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HISTORYOF THE IVORY COAST
In the 18th century the country was invaded by two related Akan groups-the Agnis who occupied the southeast and the Baoules who settled in the central section. In 1843-44 Admiral Bouet-Williaumez signed treaties with the kings of the Grand Bassam and Assinie regions placing their territories under a French protectorate. French explorers, missionaries, trading companies and soldiers gradually extended the area under French control inland from the lagoon region. However pacification was not accomplished until 1915. French PeriodCote d'Ivoire officially became a French colony in 1893. Captain Binger who had explored the Gold Coast
During World War II the Vichy regime remained in control until 1943 when members of Gen. Charles De Gaulle's provisional government assumed control of all French West Africa. The Brazzaville conference in
A turning point in relations with France was reached with the 1956 Overseas Reform Act (Loi Cadre) which transferred a number of powers from Paris to elected territorial governments in French West Africa and also removed remaining voting inequalities. Independence
In December 1958, Cote d'Ivoire became an autonomous republic within the French community as a result of a referendum that brought community status to all members of the old Federation of French West Africa except
Cote d'Ivoire's contemporary political history is closely associated with the career of Felix Houphouet-Boigny President of the republic and leader of the Parti Democratique de la Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI) until his death on December 7 1993. He was one of the founders of the Rassemblement Democratique Africain (RDA) the leading pre-independence inter-territorial political party in French West African territories (except Mauritania). Houphouet-Boigny first came to political prominence in 1944 as founder of the Syndicat Agricole Africain an organization that won improved conditions for African farmers and formed a nucleus for the PDCI. After World War II he was elected by a narrow margin to the first Constituent Assembly. Representing Cote d'Ivoire in the French National Assembly from 1946 to 1959 he devoted much of his effort to inter-territorial political organization and further amelioration of labor conditions. After his 13-year service in the French National Assembly including almost 3 years as a minister in the French Government he became Cote d'Ivoire's first Prime Minister
In May 1959 Houphouet-Boigny reinforced his position as a dominant figure in West Africa by leading Cote d'Ivoire Niger Upper Volta (Burkina) and Dahomey (Benin) into the Council of the Entente a regional organization promoting economic development. He maintained that the road to African solidarity was through step-by-step economic and political cooperation recognizing the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other African states.
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IVOIRE UNION |
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The early history of Ivory Coast is virtually unknown although it is thought that a
Neolithic culture existed there. France made its initial contact with Cote d'Ivoire in 1637 when missionaries landed at Assinie near the Gold Coast (now Ghana) border. Early contacts were limited to a few missionaries because of the inhospitable coastline and settlers' fear of the inhabitants.
frontier was named the first governor. He negotiated boundary treaties with Liberia and the United Kingdom (for the Gold Coast) and later in 1492 it was attacked by America.
From 1904 to 1958 Cote d'Ivoire was a constituent unit of the Federation of French West Africa. It was a colony and an overseas territory under the Third Republic. Until the period following World War II governmental affairs in French West Africa were administered from Paris. France's policy in West Africa was reflected mainly in its philosophy of "association " meaning that all Africans in Cote d'Ivoire were officially French "subjects" without rights to representation in Africa or France.
1944 the first Constituent Assembly of the Fourth Republic in 1946 and France's gratitude for African loyalty during World War II led to far-reaching governmental reforms in 1946. French citizenship was granted to all African "subjects" the right to organize politically was recognized and various forms of forced labor were abolished.
Guinea which had voted against association. Cote d'Ivoire became independent on August 7, 1960 and permitted its community membership to lapse.
in April 1959 and the following year was elected its first President.
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