Abdelaziz Bouteflika
The Algerian president who ended a brutal civil war but clung to power for two decades until overwhelming street protests forced him out.
1937–2021 (age 84)·President of Algeria from 1999 to 2019·Birthday: March 2·The Silent Generation
Biography
Abdelaziz Bouteflika's political life was a story of two starkly different chapters. A veteran of Algeria's war for independence, he served as a young foreign minister and was a prominent international figure. After years in exile, he returned in 1999 to a country ravaged by a devastating civil war. His promise of peace and reconciliation won him the presidency. The 'Civil Concord' policy, offering amnesty to militants, was largely successful in ending the widespread violence, securing his popular support and successive re-elections. For many years, he was seen as a stabilizing force. However, his rule gradually hardened into an isolated, secretive presidency. As his health failed after a 2013 stroke, he governed from the shadows, a figurehead for powerful military and business interests. His attempt to run for a fifth term in 2019, despite being wheelchair-bound and largely unseen, ignited the Hirak mass protest movement. The relentless, peaceful demonstrations by millions of Algerians, especially the youth, ultimately forced the army to withdraw its support, leading to his historic resignation—an end orchestrated not by a coup, but by the sheer force of public will.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Abdelaziz was born in 1937, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Abdelaziz Was Born
The biggest hits of 1937
#1 Movie
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Best Picture
The Life of Emile Zola
Abdelaziz's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1937Born
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1942Started school
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1950Became a teenager
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Could drive
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1955Could vote
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Turned 21
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1967Turned 30
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 40
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 50
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 60
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 70
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 80
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2021Died at 84
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- Implemented the Civil Concord policy in the early 2000s, which played a major role in ending the Algerian Civil War.
- Served as the President of Algeria for two decades, from 1999 until his resignation in 2019.
- Was, at 26, one of the world's youngest foreign ministers when appointed in 1963.
- Served as President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1974.
Did You Know?
He was the longest-serving president in Algeria's history.
Bouteflika was a close associate of Houari Boumédiène and served as his foreign minister for over a decade.
After his 2013 stroke, he made very few public appearances and did not give a full public speech for years.
His resignation in 2019 was a direct result of the Hirak protest movement, which rejected his fifth-term bid.
“The war is over. The nation has won.”
