M. A. Averyanov, A. B. Gekht. The Crisis of the French Colonial System: The Emergence
and Activities of the OAS // Petersburg Historical Journal, no. 2, 2026, pp. 146–156.

DOI 10.51255/2311–603X_2026_2_146

Abstract:

This article examines the phenomenon of the Secret Armed Organisation (OAS), a farright
terrorist group that emerged in the early 1960s amidst the collapse of the French colonial empire
and Algeria’s struggle for independence. The paper explores the historical circumstances leading up to the organisation’s creation and the underlying motivations of those who joined its ranks. The publication provides a comprehensive overview of the OAS’ historical development, delineating its fundamental objectives and the violent means employed to realise them. Moreover, the study examines the societal response to the movement and the underlying factors that led to its eventual failure. It also acknowledges the substantial historical legacy bequeathed to both France and Algeria by the movement, in addition to its influence on popular culture.
Acknowledging the dearth of scholarly attention this topic has received in Russian historiography, the research aims to fill this academic gap, emphasising the modern relevance of understanding the French Fifth Republic’s political experience with colonial wars.

Key words: French colonialism, Algerian war of independence, Charles de Gaulle, political terrorism, farright organisations, OAS.

Author:

Averyanov, Maksim Alekseevich — Master’s student of Prof. M. A. Bonch-Bruevich St.
Petersburg State University of Telecommunications (St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: Averyanov00@yandex.ru
ORCID: 0009-0007-9074-479X

Author:

Gekht, Anton Borisovich — Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of History and Regional Studies, Prof. M. A. Bonch-Bruevich St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications (St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: a.geht@yandex.ru
ORCID: 0000-0002-6917-116

References:
Charrier, É. La lutte contre l’Organisation armée secrète (OAS). In 20 & 21. Revue d’histoire. 2020.
No. 147, pp. 139–143.

Cherkasov, P. P. Agoniya imperii (Politicheskie krizisy, voenno-kolonialistskie putchi i zagovory vo Frantsii v period alzhirskoi voiny 1954–1962 gg.). [Agony of Empire (Political Crises, Military-Colonialist Coups and Conspiracies in France during the Algerian War 1954–1962). In Russ.]. Moscow, Nauka publ., 1979, 280 p.

Cherkasov, P. P. Okhota na prezidenta. Iz istorii pokushenii na generala Sh. de Gollya [Hunting the President. From the History of Assassination Attempts on General de Gaulle. In Russ.]. In Novaya i noveishaya istoriya. 2017. No. 2, pp. 28–39.

Dard, O. L’armée française face à l’organisation armée secrète (O.A.S.). In Forcade, O. (ed.). Militaires en République, 1870–1962: Les officiers, le pouvoir et la vie publique en France. Paris, Éditions de la Sorbonne, 1999, pp. 687–699.

Laribi, S. L’Algérie après les accords d’Évian: un impossible cessez-le-feu? In Miot, C. (ed.). Cessez-le-feu, cesser les combats? De l’époque moderne à nos jours. Villeneuve d’Ascq, Presses universitaires du Septentrion, 2022, pp. 247–262.

Momméja, A. Les origines coloniales de la violence. Le cas de l’Organisation armée secrète. In Genèses. 2020. Vol. 121, no. 4, pp. 3–30.

Popov, I. V. Vidy terrorizma v gosudarstvakh Evropeiskogo Soyuza (na primere Frantsii) [Types of
Terrorism in the States of the European Union (Case of France). In Russ.]. In Estestvennye i tekhnicheskie nauki. 2008. No. 5 (37), pp. 311–318.

Razzakov, F. I. Vek terrora [Century of Terror. In Russ.]. Moscow, Eksmo publ., 1997, 421 p.
Sylvie, T. En quête de l’Algérie française: pour une histoire sociale du politique, de la colonie à la
France contemporaine. In Histoire Politique. 2023. Vol. 51. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/
histoirepolitique/15650 (date of access: 07.01.2024).

Thénault, T S. Ce que révèlent les collections de la BDIC de la guerre d’indépendance algérienne.
In Matériaux pour l’histoire de notre temps. 2017. Vol. 125–126, no. 3–4, pp. 40–44.

Yankovoi, N. L. Frantsuzskaya model’ kontrterroristicheskoi deyatel’nosti [French Model of Counter-Terrorism Activities. In Russ.]. In Vestnik RUDN. Ser.: Politologiya. 2010. No. 5. URL: https://cyberleninka. ru/article/n/frantsuzskaya-model-kontrterroristicheskoy-deyatelnosti (date of access: 07.01.2024).

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