The most serious native insurrection since the…

The most serious native insurrection since the time of Abd al Qadir breaks out in 1871 in the Kabylie region and spread through much of Algeria.

The revolt is triggered by Crémieux's extension of civil (that is, colon) authority to previously self-governing tribal reserves and the abrogation of commitments made by the military government, but it clearly has its basis in more long-standing grievances.

Since the Crimean War (1854-56), the demand for grain has pushed up the price of Algerian wheat to European levels.

Silos are emptied when the world market's impact is felt in Algeria, and Muslim farmers sell their grain reserves—including seed grain—to speculators. but the community-owned silos are the fundamental adaptation of a subsistence economy to an unpredictable climate, and a good year's surplus is stored away against a bad year's dearth.

When serious drought strikes Algeria and grain crops fail in 1866 and for several years following, Muslim areas face starvation, and with famine comes pestilence.

It is estimated that twenty percent of the Muslim population of Constantine has died over a three-year period.

In 1871 the civil authorities repudiated guarantees made to tribal chieftains by the previous military government for loans to replenish their seed supply.

This act alienates even pro-French Muslim leaders, while it undercuts their ability to control their people.

It is against this background of misery and hopelessness that the stricken Kabyles rise in revolt.