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Adrien Degbey
Adrien Degbey (10 May 1918 – 14 April 1971) was a Dahomeyan politician. Biography Education and teaching career Adrien Degbey was born on 10 May 1918 in Dogbo in French Dahomey (now known as Benin). He attended Victor Ballot School from 1932 to 1935 and graduated at the top of his class. In 1935, with five classmates including Justin Ahomadégbé, he was shortlisted on the basis of his marks and admitted to the École normale supérieure William Ponty in Gorée in Senegal, known at the time as the principal training ground of the elite from French West Africa. During his time in college, he discovered acting and studied theatre thanks to Charles Béart, school principal and father of the ''Ponty theatre''. He was a member of the school theatre group with the future Dahomeyan political elite, Hubert Maga, Émile Derlin Zinsou, François Djibodé Aplogan and Antoine Boya. In 1936, he played a role in ''Retour aux fétiches délaissés''. The play was performed in Gorée a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sourou-Migan Apithy
Sourou-Migan Marcellin Joseph Apithy (April 8, 1913 – December 3, 1989) was a Beninese political figure most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey one lived in. Apithy studied at Bordeaux in a Lycée or secondary school. After he completed his studies there, he was accepted at the public Political Science School in Paris where he took courses in commercial studies. He later worked at a French company in Western Africa as an expert accountant. Before his country acquired its independence, beginning 1945, he was part of Dahomey's Constitutive Assembly and was re-elected for a number of terms. When Hubert Maga nominated him to that function, he was also the prime minister of Dahomey (Benin) from 1957 to 1958. By 1960, he had become Vice President of Dahomey. He served as the 2nd President of Dahomey between 25 January 1964 and 27 November 1965, when he was overthrown by Christophe S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French West Africa
French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Dahomey (now Benin) and Niger. The federation existed from 1895 until 1958. Its capital was Saint-Louis, Senegal until 1902, and then Dakar until the federation's collapse in 1960. History Until after World War II, almost none of the Africans living in the colonies of France were citizens of France. Rather, they were "French subjects", lacking rights before the law, property ownership rights, rights to travel, dissent, or vote. The exception was the Four Communes of Senegal: those areas had been towns of the tiny Senegal Colony in 1848 when, at the abolition of slavery by the French Second Republic, all residents of France were granted equal political rights. Anyone able to prove they were born in these towns was leg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alphonse Alley
Alphonse Amadou Alley (April 9, 1930 – March 28, 1987) was a Beninese army officer and political figure. He was most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He was born in Bassila, central Dahomey, and enrolled in schools in Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Senegal before enlisting in the French army in 1950. He saw combat in Indochina from 1950 to 1953, in Morocco from 1955 to 1956, and in Algeria from 1959 to 1961. After the coup in 1965, President Christophe Soglo promoted Alley Chief of Staff of the Army. Young army officer Maurice Kouandété was appointed Alley's ''chef de cabinet'' in 1967. Kouandété launched another coup against Soglo on December 17, but he was forced to hand power to Alley two days later. His administration oversaw the creation of a new constitution and a presidential election, Dahomey's first since 1964. The results were annulled because of a boycott that prevented almost three-quarters of the country from voting. Alley lost popularity with the sug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maurice Kouandété
Iropa Maurice Kouandété (22 September 1932 – 7 April 2003) was a military officer and politician in Benin (known as Dahomey until 1975). He was born to Somba parents in the Gaba District of Dahomey. Kouandété enrolled in the army in his late teens. Over the years, he became popular among junior soldiers in the north and gained the contempt of those in the south. Jim Hoagland of ''The Washington Post'' described Kouandété as a "moody, brilliant and highly ambitious soldier". On 17 December 1967 Kouandété led a military coup and toppled President Christophe Soglo. Kouandété seized the presidency, although he was unsure how to wield it. He handed power to Alphonse Alley two days later, and forced him to retire in 1968 in favor of Kouandété's choice, Emile Derlin Zinsou. Kouandété was appointed chief of staff of Dahomey's 1,500-man army and launched another coup against Zinsou, on 10 December 1969, to defend it. The military did not recognise Kouandété as l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tahirou Congacou
Tahirou Congacou (1911 – 15 June 1993) was a Beninese politician, most active during the 1960s, when his country was known as Dahomey. He served as President of the National Assembly from 1964 to 1965, and in that capacity served as acting President of Benin from 29 November 1965 to 22 December 1965. He also served as acting foreign minister during 1965. Early political career Congacou was born to a Dendi family in 1913 and was a descendant of the Djougou royal house. His ancestors were oral tradition keepers in the kingdom of Djougou. In colonial Dahomey, Congacou served as a subprefect in Nikki. In the aftermath of World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ..., he was a deputy to the General Council of Dahomey. He also served in the Dahomey territorial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1964 Dahomeyan Constitutional Referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in the Republic of Dahomey on 5 January 1964. The main issues were changing the system of government to a presidential system, scrapping term limits for the president, and having a unicameral parliament. The referendum passed with 99.86% of voters approving the changes. Turnout was 92% of the 1,051,614 registered voters.Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p89 Results References {{Beninese elections Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ... Referendums in Benin Constitutional Constitutional referendums ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1964 Dahomeyan Parliamentary Election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of Dahomey on 19 January 1964. They followed a coup in October 1963 and a subsequent constitutional referendum on 5 January 1964.Milutin Tomanović (1965) ''Hronika međunarodnih događaja 1964'', Institute of International Politics and Economics, p232 (in Serbo-Croatian) The Dahomeyan Democratic Party (PDD) was the only party to contest the elections, and won all 42 seats in the National Assembly. Elections were held in the context of which took place on 28 October. The leader of the winning party would automatically become president. As head of the PDD list, Sourou-Migan Apithy was elected who previously served as one of ministers in the post-coup transitional government of Christophe Soglo.Nohlen et al., p93 Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin was elected as deputy president of the republic and prime minister. He formed a new government on 25 January. Results References {{Beninese elections Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahome ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruno Amoussou
Bruno Ange-Marie Amoussou (born 2 July 1939) is a Beninese politician who was President of the National Assembly of Benin from 1995 to 1999https://assemblee-nationale.bj/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Histoire-et-patrimoine.pdf and Minister of State for Planning and Prospective Development under President Mathieu Kérékou from 1999 to 2005. He is currently a Deputy in the National Assembly. As the long-time leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Amoussou stood as a presidential candidate in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006. Political career Amoussou was born in Djakotomey in south-western Benin. In the 1991 presidential election, he received 5.8% of the vote and fourth place, therefore failing to qualify for the second round. Following the March 1995 parliamentary election, he was elected as President of the National Assembly on 12 June 1995. During his political career, his support was locally concentrated in his native southwest, but it was sufficient to enable him to be a con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1963 Dahomeyan Coup D'état
The 1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état was staged on October 28, 1963, by Christophe Soglo, who took control of the Republic of Dahomey to prevent a civil war. He overthrew Hubert Maga, whose presidency faced extreme economic stagnation and a host of other problems. Background The West African colony of French Dahomey, the present-day nation of Benin, was largely ignored by the French during its colonial era in French West Africa.. Dahomey had a weak economy due to a lack of known natural resources. The last time the colony had a favorable trade balance was in 1924. Its main export was intellectuals, and was known as the Latin Quarter of Africa due to its rich cultural landscape.. On August 1, 1960, Dahomey gained its independence and prominent politician Hubert Maga was chosen as its first president.. At the time, Dahomey was also facing a major economic recession and after independence, France stopped subsidies. Maga helped counter this by investing in infrastructure and encouragi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo (28 June 1909 – 7 October 1983) was a Beninese military officer and political leader. Early life Christophe Soglo was born on 28 June 1909 in Abomey, French Dahomey to a chiefly Fon family. Military career In 1931 Soglo voluntarily enlisted in the French Army. He fought during World War II, serving in Morocco and participating in the Allies' landings in Corsica, Elba, and southern France. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant, at the end of the war he was made a staff officer for the French Colonial Army. In 1947 he was attached to the French Ministry of Overseas as a military advisor. Securing the rank of captain on 1 January 1950, he was sent to French Indochina and fought in First Indochina War. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1956 for his service during the war. While there he met a French-Vietnamese woman whom he later married. Following France's defeat in Indochina he was given the rank of major and stationed in Senegal, where he remained until 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Republic Of Dahomey
The Republic of Dahomey (french: République du Dahomey; ), simply known as Dahomey, was established on 4 December 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy, it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union. On 1 August 1960, it attained full independence from France. In 1975, the country was renamed Benin after the Bight of Benin (which was in turn named after the Benin Empire which had its seat of power in Benin City, modern-day Nigeria), since "Benin" was deemed politically neutral for all ethnic groups in the state, whereas "Dahomey" recalled the Fon-dominated Kingdom of Dahomey. History The Republic of Dahomey became independent of France on 1 August 1960. In the words of the historian Martin Meredith, the young country "was encumbered with every imaginable difficulty: a small strip of territory jutting inland from the coast, it was crowded, insolvent and beset by tribal divisions, huge debts, unemployment, frequent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
