View source for Ferhat Abbas

{{short description|Algerian pharmacist, writer and politician (1899–1985)}}
{{distinguish|Farhat Abbas}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Ferhat Abbas
| native_name         = {{nobold|فرحات عباس}}
| native_name_lang    = ar
| image               = Ferhat Abbas (cropped).jpg
| office              = President of the [[People's National Assembly]]
| term_start          = 25 September 1962
| term_end            = 15 September 1963
| predecessor         = ''Position Established''
| successor           = [[Hadj Mohamed Benalla]]
| office1             = 
| term_start1         = 
| term_end1           = 
| predecessor1        = 
| successor1          = 
| office2             = President of the [[Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic]]
| order2              = 
| term_start2         = 19 September 1958
| term_end2           = 9 August 1961
| vicepresident2      = [[Krim Belkacem]]<ref name="algeriancabinets">{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bp8IfVxOcEQC&pg=PA294|title=Algeria: The Politics of a Socialist Revolution|first1=Professor Marina|last1=Ottaway|first2=David|last2=Ottaway|first3=Marina|last3=Ottaway|date=December 15, 1970|publisher=University of California Press|via=Google Books|access-date=December 15, 2019|archive-date=May 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522103836/https://books.google.com/books?id=Bp8IfVxOcEQC&pg=PA294#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
| predecessor2        = ''None''
| successor2          = [[Benyoucef Benkhedda]]
| office3             = Member of the French Constituent Assembly
| term_start3         = 1946
| term_end3           = 1955
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1889|8|24|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Taher]], Algeria
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1985|12|24|1889|10|24|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Algiers]], Algeria
| party               = [[National Liberation Front (Algeria)|FLN]]
<!--Military service-->| nickname            = 
| allegiance          = [[Algeria]]
| branch              = [[French Army]]
| serviceyears        = 1936–1938, 1940–1943
| rank                = 
| unit                = Medical Corps
| commands            = 
| battles             = [[World War II]]
| awards              = 
}}

'''Ferhat Abbas''' ({{langx|ar|فرحات عباس}}{{lrm}}; [[Arabic transcription|ALA-LC]]: {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|''Farḥāt ʿAbbās''}}; 24 August 1889<ref>{{Cite web |title=Algeria - heads of state |url=http://kinghenry9.com/Sthfd/__Algerije_e.htm |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=kinghenry9.com}}</ref> – 24 December 1985)<ref name="Reich1990">{{harvnb|Reich|1990|p=1}}</ref><ref name="Magill2013">{{harvnb|O'Mara|1999|p=5}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Some sources state that the date of his birth was 24 August 1899.<ref name="EB" /><ref name="CB" />}} was an [[Algeria]]n politician who acted in a provisional capacity as the then yet-to-become independent country's [[Prime Minister of Algeria|Prime Minister]] from 1958 to 1961, as well as the first President of the National Assembly and the first acting Chief of State after independence.

An influential figure in the Young Algerians, Abbas initially advocated for equal political rights for Algerian Muslims in France and for the granting of French citizenship for Algerian Muslims.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Lawrence|first=Adria K.|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/imperial-rule-and-the-politics-of-nationalism/C25DB67F2AABEA1097273FF7D0518556|title=Imperial Rule and the Politics of Nationalism: Anti-Colonial Protest in the French Empire|date=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-03709-0|pages=78, 98|access-date=2022-02-20|archive-date=2022-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217203231/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/imperial-rule-and-the-politics-of-nationalism/C25DB67F2AABEA1097273FF7D0518556|url-status=live}}</ref> Over time, he became a revolutionary Algerian nationalist.<ref name=":0" />

== Background ==
The son of a [[Alcalde|caid]], Said Ben Ahmed Abbas and Achoura (Maza) Abbas, Ferhat Abbas was born in the village of [[Taher]], [[Algeria]].<ref name="Magill2013" /><ref name="CB" /> In addition to being a caid in the village of [[Chahna]], his father had also been awarded the rosette and silver braid of a commander of the [[Legion of Honor]].<ref name="CB" />

