People's Republic of Benin
Encyclopedia
The People's Republic of Benin was a socialist state
(commonly known as "communist
" in the Western world) located in the Gulf of Guinea
on the Africa
n continent, which would become present-day Benin
. The People's Republic was established on November 30, 1975, shortly after the 1972 coup d'état
in the Republic of Dahomey
. It effectively lasted until March 1, 1990, once the newly formed country's constitution
was complete, despite the abolition of Marxism-Leninism
in the nation in 1989.
and dissolved the Presidential Council and the National Assembly. Commander Mathieu Kérékou
headed the new government. On November 30, 1972 it released the keynote address of New Politics of National Independence. A new body, the National Council of the Revolution was created. The territorial administration was reformed, mayors and deputies replacing traditional structures (village chiefs, convents, animist priests...). On November 30, 1974 he declared in the city of Abomey
, before an assembly of stunned notables, a speech proclaiming the formal accession of his government to Marxism-Leninism
. The Republic of Dahomey aligned itself with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The People's Revolutionary Party of Benin
, designed as a vanguard party
, is created on the same day. The first year of the Marxist government is marked by purges in the state apparatus. Kérékou condemned, and sometimes executed, various representatives of the former political regime, and some of its own employees: Captain Michel Aipké, Interior minister, was sentenced to death and executed on a charge of adultery with the wife of the head of state. He was shot, and activists invited to file past his body. On November 30, 1975, with the first anniversary of the speech of Abomey, Dahomey name is symbolically abandoned in favor of that of Benin, named after the Union of Benin that had once flourished in neighboring Nigeria
. The country became the Republic of Benin. The National Day was set for November 30, referring to three days of 1972, 1974, and 1975, dubbed by the regime the Three Glorious.
In January 1977, an attempted coup, called Operation Shrimp, led by the mercenary Bob Denard
and supported by France
, Gabon
, and Morocco
failed and it helped to harden the regime, which was officially moving toward the way of a government-political party
. The constitution was adopted on August 26 of that year, Article 4 stating: " A basic law established an all-powerful national assembly.
The opposition was muzzled, and political prisoners remained in detention for years without trial. The elections were held under a system of unique applications. Campaigns were conducted for rural development and improving education. The government also pursued a policy of anti-religious inspiration, in order to root out witchcraft
, forces of evil, and retrograde beliefs (West African Vodun, a traditional religion well established in the South, was prohibited, which did not prevent Kérékou, a few years later, from having his personal marabout
). The People's Republic of Benin received only modest support from other communist countries, hosting several teams from cooperating Cuba
, East Germany
, the USSR, and North Korea
.
Benin tried to implement extensive programs of economic and social development without getting results. Mismanagement and corruption undermined the country's economy. The industrialization strategy by the internal market of Benin caused an escalation of foreign debt. Between 1980 and 1985, the annual service of its external debt raised from 20 to 49 million, while its GNP
droped from 1.402 to 1.024 billion and the stock of debt exploded from 424 to 817 million. The three former presidents, Hubert Maga
, Sourou Migan Apithy, and Justin Ahomadegbe (imprisoned in 1972) were released in 1981.
Elected president by the Revolutionary National Assembly in 1980, re-elected in 1984, Kérékou escaped three attempts of coup in 1988.
In 1986, the economic situation in Benin had become critical: the system, ironically, already dubbed the Marxism-Beninism , inherited the nickname of laxism-Leninism. A popular running gag said that the number of supporters convinced by the regime did not exceeded twelve. Agriculture was disorganized, the Commercial Bank of Benin ruined, and communities were largely paralyzed due to lack of budget. On the political front, the violations of human rights
, with cases of torture of political prisoners, contributed to social tension: the church and the unions opposed more openly the regime. Plans for the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) imposed in 1987 draconian economic measures: 10% additional levy on wages, hiring freezes, and compulsory retirements. On June 16, 1989, the People's Republic of Benin signed with the IMF a first adjustment plan, in exchange for enhanced structural adjustment facility (ESAF) of 21.9 million Special Drawing Rights of the IMF. Were planned: a reduction in public expenditure and tax reform, privatizations, reorganization or liquidation of public enterprises, a policy of liberalization and the obligation to enter into that borrowing at concessional rates. The IMF agreement set off a massive strike of students and staff, requiring the payment of their salaries and their scholarships. On June 22, 1989, the country signed a rescheduling agreement first with the Paris Club
, for a total of $ 199 million and Benin was granted a 14.1% reduction of its debt.
