Almost all countries of the former colonial empire severed their ties with France. Russia often took on the role of a protecting power.
French presence in Africa
The emergence of the French colonial empire began in the 16th century and developed over the centuries into the second largest colonial power in the world after England. America was not only the goal of the British and Spanish. France also sought wealth in the ‘New World’ and wanted to expand its sphere of influence. The French-speaking part of Canada, Quebec, with its metropolis of Montreal and the state of Louisiana are reminders of this. Today’s US state owes its name to the French Sun King Louis XIV.
In the 19th century, France became the second largest colonial power in the world after Great Britain and controlled a large number of territories in Africa and Asia.
Important steps along the way:
- 1798 Napoleon occupies Egypt for three years
-
French North Africa
- 1830 conquest of Algeria;
- 1881 Tunisia;
- 1911 Morocco
-
French West Africa
- 1620 First outpost in Senegal;
- 1677 Expulsion of the Dutch and establishment as a French colony;
- 1840 Beginning of the conquest of the whole of Senegal and West Africa;
- 1895 Foundation of French West Africa
-
French Equatorial Africa
was a French colony in central Africa between the Gulf of Guinea and western Sudan from 1910 to 1958. It comprised the present-day states of Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Chad. The capital was Brazzaville.
-
French Somaliland
was a French colony from 1896 to 1967 and was strategically important because it was located on a strait and controlled access to the Red Sea.
French Colonial Politics
The aim of France’s colonial policy was to assimilate the conquered populations and ‘make them black French’. To achieve this, indigenous traditional cultures had to be suppressed as far as possible and the French language and education promoted. This was the central task of the school system, which was organised along French lines.
The disintegration of the empire
The disintegration of the French colonial empire gained momentum after the Second World War. Various factors played a role in this:
– The weakening of France as a result of the Second World War gave the colonies the opportunity to organise independence movements.
– A decisive event was the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on 2 Sept. 1945. The long struggle for independence ended with the defeat of France in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
– The brutal war of independence in Algeria from 1954 to 1962, which cost tens of thousands of lives, was another turning point in the process of decolonisation.
– Many West African states, such as Senegal, Mali and the Ivory Coast, experienced a wave of nationalist movements in the late 1950s that fought successfully against colonial rule.
– After a failed uprising in 1947, which was brutally suppressed by French troops, Madagascar gained its independence in 1960.
– In 1977, French Somaliland became independent under the name Djibouti, marking the end of French colonial rule in the region.
The struggle for the independence of the last colonies is a dark chapter in French history that has not yet been dealt with.
New Forms of cooperation
France is still very present in its ex-colonies. In many countries French remains an official language. Even today, there are still two financial alliances with 15 African countries. Their reserves are held by the French National Bank. Who benefits more from the common currency of the franc-CFA is controversial. French companies also have a great economic importance in the ex-colonies, for example in the extraction of uranium in Niger or the production of cocoa in the Ivory Coast.
“French colonial policy had a profound impact on the regions concerned and on French society and can still be felt today in the former colonies and in relations between France and these countries.” You.com
Netzwerk Afrika Deutschland (NAD)