The young Abbas was educated first at Phillipeville (now called [[Skikda]]), [[Constantine, Algeria|Constantine]], where he received his baccalaureate. Before finishing his education, he was required to serve in the French army medical corps where he reached the rank of sergeant. Abbas then attended the pharmacy school at the [[University of Algiers]].<ref name="EB">{{harvnb|Hoiberg|2010|p=9}}</ref><ref name="CB" /> After graduating, Abbas worked as a pharmacist in [[Sétif]], where he became involved in politics. There he was elected to the municipal council and then to the general council of Constantine.<ref name="EB" />

During this period Abbas was pro-French in his outlook, as illustrated by such writings as an article dated 1936 titled "I am France".<ref name="CB" /> However Abbas became disillusioned with France, during 1938, when his aspirations for equality showed no sign of being achieved. He accordingly organized the Algerian Popular Union (Union Populaire Algerienne). This organization promoted equal rights for both French and Algerians whilst maintaining Algerian culture and language as primary values.<ref name="EB" />

With the outbreak of [[World War II]], Abbas volunteered to rejoin the medical corps of the French Army. After his service, his political views continued to evolve and he turned away from France after [[Henri Giraud|General Giraud]] refused his requests to allow Muslims to enlist in their fight against the occupying forces as equals.<ref name="CB" /> His desire for change continued and he turned to [[nationalism]], issuing the ''[[Manifesto of the Algerian People]]'' on February 10, 1943.<ref name="EB" />  The manifesto made apparent the philosophical changes that Abbas had undergone. He now condemned colonial rule by the French and demanded Algerian [[self-determination]]. Abbas argued the need for an Algerian constitution, which would grant equality to all Algerians. In May he, along with some colleagues, added a clause foreseeing a sovereign Algeria.<ref name="EB" /> The manifesto was published on June 26, but was rejected by the governor general. He, along with [[Messali Hadj]] form the [[Amis du Manifeste et de la Liberté]]{{refn|group=nb|This translates as "Friends of the Manifesto and Liberty".<ref name="EB" />}}, and called for an autonomous republic. This initiative resulted in Abbas being imprisoned for a year, and the quick dissolution of the AML.<ref name="EB" /> In 1946, Abbas formed the nationalist political party [[Union Démocratique du Manifeste Algérien]] (UDMA){{refn|group=nb|Translated to Democratic Union of the Algerian Manifesto.<ref name="EB2" />}} when he was elected member of the [[June 1946 French legislative election|Constituent Assembly of France]]. This new organization called for a more moderate approach, such as the formation of an Algerian state with the full cooperation of France. 1946 also saw him named as editor of the publication ''Egalité''.<ref name="CB2">{{harvnb|Moritz|1961|p=2}}</ref> He remained active in politics as a member of the Algerian Assembly through 1955. During these years he was arrested twice. His continuing efforts as a moderate nationalist did not succeed and he fled to [[Cairo]], in 1956.<ref name="EB2">{{harvnb|Hoiberg|2010|p=10}}</ref> While in Cairo, he worked alongside [[Ahmed Ben Bella]], a fellow revolutionary.<ref>{{harvnb|Rockwood|2007|p=2}}</ref>

== Involvement with FLN ==
As he was opposed to violence, Ferhat kept himself distant from the [[War for Independence|Algerian War]], and continued to try to act as an intermediary to the opposing sides. However, after the French government intensified the war, in 1956, Ferhat joined the [[National Liberation Front (Algeria)|Front de Libération Nationale]] (FLN).<ref name="EB2" /><ref name="CB2" /> His diplomatic skills were utilized by the FLN, as he was sent on missions sponsored by their ally, President [[Habib Bourguiba]] of [[Tunisia]]. His visits through [[Latin America]], [[Europe]], and the [[Middle East]] were intended to drum up support for their cause. In 1957, he was appointed as the FLN delegate to the [[United Nations]].<ref name="CB2" /> In 1958, he attended the North African Conference in [[Tunis]], and in March, he communicated an appeal to the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] for their assistance in creating peace.<ref name="CB2" /> After the collapse of the [[Fourth French Republic|Fourth Republic]] and the coming to power of [[Charles de Gaulle]], the hopes for an independent Algeria increased. This however did not end the fighting and on September 18{{refn|group=nb|Some sources give the 19th of September as the date.<ref name="CB2" />}} of that year, the [[Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic]] (GPRA) was created. His political standing in Algeria and reputation as a moderate nationalist, acceptable to the West, helped him become president of this provisional Algerian nationalist [[government-in-exile]] on September 18, 1958, when it was created.<ref name="EB2" /> The position of President was largely as a figurehead and a diplomat, as most of the power was wielded by the cabinet; however in time a number of Asian and African nations recognized the government. In October 1958, an attempt was made by both Abbas and de Gaulle at ending the war with a meeting and intended cease-fire, but it was dashed by the inability of the parties to agree on a neutral location. By September 16, 1959, de Gaulle was softening as he offered self-determination to be decided by a referendum four years after a cease-fire. This plan was generally accepted; unfortunately, there were a few substantial sticking points.<ref name="CB2" /> By 1960, Abbas was becoming frustrated with the West as he lashed out at the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]] for supplying weaponry to France. With talks breaking down in June 1960, Abbas turned to the east and by September was visiting with [[China|Communist China]], and the [[Soviet Union]], where he was welcomed warmly.<ref name="CB3" /> Abbas reassured the West by stating that his new alliances were opportunism, when he stated that

