Upper Volta () was a colony of French

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

established in 1919 in the territory occupied by present-day

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. It was formed from territories that had been part of the colonies of Upper Senegal and Niger and the

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

. The colony was dissolved on 5 September 1932, with parts being administered by the Côte d'Ivoire, French Sudan and the Colony of Niger. After World War II, on 4 September 1947, the colony was revived as a part of the

French Union The French Union () was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial empire system, colloquially known as the " French Empire" (). It was ''de jure'' the end of the "indigenous" () status of Frenc ...

, with its previous boundaries. On 11 December 1958, it was reconstituted as the

self-governing Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...

Republic of Upper Volta The Republic of Upper Volta () was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community. Before becoming autonomous, it had been part of the French Union as the French Upper V ...

within the

French Community The French Community () was the constitutional organization set up in October 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which had reorganized the colonial em ...

, and two years later on 5 August 1960, it attained full independence. On 4 August 1984, the name was changed to Burkina Faso. The name Upper Volta indicates that the country contains the upper part of the Volta River. The river is divided into three parts, called the Black Volta, White Volta and Red Volta.

History

Until the end of the 19th century, the history of Upper Volta was dominated by the empire-building Mossi/ Mossi Kingdoms, who are believed to have come up to their present location from present-day northern

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. For centuries, the Mossi peasant was both farmer and soldier, and the Mossi people were able to defend their religious beliefs and social structure against forcible attempts to convert them to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

by Muslims from the northwest. When the French arrived and claimed the area in 1896, Mossi resistance ended with the capture of their capital at

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

. In 1919, certain provinces from Upper Senegal and Niger were united into a separate colony called the Upper Volta in the

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

federation. In 1932, the new colony was dismembered in a move to economise; it was reconstituted in 1937 as an administrative division called the Upper Coast. After World War II, the Mossi renewed their pressure for separate territorial status and on 4 September 1947, Upper Volta became a French West African territory again in its own right. The indigenous population was highly discriminated against. For example, African children were not allowed to ride bicycles or pick fruit from trees, "privileges" reserved for the children of colonists. Violating these regulations could land parents in jail. A revision in the organisation of French overseas territories began with the passage of the Basic Law (Loi Cadre) of 23 July 1956. This act was followed by reorganisational measures approved by the French parliament early in 1957 that ensured a large degree of self-government for individual territories. Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French community on 11 December 1958. Upper Volta achieved independence on 5 August 1960. The first president, Maurice Yaméogo, was the leader of the Voltaic Democratic Union (UDV). The 1960 constitution provided for election by universal suffrage of a president and a national assembly for five year terms; however, soon after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the UDV.''Benin, The Congo, Burkina Faso, Politics, Economics and Society'', 1989, Joan Baxter and Keith Somerville, Pinter Publishers, London and New York, (Book)

Colonial governors

Lieutenant Governors (1919–1932)

* Édouard Hesling (9 November 1919 – 7 August 1927) ** Robert Arnaud (7 August 1927 – 13 January 1928), ''acting'' * Albéric Fournier (13 January 1928 – 22 December 1932) * Gabriel Descemet (22 December 1932 – 31 December 1932)

Governors (1947–1958)

** Gaston Mourgues (6 September 1947 – 29 April 1948), ''acting'' * Albert Mouragues (29 April 1948 – 23 February 1953) * Salvador Jean Étcheber (23 February 1953 – 3 November 1956) * Yvon Bourges (3 November 1956 – 15 July 1958) ** Max Berthet (15 July 1958 – 11 December 1958), ''acting''

High Commissioners (1958–1960)

* Max Berthet (11 December 1958 – February 1959) * Paul Masson (February 1959 – 5 August 1960)

People born in French Upper Volta

* Norbert Zongo * Gilbert Diendéré

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:French Upper Volta French West Africa 20th century in Burkina Faso Former colonies in Africa Upper Volta Upper Volta States and territories established in 1919 States and territories disestablished in 1932 States and territories established in 1947 States and territories disestablished in 1958 1919 establishments in French West Africa 1958 disestablishments in French West Africa 1919 establishments in the French colonial empire 1958 disestablishments in the French colonial empire History of Burkina Faso