French Community
Encyclopedia
The French Community was an association of states known in French simply as La Communauté. In 1958 it replaced the French Union
, which had itself succeeded the French colonial empire
in 1946.
The constitution of the Fifth Republic
, which created the French Community, was a consequence of the war in Algeria
. The 1 million French colonists there were determined to resist any possible moves towards Algerian independence, and to press their point they held massive demonstrations in Algiers
on 13 May 1958. The trouble, which threatened to escalate into a civil war, provoked a political crisis in France
and precipitated the collapse of the Fourth Republic
. General Charles de Gaulle
was recalled to power and a new constitution was drawn up. Initially De Gaulle seemed to confirm the Algerian settlers’ hopes that he would support them, ending a speech to them with the cry “Algerie Francaise”, but privately he indicated that he had no intention of maintaining control of 9 million Algerians for the benefit of one million settlers. This attitude was manifest in the new constitution, which provided for the right of the overseas territories to request complete independence.
On 28 September 1958 a referendum was held throughout the French Union and the new constitution was approved, by universal suffrage, in all of the territories except French Guinea
, which voted instead to take the option of complete independence. The territorial assemblies of the remaining overseas territories were then allowed four months, dating from the promulgation of the constitution, i.e. until 4 February 1959, to select one of the following options in accordance with articles 76 and 91 of the constitution:
1. Preserve the status of overseas territory
2. Become a member state of the French Community
3. Become an overseas department
None of the overseas territories opted to become overseas departments. The overseas territories of Comoro Islands
, French Polynesia
, French Somaliland
, New Caledonia
, and St Pierre and Miquelon opted to maintain their status, while Chad
, Dahomey
, French Sudan
, Ivory Coast, Madagascar
, Mauritania
, Middle Congo, Niger
, Senegal
, Ubangi-Shari, and Upper Volta
chose to become member states of the French Community, some of them changing their names in the process.
1. The French Republic, which was "one and indivisible". All the inhabitants were French citizens and took part in the election of the president of the republic and of the French Parliament.
It was made up of:
a. European France, including Corsica
(the metropole).
b. Algeria and Sahara. These areas, considered an integral part of France, were divided into departments, 13 in Algeria and 2 in Sahara. All the inhabitants were French citizens, but the Muslims preserved their own juridical status. All sent representatives to the French assemblies and elected municipalities.
c. The overseas departments (French Guiana
, Guadeloupe
and dependencies, Martinique
, and Réunion
). Their administration and legislation was in principle those of the metropole, but each of them could receive an individual constitution.
d. The overseas territories (Comoro Islands
, French Polynesia
, French Somaliland
, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, New Caledonia
and dependencies, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon). They had their own individual organisation with a territorial assembly elected by universal suffrage; the assembly appointed a governing council, its president being the governor appointed by the central power. The French Southern and Antarctic Territories, with no permanent population, were administered directly from Paris.
2. The member states, which were initially:
Central African Republic
, Chad
, Congo
, Dahomey
, Gabon
, Ivory Coast, Malagasy Republic, Mauritania
, Niger
, Senegal
, Sudanese Republic, and Upper Volta
.
Although there was only one “citizenship of the Community”, the territories which became Community member states did not form part of the French Republic and were granted broad autonomy. They worked out their own constitutions and could create unions among themselves. The Community’s jurisdiction as a whole was limited to foreign policy, defence, the currency, a common economic and financial policy and policy on strategic matters and, except for special agreements, control of justice, higher education, external and public transport and telecommunications. Agreements of Association could also be made by the Community with other states.
Associated with the Community were the United Nations Trust Territories of French Cameroun and Togo
, and the Anglo-French condominium of the New Hebrides
.
These were as follows:
The President of the Community was the President of the French Republic. The member states also took part in his election and he was represented in each state by a High Commissioner. In 1958 President de Gaulle was elected by an absolute majority in all the states.
The Executive Council of the Community met several times a year, in one or other of the capitals, on the summons of the President, who assumed the chair. It was composed of the chiefs of the governments of the different states and the ministers responsible for common affairs.
The Senate of the Community was composed of members of the local assemblies designated by them in numbers proportional to the population of the state. After holding two sessions it was abolished in March 1961.
