Is it true that French soldiers in Algeria raped Algerian women?

Question

Our History teacher told us that and they even gang raped them. She also said foreign soldiers in Anatolia during WWI raped Anatolian women and used them as something like sex slaves; forced the women to dance for them by threatening them with death. When we all laughed at this one she said we're pathetic because they could be our grandmas. Well, that's doesn't change anything, I can't help laughing when I picture my grandma belly dancing in front of some soldiers. I know how humiliating hat could be for some women, but that couldn't happen to my family anyway, since my maternal family was in Thessaloniki and my paternals were in Kastamonu, which was never invaded.

jacquesvol · Accepted Answer

Rape happens in about any war.
French soldiers in Algeria raped Algerian women, it's well documented (but in French). I easily found this:
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According to historian R. Branche, torture would begin with the systematic stripping of the victim. Beating was combined with many different techniques, among them hanging by the feet or hands, water torture, torture by electric shock, rape.
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en.wikipedia.org/.../Torture_during_the_Algerian_War

I'm pretty sure there's more that can be found. (I remember reading accounts by victims)
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About Anatolia (that's part of Turkey) I easily found this:
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Historian Taner Akçam noted that a British officer reported as follows:[93]
The National forces were established solely for the purpose of fighting the Greeks..,. The Turks are willing to remain under the control of any other state.,.. There was not even an organized resistance at the time of the Greek occupation. Yet the Greeks are persisting in their oppression, and they have continued to burn villages, kill Turks and rape and kill women and young girls and throttle to death children.
James Harbord, describing the first months of the occupation to the American Senate, wrote that[94] "The Greek troops and the local Greeks who had joined them in arms started a general massacre of the Mussulmen [sic] population in which the officials and Ottoman officers and soldiers as well as the peaceful inhabitants were indiscriminately put to death." [95] Harold Armstrong, a British officer who was a member of the Inter-Allied Commission, reported that as the Greeks pushed out from Smyrna, they massacred and raped civilians, and burned and pillaged as they went.[96] Marjorie Housepian wrote that 4000 Smyrna Muslims were killed by Greek forces.[97]
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en.wikipedia.org/.../Greco-Turkish_War_%281919%E2%80%9322%29

MrOracle · Accepted Answer

Rape has been a prominent factor in war for all of recorded history, in all cultures. The winners of a battle often stole women to be wives or slaves, and often raped the ones they didn't take so as to change their bloodlines, which history showed would influence the losers' relationship with the winners. The Japanese routinely raped Chinese and Korean women during their conquering prior to the official start of WWII. The Mongols did the same, and so did the Moors, the Greeks, the Romans, etc. This was not only accepted, it was often encouraged as a form of long-term conquering.

And, sure, rapes often occurred simply because, after a battle, where men were on an adrenaline high and often saw lots of horrible things, they would rape to celebrate their survival and to put the images of war out of their minds for a while. I know how awful that sounds, but, consider that for most of history, women were simply not considered as important or valuable as men, so even relatively enlightened cultures thought this way for most of history.

As koko124 pointed out, women also frequently go to the conquerors by choice - the vanquished usually have little to offer in the way of protection, wealth, or status, but the conquerors do, and women often prefer to be on the winning side (understandable, really).

Make no mistake, though: for the women being raped (often after having their husbands and families killed before their eyes), it was an awful experience, just like rape still is today when it happens.

poopiness · Accepted Answer

It's probably true if your teacher says so. After all, she would probably have a degree in that field, right? Rape isn't uncommon during war. For example, the Japanese raped plenty of women during WW2. Your question sounds really silly, honestly. I don't really understand what you're trying tell us with your question's description as well. You could easily google this up or check up on your textbook if this is so hard to grasp.

incognito121 · Accepted Answer

In Scotland teaching a child about rape and graphic details would be classed as child abuse and an extreme case of. child protection!!! Your laughter is your conscious mind trying not to take serious these events or store these horrific graphic details so its the subconscious that takes the information to process it.

Kyndra · Accepted Answer

You are pathetic for laughing at that. And yes, it might be true. Many books have written it that way, and it's not just French soldiers and Algerians. That is sadly common, and unsurprising.

funkipunk · Answer

Yeah this happens all the time. Prisoners of war are often raped and forced into dong other horrific things.

Hell, I heard that Soviet and American soldiers raped a lot of women who they freed from concentration camps in WWII.

