Blum-Violet project

Bill Blum-Violet (1936) was a Bill Popular front of Leon Blum, on the proposals of Maurice Viollette, old governor of Algeria, aiming so that 20.000 to 25.000 Musulman S can become Citoyen S French while keeping their personal status related to the Religion.

This bill, was to allow a minority Moslems of Algérie to acquire the French Citoyenneté, in particular enabling them to profit from the Right to vote. The law was well accommodated by the Moslems of Algeria, except for certain nationalist mediums. Ferhat Abbas was rather favorable to the project, the oulémas did not take a position openly hostile, but they waited by opportunism the days of disappointment to reveal their truths feelings, whereas the PPP was clearly opposite there, Messali Hadj saw new there instrument of the colonialism, called, according to the usual methods of France, to divide the Algerian people, by separating the elite from the mass.

As for French of Algeria, they accommodate this bill with large hostility, while denouncing action of government, and while affirming that if this project passed, electorate French could to find in minority in certain communes Algerian, which would give like result the accession of a mayor and a Moslem municipal council in these town halls, which could endanger according to them, French sovereignty in this country. At the time of the congress of Algiers of the January 14th 1937, the 300 mayors of Algeria decided unanimously against this bill. The mayor of Oran, the abbot Gabriel Lambert devoted a book on project by attacking what it called “anti-French” who supports the Blum-Violet project.

The General de Gaulle, will take again the provisions of this bill by the ordinance of the March 7th 1944. The Ordonnance modifies the penal statute of the Moslems, subjecting them to same the Droit S and same the Owe S as the colonists, giving moreover to an Algerian elite (graduates, civils servant,…), of approximately 65.000 people, French citizenship, and more largely, but to a lesser extent with the Moslem men 21 years old and more. To a lesser extent because only the 65.000 people will obtain a statute of voter equal to that of French not-Moslems, carrying to two fifths the proportion of the Moslems in the elected assemblies. The provisions were to be the surest obstacle with Algerian nationalism, and the Panarabisme by establishing a screen of “Francization” between the Tunisia and the Morocco.

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