To the VI E front century J. - C., Phoenicians, come from the East, install counters on the North-African coast, among which Carthage, which builds a commercial and military empire and extends its influence on the Eastern littoral. During this time, great Berber confederations are formed: Numidian Massinissa manages to unify the country to the II E front century J. - C. Then Rome, victorious of Carthage, fact of the Numidian kings its vassal, in spite of the savage resistance of Jugurtha (118-105 av. J. - C.).  

In 40 apr. J. - C., the whole of the territory becomes Roman province. The empire occupies space systematically, covers it roads, cities, such Timgad, Tipasa, Cirta (current Constantine), Hippone (Annaba).

From the III E century, Numidie becomes an active hearth of the Christianity, dominated at the century following by the figure of saint Augustin, bishop of Hippone, father of the church. The impeccable Roman organization, shaken at the end of the IV E century by the religious and social crisis of the donatism, collapses in 429 pennies the blows of the Vandals; it is painfully restored, into 533, by Byzance.

Arab conquest with the Othoman supervision

In 647, fifteen years after the preaching of Mahomet, appear the first Arab riders, which beat the Byzantine troops. They return into 666, with at their head Oqba ibn Nafi which overlaps to the Atlantic (into 683), subjecting and converting the Berber ones. The rebellions are many, like that, legendary, of Kahina, queen of Aurès. The hardly completed conquest, at the beginning of the VIII E century, the kharidjism, schismatic movement of Islam, is spread in the country and causes the formation of kingdoms independent in fact of the caliphate omeyyade, like that of Rustémides de Tahert (Tiaret). But Islam is not called in question; nothing will remain of Christianity.  

At the beginning of the XI E century, Berber the hammadides establishes their domination on the central Maghreb starting from Qala of Banu Hammad, their capital rich person until 1091. However, in 1049 start to break on the area the Arab tribes of Banu Hilal, which cause disorder and parcelling out of the country. To the XIII E century, Berber Abdalwadides de Tlemcen found a kingdom which extends its power on Western two thirds of the country and is maintained until the medium of the XVI E century.  

In Spain, during this time, is accentuated the Christian pressure which pushes back towards North Africa the Moslem and Jewish Andalusians. After the fall of Grenade, in 1492, the Spanish kings attack the North-African cities. Quickly overflowed, those call upon adventurers, corsairs Turkish hardly converted with the Islam, which place them under the protection of the Ottoman Empire. The Barberousse brothers thus base the regency of Algiers, which extends, as from 1587, its empire, often theoretical, on all the country. Thanks to the race - the war carried out by the corsairs -, regency knows two centuries of relative opulence, whose Algiers keeps today still the architectural trace.

Establishment of the French

The French conquest of Algeria, started fortuitously in 1830 by a blow of range given by the dey of Algiers to the French Consul, is systematically organized thereafter. The occupation of the country is however stopped by resistance - the Djihad or “holy war” - army of Abd el-Kader. With the defeat of the emir, in 1847, colonization can really start: traced roads and railways, built cities and villages, but also despoiled grounds, populations driven back towards the mountains, inequality institutionalized by the mode of the indigénat (founded in 1881).  

As the country becomes more prosperous, dissatisfaction increases among the Moslem Algerians. All do not assert independence, but all want freedom and the equality. Three organized tendencies take shape as from the years 1920: the oulémas, which claim Islam and Arab language; the French-speaking elites, which wish a liberal democracy; the populist movement finally, from which the executives will leave the FLN. The Second world war accelerates the awakening; but the successive French governments do not manage to impose the reforms necessary.  

On November 1st, 1954, the armed uprising is started by the FLN. Algeria between for seven years in the spiral of a terrible violence of which it will leave, certainly, independent on on July 5th, 1962, but with wounds difficult to heal.  
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Independent Algeria

In 1962, after the departure of more than one million pied-noir, the country is to be reorganized. Within the FLN, the personalities and the political orientations are opposed. Finally, in September 1963, Ahmed Ben Bella is placed in charge of the state. The political situation remains very unstable.

