The nation of Algeria was a colony of the French for many years. Its located in the north western part of Africa. It had the population of about one million French colonists living in Algeria and about nine million Arabs and Berder Muslims. The French did control the government power and did not share any of the power with the natives. As World War II was coming to an end, the native Algerians wanted some part of the political power. The French refused to give them anything that has to do with the government. Soon after, the Algerian National Liberation Front, or FLN, announced that the Algerians will be fighting for their independence in 1954. The French then sent about half million troops into Algeria. The fight was long but the battle for the independence was won by the FLN in July of 1962. Algeria was now an independent nation.

Ahmed Ben Bella, who is the leader of the FLN at the time, became Algeria's first president. He attempted to make Algeria a socialist state. A socialist comes from the socialism, which is an economic system in which the factors of production are owned by the public and operate for the welfare of all. Bella had the right idea for what he wanted for the nation but was overthrown in 1965 by his army commander. The country then went thought may rough times.

Algeria from 1965 until 1988 tried to modernize and industrialize the nation. The rest of the world was modernizing and becoming more power. At this time, the United states and the Soviet Union was helping Germany and other places become more industrialized. Algeria was over looked by the United States and Soviet Union in the help to became industrialized. Because the industrialize path was unsuccessful, the unemployment and dissatisfaction with how the government was working, helped contribute to the rise of the religious fundamentalists. The religious fundamentalists wanted to make Algeria an Islamic State.

Was it smart for the Untied States and/or the Soviet Union to look pasted Algeria when they needed help industrializes? At the time, Africa was very poor. It still have its poverty today but, when Algeria was trying to industrializes, it had almost no resources. The Soviet Union and United States was putting its full force on more countries in Europe. Many nations did not think that Africa, let alone Algeria, have any resource to help other countries get more power. If the United States or the Soviet knew that Algeria might turn to becoming an Islamic State, they maybe would of changed their choice in not helping them become industrialized. As Algeria was looking more towards becoming an Islamic state, the chief of the Islamic party, the Islamic Salvation Front or FIS, won the local elections in 1990. Even to this day, Algeria still is not called an Islamic State.

Algeria was brave in 1954 to fight for their freedom from the French. The nation can be strong with some help from another powerful countrys. The United States and Soviet Union did the right thing by not helping them industrializes because in that period of time Africa was not resourceful like the other nations that they were helping. If you look at this from today, you might think differently. Algeria becoming an Islamic State is the last thing the United States and other countries need. But for that period of time, they did the smart thing. Algeria is still fighing today and this still a nation that does not know what is going to happen for the future.