<blockquote>We prefer to defend ourselves with Chinese Arms than to allow ourselves to be killed by the arms of the West.<ref name="CB3" /></blockquote>

On August 27, 1961, he resigned and [[Benyoucef Ben Khedda]] took his place.<ref name="CB">{{harvnb|Moritz|1961|p=1}}</ref> He then subsequently joined [[Ahmed Ben Bella]]'s and [[Houari Boumédiène]]'s [[Oujda Group]] in opposition to the GPRA, which was subsequently dismantled.

Due to Pakistan's support to the cause of Algerian struggle for independence and self-determination, Ferhat Abbas was given a Pakistani diplomatic passport for his foreign travels.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipripak.org/factfiles/ff81.pdf |title=Pakistan and Africa (1981–2006) |editor-first=Noor |editor-last=ul Haq |access-date=April 29, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609235844/http://ipripak.org/factfiles/ff81.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2013}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2018}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mushahidhussain.com/articles/article3_promoting.htm |access-date=March 24, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231140106/http://www.mushahidhussain.com/articles/article3_promoting.htm |archive-date=December 31, 2008 |title=Promoting Principled Positions |first=Mushahid |last=Hussain Sayed |author-link=Mushahid Hussain}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foreignaffairscommittee.org/includes/content_files/Pak-%20Africa%20Relations.pdf |access-date=April 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219073409/http://www.foreignaffairscommittee.org/includes/content_files/Pak-%20Africa%20Relations.pdf |archive-date=2009-02-19 |df=mdy-all |title=PAK–Africa Relations |publisher=Senate of Pakistan Foreign Relations Committee |date=December 2005}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2018}}

== After independence ==
{{missing information|his time as the first acting President of Algeria|date=September 2018}}
Algeria gained independence on July 5, 1962, and from September 25, 1962, to September 15, 1963, Ferhat Abbas was president of the constitutional assembly, but this institution was rapidly sidelined by Ben Bella, who had gained the presidency. Abbas resigned in protest at the FLN's decision to write the constitution outside of the constituent assembly's authority.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ferhat Abbas {{!}} Algerian Nationalist & 1st President of Algeria {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ferhat-Abbas |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> He was subsequently expelled from the FLN, and was then placed under [[house arrest]] from 1964 until 1965.<ref name="EB2" />

In March 1976, he signed a statement alongside [[Benyoucef Benkhedda]] that called for a democratic constituent assembly against the country's powerful military-backed President, Col. [[Houari Boumédiènne]] and was again placed under house arrest.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McDougall |first1=James |title=A History of Algeria |date=2017 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9781139029230 |pages=271–272 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/history-of-algeria/418AD49FDD701AB08A1D77E83423AB11 |access-date=2021-01-13 |archive-date=2024-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522103453/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/history-of-algeria/418AD49FDD701AB08A1D77E83423AB11 |url-status=live }}</ref> Still, he received official recognition in the form of a state decoration, the ''Medal of Resistance'', on October 30, 1984.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://membres.lycos.fr/tahercom/resume.html |title=Ferhat Abbas |access-date=2006-02-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050324141045/http://membres.lycos.fr/tahercom/resume.html |archive-date=2005-03-24 }}</ref>  Abbas died in his sleep on 24 December 1985. He is buried at the [[El Alia Cemetery]].