Also an interesting note: the Spartan army from Ancient Greece was known for being extremely homosexual. Soldiers often had sex with one another while separated from their families.

The separation from women from such an extended period of time, combined with a warrior type culture of the military, is what probably leads to this.

HandsomeRaj · Answer

1. Well I'd say I'm glad your mind thought of something that tickled your funny bones than the gory and may I say traumatic details make a negative & everlasting impression on your young mind :-) better that than the former
2. I wonder in 1st place why do schools even teach or describe the gory details of wars than teaching them just as a part of history and they classify movies made on the same details as 18+ or A, just because they are visual depictions?
3. Wars often turn human beings into locusts and a lot of things happen
4. One sign that your mind also faced trauma is that, it decided to shy away from what was being described and latch onto something that will take you away from being traumatized - THESE are the things educationalists & teachers must note before doling out such details. Also that your mind states that 'this couldn't have happen to my family anyway' a clear sign of subconscious trauma :-)
5. It's also popularly documented that the Mongol Genghis Khan could well be the father of 1 in 200 people
6. War is savagery which is unfortunately required from time to time. It's best not to get into the details that are taught to you :-)

heavensgift2girls · Answer

I am not familiar with your history, but I am certain your teacher is correct. This is a common problem in every war.

kheserthorpe · Answer

Rape is sadly common, you pour somewhere between hundreds and millions of angry, violent, traumatized young men into a countryside populated with people who have been killing their friends, and it is a matter of how much rape can be minimized.

That said I think to act like 'all armies have been the same' is a disservice to those who have tried to contain rapes versus those on the other hand who have had officially organized rape camps to keep their soliders entertained or used rape and insemination as a tool of ethnic cleansing.

Tractorbeam · Answer

It doesn't surprise me, if we're talking about the French Foreign Legion. They were generally criminals who would be given a new identity if they survived military service (chances weren't good).
The Japanese did much the same to Australian women in the Pacific, during WW2, and forced them to become sex slaves.

Viperkiss · Answer

So because its not your family, human suffering is funny right?

springocelot · Answer

What you describe is what ISIS is doing to Yazidi women right now.  It's probably true about the French and algerians.

Souma95 · Answer

Yes they did, speaking as an Algerian knowing a couple elderly women who were raped, also from history...

AdamThomas · Answer

Rape has always been a tool of war. I don't know how you can laugh at such a terrible thing, you should be ashamed.

cth96190 · Answer

From which army were the foreign soldiers in Anatolia?
Whether or not soldiers are likely to be rapists depends upon which army and what race the soldiers are.
For example, contrary to what anti-German hate p*rn from Jewish Hollyweird portrays Germans were not monsters, or thieves, or rapists. For example, theft of civilian property or rape was so frowned upon by the Germans that the penalty was summary execution. Consequently, it was very, very rare.
Likewise the British and other former empire forces do not have a history of theft or rape. Why? Because it was and is not part of the culture, either military or societal.
When French army African troops occupied certain parts of Italy during World War Two they raped every Italian woman upon whom they could get their hands. By contrast, it has been rare throughout history for white French soldiers to become rapists.
Americans, unfortunately, tend to behave as gangsters and history shows that black servicemen are notorious rapists. Ask anyone who has served with them, or been occupied by them.
When I was an Australian soldier I saw some things that were truly appalling, in terms of the conduct of some of the individual members of the forces of our glorious allies.
I can assure you that any Australian soldier who was caught raping a woman in an occupied country would be shot in the back of the head by an NCO or officer. I know someone who did just that, then apologised to the woman and sent her to a field hospital.

Ihav2fart · Answer

In the old days people see people go people conquer.

Strider90 · Answer

All you have to do is your own research and the net is the best place. Don't listen only to what your history teacher says. By the way Thessaloniki is my hometown.

koko124 · Answer

Well, yes, and no. There probably were rapes that occurred, but it also should not be assumed that rape was the primary means by which those soldiers had sex.

It's been shown over and over again through history that groups with power and status are desired over others.

Black slave women often willingly had sex with their white masters.

Many French women had lots of casual sex with their Nazi conquerors.

Many German women slept around with their American occupiers, both black and white (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Babies)

Native American women saw conquering Europeans as their superiors.

It is normal that women prefer the strong man, when compared to a weak man. Generalize this to groups, and you get situations like this.

So while I'm sure some French men did rape Algerians, my suspicion would be that a much larger portion of the relationships were consensual.

Is it true that French soldiers in Algeria raped Algerian women?

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