1918-1939 History of Central Africa Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville)
since 1960





French Congo, 1939-1960



A.) Free French Government at Brazzaville

World War II began on September 1st 1939. After months of a PHONEY WAR, German troops invaded France on May 10th 1940; on June 25th, General HENRI PHILIPPE PETAIN surrendered in the name of the French forces.
BRAZZAVILLE, hitherto a remote, insignificant outpost of France's vast Colonial Empire, suddenly gained world fame when BRIGADIER GENERAL CHARLES DE GAULLE, who had escaped from France, took control of the local French garrison, refused to recognize the pro-German administration in Vichy (recognized by most of France's colonies). De Gaulle proclaimed a FREE FRENCH government (which competed with another exile government claiming to represent France).
There was no fighting in and around the French Congo in World War II. Governor FELIX EBOUE of Chad, the first black gvernor of a French colony, was also the first colonial governor to support de Gaulle's Free French administration. In 1944, Charles de Gaulle hosted the BRAZZAVILLE CONFERENCE, in which he declared that pogress in Africa was to be measured by an improvement in the standard of living of the African.


B.) The Road to Independence, 1946-1960

In 1946, the French Congo was granted an ASSEMBLY and representation in France's parliament. The call for independence became louder; French Equatorial Africa was dissolved, a referendum held in 1958 opted for independence, which was granted in 1960.
The new state, officially the REPUBLIC OF CONGO, was called CONGO BRAZZAVILLE to distinguish it from the former Belgian Congo (Congo Leopoldville).






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Republic of Congo, History of, from Infoplease
De Gaulle, Charles, from Infoplease
La France Libre et l'Afrique Noire, from Institut Charles de Gaulle, in French
The Second World War in the French Overseas Empire, Timeline by Richard Doody Congo Brazzaville : The Party System in 1950-1956 and 1957-1962, in : Kenneth Janda, Political Parties : A Cross-National Survey
DOCUMENTS Manifeste lance de Brazzaville, from Institut Charles de Gaulle
REFERENCE Article Congo, Republic of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1960 pp.180-181, on events of 1959 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on September 28th 2007

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