Radical Approach as Pattern of Industrialization: The Algerian Experience, 1965-1990

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the features of
Algeria’s industrialization process in the
1960s–1980s, commonly known as the
industrializing industries era. From a historical
and economic perspective, we highlight the
pattern of radical structural transformation
proposed by the pioneers of development in
that period in order to modernize and develop
the country. The study found that Algeria, by
following the rapid heavy industrialization
strategy, aimed to shift radically the structure
of the economy without taking into account the
structure of Algeria’s endowments and level of
development during that period. This strategy
is consistent with the radical pattern of
industrialization. Analyzing the characteristics
of the radical industrialization of Algeria is a
first step in identifying the causes of failure.
This failure is often perceived as one of the
main origins of the political, social, and
economic crises faced by the country for more
than a decade.