1815-1891 History of West Africa 1919-1939







Stamps issued for Senegal and Dependencies by France's Postal Administration



Senegal, 1891-1918



Territory : In the 1890es, French territorial expansion in West Africa reached its climax. The Upper Senegal had been administratively seperated to Senegal, but her governor had to report to the Governor of Senegal. Within Senegal proper, Futa Djalon was declared a French protectorate in 1897, with it the French pacification of modern Senegal was completed. Mauritania administratively remained part of Senegal until 1920, much of it outside of French control until into the early 20th century.

Administration : In 1895 Senegal was declared a French COLONY, with the capital at SAINT-LOUIS; moved in 1902 to DAKAR. In 1895 French West Africa was established, consisting of Senegal, French Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Upper Senegal & Niger. The capital was Dakar. In 1914 Blaise Diagne was first African elected to represent Senegal in French Nat'l Assembly

Economy : In contrast to the Upper Senegal (modern Mali), Senegal was under civilian administration. The French administration protected the Senegalese markt against non-French imports. The construction of railroads, since 1880, in combination with the excelle4nt port of Dakar, facilitated the expansion of the cultivation of crops for export. In 1911, Senegal had a population of 1,247,300.

Society : a number of institutions of higher learning were established in the Quatre Communes, among them the Ecole Normale William Ponty (Goree, 1913).

World War I : the residents of the Quatre Communes, as French citizens, were subject to military conscription. In the other regions of Senegal, the French recruited volunteers.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Senegal, History of, from Infoplease
Timeline, from Senegal Online
DOCUMENTS Postcards from Senegal, from Senegal Online
REFERENCE J.A. Ballard, The Colonial Phase in French West Africa, pp.380-404, in J.F. Ade Ajayi and Ian Espie (ed.), A Thousand Years of West African History, Ibadan UP (1965) 1967 [G]
M'Baye Gueye and A. Adu Boahen, African Initiatives and Resistance in West Africa, 1880-1914, pp. 114-148, in : A. Adu Boahen (ed.), Africa under Colonial Domination 1880-1935, Vol.VII of UNESCO General History of Africa, Oxford : Heinemann 1985 [G]
Article : French Sudan, Senegal, French Guinea & Dependencies, in : Statesman's Year Book 1895 pp.522-523 (on events of 1894) [G]
Article : Senegal, French Sudan, French Guinea & Dahomey, in : Statesman's Year Book 1898 pp.519-522 (on events of 1897) [G]
Article : West Africa and the Sahara : Senegal, in : Statesman's Year Book 1901 pp.598-601, 1905 pp.660-667, 1910 pp.804-810, 1918 pp.865-866 [G]
Article : Senegal, in : International Year Book 1898 p.695, 1899 p.727, 1900 p.812 [G]
Article : Senegal, in : New International Year Book 1907 p.712, 1908 p.643, 1909 p.643, 1913 p.624, 1914 pp.630-631



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on September 17th 2008

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