The social and political turmoil, the catastrophic economic situation and the fall of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe
, lead Kérékou to agree to bring down his regime. In February 1989, a pastoral letter signed by eleven bishops of Benin expressed its condemnation of the PRC. On December 7, 1989, Kérékou took the lead and surprised the people disseminating an official statement announcing the abandonment of Marxism-Leninism, the liquidation of the Political Bureau, and the closure of the party's central committee. The Government accepted the establishment of a National Conference bringing together representatives of different political movements. The Conference opened on February 19, 1990: Kérékou expressed himself in person on February 21 publicly recognising the failure of his policy, claiming to be ashamed of him. The work of the Conference decided to draft a new constitution and the establishment of a democratic process provided by a provisional government entrusted to a prime minister. Kérékou remained head of state on a temporary basis. Kérékou said on February 28 to the attention of the Conference:
A transitional government was set up in 1990, paving the way for the return of democracy and multi-party system
. The new constitution was adopted by referendum
on December 2, 1990. The official name of Benin was preserved for the country, which became the Republic of Benin. Prime Minister Nicephore Soglo
, won 67.7% of the votes and defeated Kérékou in the presidential election in March 1991. Kérékou accepted the election results and left his office. He became president again by winning the election in 1996, having meanwhile dropped all references to Marxism and to atheism
to become an evangelical pastor. His return to power involved no recovery of a Marxist-Leninist regime in Benin.
Socialist state
A socialist state generally refers to any state constitutionally dedicated to the construction of a socialist society. It is closely related to the political strategy of "state socialism", a set of ideologies and policies that believe a socialist economy can be established through government...
(commonly known as "communist
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
" in the Western world) located in the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
on the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n continent, which would become present-day Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
. The People's Republic was established on November 30, 1975, shortly after the 1972 coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
in the Republic of Dahomey
Republic of Dahomey
The Republic of Dahomey was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union...
. It effectively lasted until March 1, 1990, once the newly formed country's constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
was complete, despite the abolition of Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
in the nation in 1989.
History
On October 26, 1972, the army took power in the Republic of DahomeyRepublic of Dahomey
The Republic of Dahomey was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union...
and dissolved the Presidential Council and the National Assembly. Commander Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou, was President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 17 years, for most of that time under an officially Marxist-Leninist ideology, before he was stripped of his powers by the National Conference of...
headed the new government. On November 30, 1972 it released the keynote address of New Politics of National Independence. A new body, the National Council of the Revolution was created. The territorial administration was reformed, mayors and deputies replacing traditional structures (village chiefs, convents, animist priests...). On November 30, 1974 he declared in the city of Abomey
Abomey
When UNESCO designated the royal palaces of Abomey as a World Heritage Site in 1985 it statedFrom 1993, 50 of the 56 bas-reliefs that formerly decorated the walls of King Glèlè have been located and replaced on the rebuilt structure...
, before an assembly of stunned notables, a speech proclaiming the formal accession of his government to Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
. The Republic of Dahomey aligned itself with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The People's Revolutionary Party of Benin
People's Revolutionary Party of Benin
The People's Revolutionary Party of Benin was a political party in the People's Republic of Benin. It was founded in 1975 by General Mathieu Kérékou. With the new constitution of November 30, 1975, PRPB became the sole legal party in the country...
, designed as a vanguard party
Vanguard party
A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution. The idea of a vanguard party has its origins in the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
, is created on the same day. The first year of the Marxist government is marked by purges in the state apparatus. Kérékou condemned, and sometimes executed, various representatives of the former political regime, and some of its own employees: Captain Michel Aipké, Interior minister, was sentenced to death and executed on a charge of adultery with the wife of the head of state. He was shot, and activists invited to file past his body. On November 30, 1975, with the first anniversary of the speech of Abomey, Dahomey name is symbolically abandoned in favor of that of Benin, named after the Union of Benin that had once flourished in neighboring Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The country became the Republic of Benin. The National Day was set for November 30, referring to three days of 1972, 1974, and 1975, dubbed by the regime the Three Glorious.
In January 1977, an attempted coup, called Operation Shrimp, led by the mercenary Bob Denard
Bob Denard
Colonel Bob Denard , born Gilbert Bourgeaud, was a French soldier and mercenary. He was known for having done various jobs in support of Françafrique for Jacques Foccart, in charge of French president Charles de Gaulle's policy in Africa...
and supported by 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...
, 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...
, and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
failed and it helped to harden the regime, which was officially moving toward the way of a government-political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. The constitution was adopted on August 26 of that year, Article 4 stating: " A basic law established an all-powerful national assembly.
