As the French pursued their part in the scramble for Africa in the 1880s and 1890s, they conquered large inland areas, and at first, ruled them as either a part of the Senegal colony or as independent entities. These conquered areas were usually governed by French Army officers, and dubbed “military territories”.
What did the French want from West Africa?
French West Africa
Before Africa was founded as a country, it was invaded by France in 1843. France wanted many of that natural resources in Africa that they attacked and tried to contain them.
Why did the French colonize West Africa?
The French colonial encounter in West Africa was driven by commercial interests and, perhaps to a lesser degree, a civilizing mission. The political administration and the economic interests were fairly uniform throughout the colonial period.
What resources did France want from West Africa?
In exchange for military protection against attempted coups and the payment of hefty kickbacks, African leaders guaranteed French companies access to strategic resources such as diamonds, ores, uranium, gas and oil.
How did the French colonize Africa?
The French presence in Africa dates to the 17th century, but the main period of colonial expansion came in the 19th century with the invasion of Ottoman Algiers in 1830, conquests in West and Equatorial Africa during the so-called scramble for Africa and the establishment of protectorates in Tunisia and Morocco in the …
What did the French do in Africa?
As the French pursued their part in the scramble for Africa in the 1880s and 1890s, they conquered large inland areas, and at first, ruled them as either a part of the Senegal colony or as independent entities. These conquered areas were usually governed by French Army officers, and dubbed “military territories”.
What happened to French West Africa?
Upper Senegal and Niger was renamed the French Sudan in 1920. … By 1960 the formerly colonial territories had become independent republics, with French Sudan changing its name to Mali.
How did the French colonize?
France established colonies in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America. Most colonies were developed to export products such as fish, rice, sugar, and furs.
How did the French control their colonies?
Colonies were ruled, on the one hand, through decrees issued by two different ministries (the Ministry of the Interior and the Colonial Office) in Paris and, on the other hand, by executive orders that made the representative of the French government the main source of the law.
Why was French slavery important?
In the late 1780s, France was a major colonial power, its territories powered by an estimated 800,000 slaves. Its most lucrative colony was Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) in the Caribbean. About 450,000 slaves worked on plantations exporting sugar and coffee to France.
What impact did the French have on Africa?
The continent served both as a source of slaves and a stop for ships of Europeans on the way to Asia. The French had a presence in West Africa dating back to the 1600s, most prominently in Senegal, which was a major point of embarkation for slaves to the New World ([1]).
Who did France colonize in Africa?
French West Africa. French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Côte d’Ivoire, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Dahomey (now Benin), and Niger.
Why did the French colonize Mali?
Why the Heck Did France Invade Mali? The French military action in Mali serves not only to keep the unstable African nation from falling under the yoke of Islamic extremist rule, but also to keep terrorists out of France and Europe’s front yard, analysts say.
Do they speak French in West Africa?
the French spoken by people in West and Central Africa – spoken altogether by about 97 million people in 2018, as either a first or second language. the French variety spoken by Maghrebis and Berbers in Northwest Africa (see Maghreb French), which has about 33 million first and second language speakers in 2018.
How did French West Africa gain independence?
On September 28, 1958, in a referendum, the colonies were offered full internal self-government as fellow members with France of a French Community that would deal with supranational affairs. All of the colonies voted for this scheme except Guinea, where Sékou Touré led the people to vote for complete independence.
What impact did the French rule have on the area conquered?
French colonialism did provide some benefits for Vietnamese society, most noticeable of which were improvements in education. French missionaries, officials and their families opened primary schools and provided lessons in both French and Viet languages. Hope it helps.