A Community Court of Arbitration, composed of seven judges nominated by the President, gave decisions in disputes between member states.
in December, President de Gaulle agreed to Mali
’s claim for national sovereignty, thus beginning the process that would see all of the states being granted independence in 1960. On 4 June 1960, articles 85 and 86 were amended by Constitutional Act No. 60-525, allowing the member states to become fully independent, either still as members of the Community or not. This amendment also allowed for a state that was already fully independent to join the Community without losing its independence; a provision that was never taken advantage of by any state.
By 1961 only the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Gabon, the Malagasy Republic and Senegal still belonged to the Community; the constitutional bodies no longer continued to function; the term ‘president of the community’ disappeared from official statements; and it seemed that the only remaining differences between those states which were members of the community and those which had left it lay in the fact that the diplomatic representatives in Paris of the former bore the title ‘high commissioner’ and those of the latter ‘ambassador’. Moreover the second title tended to be used in all cases without distinction.
Although the French Community had almost ceased to exist as an institution by the early 1960s, the remaining members never formally withdrew and the relevant articles were not removed from the French Constitution until they were finally abrogated by Constitutional Act number 95-880 of 4 August 1995.
is held throughout the French Union
. It is approved in every territory except French Guinea
, which instead opts, by an overwhelming majority, for complete independence. The campaign in favour of independence had been led by Sékou Touré and his Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally.
2 October 1958 – French Guinea gains complete independence, outside of the French Community, and is renamed the Republic of Guinea.
4 October 1958 – The constitution of the Fifth Republic comes into effect.
14 October 1958 – Madagascar
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Malagasy Republic.
24 November 1958 – The French Sudan
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Sudanese Republic.
25 November 1958 – Senegal
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
28 November 1958 – Chad
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
28 November 1958 – The Middle Congo becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Republic of the Congo
.
28 November 1958 – Gabon
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
28 November 1958 – Mauritania
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
1 December 1958 – Ubangi-Shari becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Central African Republic
.
4 December 1958 – Dahomey
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
4 December 1958 – Ivory Coast becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
11 December 1958 – Upper Volta
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
19 December 1958 – Niger
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
4 April 1959 – Senegal and the Sudanese Republic form a union as the Mali Federation
. Dakar
is the federal capital.
1 January 1960 – French Cameroun gains complete independence and is renamed the Republic of Cameroun, outside of the French Community.
27 April 1960 – Togo
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
4 June 1960 – Articles 85 and 86 are amended by Constitutional Act No. 60-525, allowing the member states to become fully independent, either still as a member of the Community or not. This amendment also allows for a state that is already fully independent to join the Community without losing its independence; a provision that will never be taken advantage of by any state.
20 June 1960 – The Mali Federation
gains independence, within the French Community.
26 June 1960 – The Malagasy Republic gains independence, within the French Community.
1 August 1960 – Dahomey
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
3 August 1960 – Niger
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
5 August 1960 – Upper Volta
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
7 August 1960 – The Ivory Coast gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
11 August 1960 – Chad
gains independence, within the French Community.
13 August 1960 – The Central African Republic
gains independence, within the French Community.
15 August 1960 – The Republic of the Congo
gains independence, within the French Community.
17 August 1960 – Gabon
gains independence, within the French Community.
20 August 1960 – Senegal
secedes from the Mali Federation
and becomes an independent state in its own right, but still within the French Community.
22 September 1960 – The Sudanese Republic is renamed the Republic of Mali, and withdraws from the French Community.
28 November 1960 – Mauritania
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
29 July 1961 – The Wallis and Futuna Islands, hitherto administered by the government of New Caledonia
, become an overseas territory in their own right.
22 December 1961 – The Comoro Islands
are granted full internal autonomy.
3 July 1962 – Algeria
gains complete independence from France, outside of the French Community.
3 July 1967 – Act No. 67-521 grants French Somaliland
wider autonomy and changes the name of the territory to the French Territory of the Afars and Issas.
6 July 1975 – Comorian President Ahmed Abdallah
declares the whole archipelago independent of France, outside of the French Community. However, with the people of the island of Mayotte
having voted in a referendum in 1974 against independence, the French refuse to recognise the inclusion of Mayotte in the new state.
