The objective of this reflection is to show that the management an representation of the past are essential to take into consideration in a study of the French-Algerian relations. In order to do this, this article is structured around two major axes. The first considers the general mechanisms that turn to the past in the framework of foreign policy. It shows that memory is not only a constraint for the actors of foreign policy, but that it also constitutes an instrument that they can use. The second explores the different uses that are made of the past in the French-Algerian relations and their impact on the rapprochement of the two states. – Summary AFRI-2001