratégie du Troisième Reich (1936-1945). 2 vol. Brussels, PIE Peter Lang, 2002. 496 BOOK REVIEWS / COMPTES RENDUS but points to their different nature. Mussolini’s ambitions were territorial, focusing on Tunisia. Italy nursed a grievance against French presence in the beylicate since the 1880’s. Germany's aims were economic, to wit mineral resources and raw materials. Both Rome and Berlin conducted intensive radio propaganda to convince Arab opinion of their benevolent intentions toward Arab national aspirations. Part II covers the three years from the declaration of war in 1939 to the Anglo-American landing in 1942. North Africa was mobilized and remained by and large loyal to France, despite dissatisfaction with its rule and discontent about socio-economic conditions. Quiescence may also be explained by the fact that nationalist leaders were placed under arrest at the start of the war. France’s defeat was unexpected in North Africa but it did not diminish local support, partly because the prospect of Italian tutelage was loathed and France appeared to be the lesser evil. Following the armistice, North Africa remained under the authority, albeit limited, of Vichy. Armistice Commissions were soon on the spot to pump out the economic resources the Axis Powers requisitioned. Shortages of basic necessities became the order of the day for the population. In the meantime, the French administration set about applying Vichy's National Revolution to the Maghreb. The Anglo-American landing on 8 November 1942 opened a new phase. Part III shows how meticulously it was prepared by disinformation directed at the German military and by prior contacts with French officials and dissidents in the targeted territories. The object was to avoid having to fight the sizable...