The opposition was muzzled, and political prisoners remained in detention for years without trial. The elections were held under a system of unique applications. Campaigns were conducted for rural development and improving education. The government also pursued a policy of anti-religious inspiration, in order to root out witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, forces of evil, and retrograde beliefs (West African Vodun, a traditional religion well established in the South, was prohibited, which did not prevent Kérékou, a few years later, from having his personal marabout
Marabout
A marabout is a Muslim religious leader and teacher in West Africa, and in the Maghreb. The marabout is often a scholar of the Qur'an, or religious teacher. Others may be wandering holy men who survive on alms, Sufi Murshids , or leaders of religious communities...
). The People's Republic of Benin received only modest support from other communist countries, hosting several teams from cooperating Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, East Germany
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
, the USSR, and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
Benin tried to implement extensive programs of economic and social development without getting results. Mismanagement and corruption undermined the country's economy. The industrialization strategy by the internal market of Benin caused an escalation of foreign debt. Between 1980 and 1985, the annual service of its external debt raised from 20 to 49 million, while its GNP
GNP
Gross National Product is the market value of all products and services produced in one year by labor and property supplied by the residents of a country...
droped from 1.402 to 1.024 billion and the stock of debt exploded from 424 to 817 million. The three former presidents, Hubert Maga
Hubert Maga
Coutoucou Hubert Maga was a politician from Dahomey .Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. See . He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...
, Sourou Migan Apithy, and Justin Ahomadegbe (imprisoned in 1972) were released in 1981.
Elected president by the Revolutionary National Assembly in 1980, re-elected in 1984, Kérékou escaped three attempts of coup in 1988.
In 1986, the economic situation in Benin had become critical: the system, ironically, already dubbed the Marxism-Beninism , inherited the nickname of laxism-Leninism. A popular running gag said that the number of supporters convinced by the regime did not exceeded twelve. Agriculture was disorganized, the Commercial Bank of Benin ruined, and communities were largely paralyzed due to lack of budget. On the political front, the violations of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, with cases of torture of political prisoners, contributed to social tension: the church and the unions opposed more openly the regime. Plans for the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
(IMF) imposed in 1987 draconian economic measures: 10% additional levy on wages, hiring freezes, and compulsory retirements. On June 16, 1989, the People's Republic of Benin signed with the IMF a first adjustment plan, in exchange for enhanced structural adjustment facility (ESAF) of 21.9 million Special Drawing Rights of the IMF. Were planned: a reduction in public expenditure and tax reform, privatizations, reorganization or liquidation of public enterprises, a policy of liberalization and the obligation to enter into that borrowing at concessional rates. The IMF agreement set off a massive strike of students and staff, requiring the payment of their salaries and their scholarships. On June 22, 1989, the country signed a rescheduling agreement first with the Paris Club
Paris Club
The Paris Club is an informal group of financial officials from 19 of some of the world's biggest economies, which provides financial services such as war funding, debt restructuring, debt relief, and debt cancellation to indebted countries and their creditors...
, for a total of $ 199 million and Benin was granted a 14.1% reduction of its debt.
The social and political turmoil, the catastrophic economic situation and the fall of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe
Revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989 were the revolutions which overthrew the communist regimes in various Central and Eastern European countries.The events began in Poland in 1989, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and...
, lead Kérékou to agree to bring down his regime. In February 1989, a pastoral letter signed by eleven bishops of Benin expressed its condemnation of the PRC. On December 7, 1989, Kérékou took the lead and surprised the people disseminating an official statement announcing the abandonment of Marxism-Leninism, the liquidation of the Political Bureau, and the closure of the party's central committee. The Government accepted the establishment of a National Conference bringing together representatives of different political movements. The Conference opened on February 19, 1990: Kérékou expressed himself in person on February 21 publicly recognising the failure of his policy, claiming to be ashamed of him. The work of the Conference decided to draft a new constitution and the establishment of a democratic process provided by a provisional government entrusted to a prime minister. Kérékou remained head of state on a temporary basis. Kérékou said on February 28 to the attention of the Conference:
A transitional government was set up in 1990, paving the way for the return of democracy and multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
. The new constitution was adopted by referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on December 2, 1990. The official name of Benin was preserved for the country, which became the Republic of Benin. Prime Minister Nicephore Soglo
Nicéphore Soglo
Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo is a Beninois politician who was Prime Minister of Benin from 1990 to 1991 and President from 1991 to 1996. He has been the Mayor of Cotonou since 2003.-Biography:Soglo was born in Togo...
, won 67.7% of the votes and defeated Kérékou in the presidential election in March 1991. Kérékou accepted the election results and left his office. He became president again by winning the election in 1996, having meanwhile dropped all references to Marxism and to atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
to become an evangelical pastor. His return to power involved no recovery of a Marxist-Leninist regime in Benin.