French Army, Decolonization and the «Revolutionary Warfare» Theory

The article is devoted to the emergence and development of the theory of «revolutionary warfare», as well as its impact on the armed forces of France. The authors examine the reasons for the formation of this theory among the French military class, and also suggest what military-political events contributed to the emergence and subsequent transformation of this phenomenon in the history of the French military thought in the era of decolonization. In this regard, the work presents an analytical framework for understanding the specifi cs of the mentality of the representatives of the French military class involved in the colonial service during this historical period, including their attitude to events not only in the dependent territories, but also in the metropolis itself, their relationship from the point of view of representatives of the military class in the context of the requirements for waging a “revolutionary warfare”. Particular attention is paid to the consideration of war crimes of the French army in the Algerian War (1954- 1962) through the prism of ideas about the permissible limits of the use of force by supporters of the “revolutionary warfare” theory. The authors analyze the most striking examples of attempts to transfer the practice of “revolutionary warfare” to the other regions of the world to solve local problems in the fi eld of internal security, primarily in the countries of South America.