== Writings ==
Articles written in his youth are collected in ''Le Jeune Algérien: de la colonie vers la province'' (The Young Algerian: From Colony to Province) (1931). His ideas on democracy and views on history were set out in a series of essays including ''La nuit coloniale'' (The Colonial Night) (1962), ''Autopsie d'une guerre'' (Autopsy of a War) (1980)<ref name="EB2" /> and  ''L'indépendance confisquée'' (1984).{{sfn | Gikandi | 2003 | p=1}}

== Personal life ==
Ferhat enjoyed soccer, horseback riding, and reading, in particular, [[Victor Hugo]] and [[Sophocles]].<ref name="CB" /> He married Marcelle Stöetzel, an Algerian-born French national on 17 September 1945. Halim was their only child, a son.<ref name="CB3">{{harvnb|Moritz|1961|p=3}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

== Footnotes ==
<references />

== References ==
* {{cite book |last=Gikandi |first=Simon |title=Encyclopedia of African Literature |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-134-58223-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKmCAgAAQBAJ |access-date=1 October 2018}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Hoiberg |editor-first=Dale H. |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |title=Abbas, Ferhat |edition=15th |year=2010 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |volume=1: A-ak Bayes |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-85229-961-6 |lccn=2002113989 |pages=9–10 }}
* {{cite book |last=Lentz III |first=Harris M. |title=Heads of States and Governments Since 1945 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6HKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 |year=1994 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, NC |isbn=0-89950-926-6 |lccn=94013310 |page=28 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |editor-last1=Meisami |editor-first1=Julie Scott |editor-last2=Starkey |editor-first2=Paul |year=1998 |title=Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature |location=London |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-18571-8 }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Moritz |editor-first=Charles |title=Current Biography Yearbook: 1961 |url=https://archive.org/details/currentbiograph00mori |url-access=registration |publisher=The H.W. Wilson Co. |location=New York |year=1961 |lccn=40-27432 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/currentbiograph00mori/page/n122 1]–3 }}
* {{cite book |last=O'Mara |first=Kathleen |editor-last=Magill |editor-first=Frank N. |title=Dictionary of World Biography |volume=7: The Twentieth Century: A-Gi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nq1GU6I5umQC&pg=PA5 |year=1999 |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers |location=Pasadena, CA |isbn=0-89356-322-6 |pages=5–8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Reich |first=Bernard |title=Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Biographical Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3D5FulN2WqQC&pg=PA1 |year=1990 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |location=New York |isbn=978-0-313-26213-5 |pages=1–8 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Rockwood |editor-first=Camilla |title=Chambers Biographical Dictionary |edition=8th |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-550-10200-3 |publisher=Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltc |location=Edinburgh, UK }}

== Further reading ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{cite book |last=Aussaresses |first=General Paul |title=The Battle of the Casbah: Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Algeria, 1955–1957 |location=New York |publisher=Enigma Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-929631-30-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Gillespie |first=Joan |title=Algeria: Rebellion and Revolution |publisher=E. Benn |location=London |lccn=60052191 |year=1960}}
* {{cite book |last=Gordon |first=David C |title=The Passing of French Algeria |year=1966 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=London |lccn=66002149}}
* {{cite book |last1=Stora |first1=Benjamin |last2=Daoud |first2=Zakya |title=Ferhat Abbas: Une Utopie Algérienne |isbn=2-207-24231-5 |language=fr |publisher=Denoel |location=Paris  |year=1995 |lccn=95195088}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=''None''}}
{{s-ttl|title=Head of the [[Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic]] | years=1958–1961}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Benyoucef Benkhedda]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Abderrahmane Farès]] | as=President of the Provisional Executive Council of Algeria}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Algeria|Head of State of Algeria]] | years=1962–1963}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ahmed Ben Bella]] | as=President of the Republic}}
{{S-end}}

{{AlgerianPres}}
{{Rulers of Algeria}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbas, Ferhat}}
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Ouadjana]]
[[Category:People of French Algeria]]
[[Category:Kabyle people]]
[[Category:Algerian Sunni Muslims]]
[[Category:Algerian Berber politicians]]
[[Category:Democratic Union of the Algerian Manifesto politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the National Liberation Front (Algeria)]]
[[Category:Presidents of Algeria]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946)]]
[[Category:Members of Parliament for French Algeria]]
[[Category:French Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:People of the Algerian War]]
[[Category:Algerian people of World War II]]