Two Sides of the Same Coin: Between Glorification and Condemnation
Traditional French historiography has long viewed the period of the French occupation of Algeria (1830-1962) with selective divisions, reducing it to specific periods and ignoring the reality of a continuous war lasting 132 years. In this framework, Bugeaud appeared as the "chief architect of the first Algerian war," especially after his appointment as Governor-General of Algeria in 1836. But the book highlights the other side: a war criminal officially abandoned by France but still living in the memory of those with "nostalgia for French Algeria."
From Hatred to Brutality: The Journey of a Heart of Stone
Colette Zytnicki reveals the stark contradiction in Bugeaud's character through a letter to his sister, where he wrote: "I will simply tell you that the profession of a hero closely resembles that of a thief, to the point that I hate it with all my heart. One must have a heart of stone, devoid of all humanity, to love war." These words, which seem like early remorse, did not prevent his transformation into a merciless tool of repression. It appears his heart surpassed the hardness of stone to the cruelty of steel, as later embodied in the atrocities he committed against Algerians.
Scorched Earth and Extermination Policy: The Organized Killing Machin
Bugeaud is considered the chief architect of one of the most brutal repression strategies in colonial history:
The "Infernal Columns" Strategy: Bugeaud revived these brutal military tactics, which involved pursuing civilians to their natural shelters.
Suffocating Populations in Caves: The most horrifying tactic was suffocating civilians with smoke in grottos and caves, where he issued explicit orders: "If these wretches take refuge in caves (...), smoke them out as you would smoke out foxes." His generals carried out these orders against all without distinction: men, women, children, and the elderly.
Starvation and Scorched Earth: Bugeaud used his agricultural expertise not for development, but to starve the native population as a weapon of war, as part of a systematic policy to empty the land of its indigenous inhabitants.
"By the Sword and the Plow": This phrase, famously associated with Bugeaud, encapsulated the core of French settlement policy: exterminating the local population and replacing them with settlers from across the sea (the Pieds-Noirs).
Crimes Beyond Borders: From Spain to Paris
Bugeaud's atrocities were not confined to Algeria. He honed his brutality in the war in Spain under Napoleon, then practiced killing in the capital of light itself, Paris, where he cemented his reputation as a merciless and savage man. He was also implicated in killing a leftist deputy in a duel, adding to his image as a violent and bloodthirsty character.
Tragic Results and a Distorted Memory
When Bugeaud left Algeria in 1848, the demographic results were shocking: out of 72,000 inhabitants in the city of Algiers, there were 48,000 Europeans compared to only 18,000 Muslims. This dramatic shift came only through expulsion, extermination, and starvation. In the governor's palace, a chandelier made of 300 bayonets adorned the ceiling, a horrifying symbol of brute force's triumph over humanity.
Why This Book Now?
This book comes at a sensitive time, as the debate over criminalizing colonialism still occupies Parisian salons. It addresses a French conscience oscillating between recognizing crimes and clinging to the myth of the "civilizing mission." The author states: "It was not colonization... One can expel, exterminate, replace, but one cannot civilize."
Marshal Thomas Bugeaud was not merely a soldier following orders; he was a primary actor in establishing policies of extermination. Reopening his file is a step towards confronting history with honesty, away from false national myths. For the truth, however bitter, is the only foundation for any genuine reconciliation with oneself and with others. The atrocities he committed remain a scar on the brow of history, requiring more than just pages in a book, but a recognition and moral responsibility worthy of a nation that claims to spread the values of liberty, fraternity, and equality.