19 July 1976 – St Pierre and Miquelon becomes an overseas department of France.
24 December 1976 – Mayotte becomes a territorial collectivity of France.
27 June 1977 – The French Territory of the Afars and Issas gains complete independence, outside of the French Community, and is renamed the Republic of Djibouti.
11 June 1985 – St Pierre and Miquelon becomes a territorial collectivity with special status, the local authorities having responsibility for taxation, customs arrangements, town planning and shipping registration.
4 August 1995 – Constitutional Act number 95-880 repeals the provisions in the French Constitution relating to the French Community and the association is formally abolished.
French Union
The French Union was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, the "French Empire" and to abolish its "indigenous" status.-History:...
, which had itself succeeded the French colonial empire
French colonial empire
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
in 1946.
The constitution of the Fifth Republic
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
, which created the French Community, was a consequence of the war in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. The 1 million French colonists there were determined to resist any possible moves towards Algerian independence, and to press their point they held massive demonstrations in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
on 13 May 1958. The trouble, which threatened to escalate into a civil war, provoked a political crisis in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and precipitated the collapse of the Fourth Republic
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
. General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
was recalled to power and a new constitution was drawn up. Initially De Gaulle seemed to confirm the Algerian settlers’ hopes that he would support them, ending a speech to them with the cry “Algerie Francaise”, but privately he indicated that he had no intention of maintaining control of 9 million Algerians for the benefit of one million settlers. This attitude was manifest in the new constitution, which provided for the right of the overseas territories to request complete independence.
On 28 September 1958 a referendum was held throughout the French Union and the new constitution was approved, by universal suffrage, in all of the territories except French Guinea
French Guinea
French Guinea was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the independent nation of Guinea....
, which voted instead to take the option of complete independence. The territorial assemblies of the remaining overseas territories were then allowed four months, dating from the promulgation of the constitution, i.e. until 4 February 1959, to select one of the following options in accordance with articles 76 and 91 of the constitution:
1. Preserve the status of overseas territory
2. Become a member state of the French Community
3. Become an overseas department
None of the overseas territories opted to become overseas departments. The overseas territories of Comoro Islands
Comoro Islands
The Comoros Islands form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the south-east coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and north-west of Madagascar. They are divided between the sovereign state of Comoros and the French overseas department of Mayotte...
, French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
, French Somaliland
French Somaliland
French Somaliland was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. Established after the French signed various treaties between 1883 and 1887 with the then ruling Somali Sultans, the colony lasted from 1896 until 1946, when it became an overseas territory of France....
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, and St Pierre and Miquelon opted to maintain their status, while Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
, French Sudan
French Sudan
French Sudan was a colony in French West Africa that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then from 1920 to 1960, when the territory became the independent nation of Mali.-Colonial establishment:...
, Ivory Coast, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, Middle Congo, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Ubangi-Shari, and Upper Volta
Republic of Upper Volta
The Republic of Upper Volta was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960 it attained full independence from France.Thomas Sankara came to power...
chose to become member states of the French Community, some of them changing their names in the process.
Members
By early 1959, the members of the French Community were as follows:1. The French Republic, which was "one and indivisible". All the inhabitants were French citizens and took part in the election of the president of the republic and of the French Parliament.
It was made up of:
a. European France, including Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
(the metropole).
b. Algeria and Sahara. These areas, considered an integral part of France, were divided into departments, 13 in Algeria and 2 in Sahara. All the inhabitants were French citizens, but the Muslims preserved their own juridical status. All sent representatives to the French assemblies and elected municipalities.
c. The overseas departments (French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
and dependencies, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, and Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
). Their administration and legislation was in principle those of the metropole, but each of them could receive an individual constitution.
d. The overseas territories (Comoro Islands
Comoro Islands
The Comoros Islands form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the south-east coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and north-west of Madagascar. They are divided between the sovereign state of Comoros and the French overseas department of Mayotte...
, French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
, French Somaliland
French Somaliland
French Somaliland was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. Established after the French signed various treaties between 1883 and 1887 with the then ruling Somali Sultans, the colony lasted from 1896 until 1946, when it became an overseas territory of France....
, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
and dependencies, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon). They had their own individual organisation with a territorial assembly elected by universal suffrage; the assembly appointed a governing council, its president being the governor appointed by the central power. The French Southern and Antarctic Territories, with no permanent population, were administered directly from Paris.
2. The member states, which were initially:
Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
, Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
, Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, Ivory Coast, Malagasy Republic, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Sudanese Republic, and Upper Volta
Republic of Upper Volta
The Republic of Upper Volta was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960 it attained full independence from France.Thomas Sankara came to power...
.
Although there was only one “citizenship of the Community”, the territories which became Community member states did not form part of the French Republic and were granted broad autonomy. They worked out their own constitutions and could create unions among themselves. The Community’s jurisdiction as a whole was limited to foreign policy, defence, the currency, a common economic and financial policy and policy on strategic matters and, except for special agreements, control of justice, higher education, external and public transport and telecommunications. Agreements of Association could also be made by the Community with other states.
Associated with the Community were the United Nations Trust Territories of French Cameroun and Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, and the Anglo-French condominium of the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
.
Institutions
Article 91 of the constitution stipulated that the institutions of the Community were to be established by 4 April 1959.These were as follows:
The President of the Community was the President of the French Republic. The member states also took part in his election and he was represented in each state by a High Commissioner. In 1958 President de Gaulle was elected by an absolute majority in all the states.
The Executive Council of the Community met several times a year, in one or other of the capitals, on the summons of the President, who assumed the chair. It was composed of the chiefs of the governments of the different states and the ministers responsible for common affairs.
The Senate of the Community was composed of members of the local assemblies designated by them in numbers proportional to the population of the state. After holding two sessions it was abolished in March 1961.
A Community Court of Arbitration, composed of seven judges nominated by the President, gave decisions in disputes between member states.
Decline and abolition
Among the states, the Community as originally envisaged functioned only during 1959 when six sessions of the executive council were held in various capitals. Immediately after the sixth session, held in DakarDakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
in December, President de Gaulle agreed to Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
’s claim for national sovereignty, thus beginning the process that would see all of the states being granted independence in 1960. On 4 June 1960, articles 85 and 86 were amended by Constitutional Act No. 60-525, allowing the member states to become fully independent, either still as members of the Community or not. This amendment also allowed for a state that was already fully independent to join the Community without losing its independence; a provision that was never taken advantage of by any state.
By 1961 only the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Gabon, the Malagasy Republic and Senegal still belonged to the Community; the constitutional bodies no longer continued to function; the term ‘president of the community’ disappeared from official statements; and it seemed that the only remaining differences between those states which were members of the community and those which had left it lay in the fact that the diplomatic representatives in Paris of the former bore the title ‘high commissioner’ and those of the latter ‘ambassador’. Moreover the second title tended to be used in all cases without distinction.
Although the French Community had almost ceased to exist as an institution by the early 1960s, the remaining members never formally withdrew and the relevant articles were not removed from the French Constitution until they were finally abrogated by Constitutional Act number 95-880 of 4 August 1995.
Chronology
28 September 1958 – A referendum on the proposed constitution for the Fifth RepublicFrench Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
is held throughout the French Union
French Union
The French Union was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, the "French Empire" and to abolish its "indigenous" status.-History:...
. It is approved in every territory except French Guinea
French Guinea
French Guinea was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the independent nation of Guinea....
, which instead opts, by an overwhelming majority, for complete independence. The campaign in favour of independence had been led by Sékou Touré and his Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally.
2 October 1958 – French Guinea gains complete independence, outside of the French Community, and is renamed the Republic of Guinea.
4 October 1958 – The constitution of the Fifth Republic comes into effect.
14 October 1958 – Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Malagasy Republic.
24 November 1958 – The French Sudan
French Sudan
French Sudan was a colony in French West Africa that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then from 1920 to 1960, when the territory became the independent nation of Mali.-Colonial establishment:...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Sudanese Republic.
25 November 1958 – Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
28 November 1958 – Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
28 November 1958 – The Middle Congo becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
.
28 November 1958 – Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
28 November 1958 – Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
1 December 1958 – Ubangi-Shari becomes an autonomous state within the French Community and is renamed the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
.
