A Savage War of Peace: Algeria, 1954–1962 - by Alistair Horne

Horne’s book is a detailed history of the Algerian War of Independence, fought between French colonial authorities and the National Liberation Front (FLN). He shows how the conflict combined guerrilla warfare, terrorism, torture, and counter-insurgency, escalating into one of the bloodiest decolonization struggles of the 20th century. The war deeply divided France, destabilized its Fourth Republic, and ultimately brought Charles de Gaulle back to power. Horne emphasizes both the brutality of the FLN and the systematic use of torture by the French army, framing the war as a tragedy in which both sides committed atrocities. The book also explores the long-lasting consequences: the collapse of French Algeria, the flight of European settlers (pieds-noirs), the trauma within France’s political culture, and Algeria’s post-independence instability.