On June 19th, 1965, the army, directed by colonel Houari Boumediene, seizes the power and ensures the resequencing of the country. Boumediene nationalizes hydrocarbons and promulgates the “agrarian revolution” in 1971, then it launches, in 1976, a wide-ranging public debate on the socialist orientations of the country, which ends in the approval of the national Charter. At the end of 1978, its funerals, followed by an huge crowd, mark the attachment of the Algerians to the populist nationalism which it incarnated. Colonel Chadli replaces it, on on February 1st, 1979.

During a few years, the high price of oil masks the failure of the economic reforms of liberal inspiration undertaken by the president. On the political plan, the mode, especially constant by a class of privileged people, appears unable to be reformed. But the people descended in the street tear off to him, at the time of the bloody days of October 1988, measurements of democratization: recognition of the political parties and the freedoms of thought and expression, first pluralist municipal elections (June 1990). Those are gained by integrist Islamic front of the hello (MADE), carried by social dissatisfaction.

One year later, DID it engages a trial of strength with the power. The state of siege is proclaimed on on June 5th, 1991, and the legislative elections pushed back at the end of the year. The first turn of these elections, on on December 26th, 1991, gives 188 seats out of 430 to MADE, while the FLN obtains only 15 from them. The second turn will not take place: the army obliges president Chadli to resign and sets up, on on January 14th, 1992, an High committee of state which proclaims the state of emergency and pronounces the dissolution of MADE, whose chiefs are stopped. The High committee is given for president Mohammed Boudiaf, who is assassinated in June 1992 and replaced by Ali Kafi.

Whereas the attacks caused by the armed Islamic Group multiply (GIA), the general Liamine Zeroual is designated by the new High committee of Safety, in January 1994, like “chair state”, for one three years period. He however makes organize a presidential ballot (1995), which he gains in a climate of exacerbated political violence. The end of the year 1996 is marked by the vote of a constitutional reform which reinforces the power of president Zeroual while reducing the prerogatives of the Parliament and which prohibits the religious parties.

In June 1997, the Head of the State sees his position consolidated by the victory of his party, the democratic national Gathering (RND) and that of his ally, the Face of national release (FLN), at the time of the first pluralist legislative elections. in taking back, A. Ouyahia in charge of its government, president Zeroual then reaffirms his will to maintain the government policy already committed, in particular the plan of austerity, badly perceived by the most underprivileged classes, but supported by the IMF. The visit, in February 1998, of a delegation of European members of Parliament does nothing but confirm the blocking of the situation in a climate of civil war. With the general surprise, on on September 11th, president Zeroual announces the organization of presidential elections anticipated before at the end of February 1999, and states that he will not be candidate for his own succession.

In December, the Prime Minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, suspecté by the opposition of ballot-rigging at the time of the legislatures of 1997, presents her resignation, while Smaïl Hamdani takes over temporarily the duties the government. The anticipated elections of April 1999 proceed in a climate of mistrust exacerbated by the collective withdrawal of the candidatures of the six adversaries of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, only continuing candidate and favorite of the soldiers.

Whereas the opposition expresses officially doubts on the validity of rate of participation, Abdelaziz Bouteflika collects a vast majority (73.79 %) of the votes cast and succeeds Liamine Zeroual. The new president, quickly confronted with the economic crisis, decides, initially, to maintain the government of Smaïl Hamdani in his functions and tries to leave the country the dead end of violence (release of several thousands of islamist prisoners condemned for minor offenses, announces of a bill on the “civil concord”).

In December, Ahmed Benitour has to succeed Smaïl Hamdani. Far from bringing back the calm one in the spirits, this change and the official announcement, on on January 11th, 2000, of the dissolution of the BOARD by Madani Mezrag, new dissensions within the ex-FIS cause, as well as a new wave of attacks and massacres in the country - nearly two hundred Algerians are thus assassinated at the time of the last Ramadan. On August 26th, the Prime Minister, Ahmed Benitour, considering that it does not profit sufficient the support of the Head of the State, gives its resignation. Ali Benflis, old principal private secretary of president Bouteflika is immediately designated to succeed to him the direction of the government.