French Dahomey
French colony in West Africa, independent as Benin in 1960.
via Wikipedia: French Dahomey · see source
French Dahomey, known formally as the Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies, was a French possession within French West Africa from 1894 until 1958. Following World War II and the creation of the French Fourth Republic in 1947, it gained greater self-rule as part of the French Union. When the French Fifth Republic formed on 4 October 1958, the French Union became the French Community, and the colony transformed into the self-governing Republic of Dahomey within that Community. It achieved full independence on 1 August 1960, and was later renamed Benin in 1975.
Quick Facts
- Official name
- Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies
- Common name
- France
- Event start
- Protectorate
- Established
- 1894
- Event end
- French Community
- Dissolved
- 1958
- Date end
- 4 December
- Event post
- Independence
Facts from the source article.
History
The Kingdom of Dahomey held power in the area from the 1600s until the 1800s. France started taking over and colonizing this kingdom in 1872. The First Franco-Dahomean War of 1890 made the kingdom weaker, and the Second Franco-Dahomean War led to it becoming a French protectorate in 1894. A decree on June 22, 1894, set up the Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies, which later joined French West Africa in 1904.
While under French control, a port was built at Cotonou, railways were laid down, and Roman Catholic missions expanded schools. In 1946, Dahomey became an overseas territory within the French Union, gaining its own parliament and seats in France's national assembly. On December 4, 1958, it became the self-governing Republic of Dahomey inside the French Community. Full independence from France came on August 1, 1960.
The first president was Hubert Maga, who had served as Prime Minister during the territory's final year under French rule.
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