only the european settlers and a tiny minority of privileged algerians enjoyed full french citizenship; most algerians were french subjects but not french citizens and had little voice on how their country was run. the "code de l'indigénat" (native status code), which was established at the end of the conquest in 1881 and in effect until 1944, forced algerians to pay special taxes. the harm done to algerians was not only economic but also educational and cultural. the government took over religious institutions, distributed them a budget and appointed the imams. moreover, the french destroyed the algerian educational system; before the french conquest, the literacy rate in algeria was higher than in france, but by 1954 only 25% of algerian children attended school.