The Algerian War (1954-1962) was a savage war, killing an estimated one million Muslim Algerians and expelling the same number of European settlers from their homes. It was to cause the fall of six French prime minsters and the collapse of the Fourth Repbulic. It came close to plunging France into civil war. The story told here contains heroism and tragedy, and poses issues of enduring relevance beyond the confines of either geography or time.