# Algeria becomes independent (1962)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1962-algeria-becomes-independent
Location: Algeria
Categories: main-event

More than 130 years of French colonial rule ended. Within the broader Fifth Republic period, The 1958 Constitution created a stronger presidency and a durable Fifth Republic. Decolonization, European integration, social change, economic shocks and recurring debates over identity, secularism and the role of the state have shaped contemporary France. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Charles de Gaulle (President of the French Republic). Algeria becomes independent mattered because it reshaped France’s external relationships, territory or place in wider international systems. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Algeria becomes independent mattered because it reshaped France’s external relationships, territory or place in wider international systems.

Ruler at the time: [Charles de Gaulle](https://history-france.com/rulers/charles-de-gaulle-1959)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Algeria becomes independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Algeria+becomes+independent&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Algeria becomes independent](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Algeria+becomes+independent)
- [Élysée — Institutions of the Fifth Republic](https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-institutions)