The Wretched of the Earth

Fanon criticizes local nationalist parties for their attempt to mindlessly mimic the political structures of the mother country and their inability to include the peasant population in the liberation struggle. National elites absorb too much of the colonial structure and worldview then attempt to replicate it in the colony without considering the very different and diverse realities on the ground. Such attempts to impose foreign political structures and bureaucracy on the local population result in mutual distrust between political leaders and peasants.

Fanon explains why it is crucial to include peasants in the liberation movement. In industrialized societies the urban proletariat is usually the group of people who initiate the revolutionary struggle, while farmers tend to be the least politically aware and the most disorganized social class. In a place like Algeria, however, the urban workers and traders are the ones who benefit the most from the colonial system. It is not in their interest to change the status quo, as they might lose all their privileges. Furthermore, in colonial societies—which tend to be premodern, with the exception of certain settler-owned factories or mines—the peasants still live in small, tight-knit communities and have nothing to lose. The clans are well organized and follow the lead of their wise men: elders, medicine men, and oracles.