4 December 1958 – Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
4 December 1958 – Ivory Coast becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
11 December 1958 – Upper Volta
Republic of Upper Volta
The Republic of Upper Volta was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960 it attained full independence from France.Thomas Sankara came to power...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
19 December 1958 – Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
becomes an autonomous state within the French Community.
4 April 1959 – Senegal and the Sudanese Republic form a union as the Mali Federation
Mali Federation
The Mali Federation was a country in West Africa. It was formed by a union between Senegal and the Sudanese Republic...
. Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
is the federal capital.
1 January 1960 – French Cameroun gains complete independence and is renamed the Republic of Cameroun, outside of the French Community.
27 April 1960 – Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
4 June 1960 – Articles 85 and 86 are amended by Constitutional Act No. 60-525, allowing the member states to become fully independent, either still as a member of the Community or not. This amendment also allows for a state that is already fully independent to join the Community without losing its independence; a provision that will never be taken advantage of by any state.
20 June 1960 – The Mali Federation
Mali Federation
The Mali Federation was a country in West Africa. It was formed by a union between Senegal and the Sudanese Republic...
gains independence, within the French Community.
26 June 1960 – The Malagasy Republic gains independence, within the French Community.
1 August 1960 – Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
3 August 1960 – Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
5 August 1960 – Upper Volta
Republic of Upper Volta
The Republic of Upper Volta was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960 it attained full independence from France.Thomas Sankara came to power...
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
7 August 1960 – The Ivory Coast gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
11 August 1960 – Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
gains independence, within the French Community.
13 August 1960 – The Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
gains independence, within the French Community.
15 August 1960 – The Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
gains independence, within the French Community.
17 August 1960 – Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
gains independence, within the French Community.
20 August 1960 – Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
secedes from the Mali Federation
Mali Federation
The Mali Federation was a country in West Africa. It was formed by a union between Senegal and the Sudanese Republic...
and becomes an independent state in its own right, but still within the French Community.
22 September 1960 – The Sudanese Republic is renamed the Republic of Mali, and withdraws from the French Community.
28 November 1960 – Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
gains complete independence, outside of the French Community.
29 July 1961 – The Wallis and Futuna Islands, hitherto administered by the government of New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, become an overseas territory in their own right.
22 December 1961 – The Comoro Islands
Comoro Islands
The Comoros Islands form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the south-east coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and north-west of Madagascar. They are divided between the sovereign state of Comoros and the French overseas department of Mayotte...
are granted full internal autonomy.
3 July 1962 – Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
gains complete independence from France, outside of the French Community.
3 July 1967 – Act No. 67-521 grants French Somaliland
French Somaliland
French Somaliland was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. Established after the French signed various treaties between 1883 and 1887 with the then ruling Somali Sultans, the colony lasted from 1896 until 1946, when it became an overseas territory of France....
wider autonomy and changes the name of the territory to the French Territory of the Afars and Issas.
6 July 1975 – Comorian President Ahmed Abdallah
Ahmed Abdallah
Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane was a Comorian politician. He was President of the Comoros from 25 October 1978 until his death.-Life prior to the presidency:...
declares the whole archipelago independent of France, outside of the French Community. However, with the people of the island of Mayotte
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
having voted in a referendum in 1974 against independence, the French refuse to recognise the inclusion of Mayotte in the new state.
19 July 1976 – St Pierre and Miquelon becomes an overseas department of France.
24 December 1976 – Mayotte becomes a territorial collectivity of France.
27 June 1977 – The French Territory of the Afars and Issas gains complete independence, outside of the French Community, and is renamed the Republic of Djibouti.
11 June 1985 – St Pierre and Miquelon becomes a territorial collectivity with special status, the local authorities having responsibility for taxation, customs arrangements, town planning and shipping registration.
4 August 1995 – Constitutional Act number 95-880 repeals the provisions in the French Constitution relating to the French Community and the association is formally abolished.
External links
Communauté française- Current text of the Constitution in French (Constitutional Council) and in English (National Assembly)
- Original text of the Constitution of 4 October 1958, as published in the Journal Officiel de la République FrançaiseJournal Officiel de la République FrançaiseThe Journal Officiel de la République Française is the official gazette of the French Republic. It publishes the major legal official information from the national Government of France.-Publications:...
on 5 October 1958 - Text of the Constitution just prior to the amendments of 4 August 1995 Retrieved 11 June 2011