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African History 5: French West African Independence 112 Views
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Description:
Today's video is about French African territories gaining their freedom. There's nothing like a rebellion or two to make you re-think occupying foreign lands. Luckily in France's case, these rebellions did the trick and French African territories gained their independence... mostly without bloodshed. Mostly.
Transcript
- 00:04
For France, World War II was like a giant toddler that stomped all over the country, [Toddler kicking over buildings in Paris]
- 00:09
kicking over buildings like sandcastles.
- 00:12
We hope its mom told it be careful around the Eiffel Tower.
- 00:15
That thing’s pointy.
- 00:16
What we’re getting at…in our roundabout way… is that France was having a rough time [France laying on a hospital bed]
Full Transcript
- 00:20
recovering.
- 00:21
You don’t go through occupation by an enemy and a major war fought on your soil without
- 00:25
being left with a serious mess on your hands. [Man with muddy hands]
- 00:29
So to help rebuild from their occupation, France decided to squeeze the African lands
- 00:34
they were currently occupying. [France squeezing Africa]
- 00:36
For France’s African colonies, this final squeeze was the one that…broke the baguette.
- 00:42
General strikes fired up across West Africa in 1947 and kept on blazing for a decade. [Explosion appears in West Africa]
- 00:48
Starting in 1954, Algerian communist rebels clashed with police.
- 00:53
And it got bloody.
- 00:54
Both rebels and police even set off homemade bombs in civilian areas. [Bomb explodes]
- 00:58
Mini-rebellions broke out in Cameroon and Mali.
- 01:01
But the French army stamped them out with concentration camps and targeted assassinations. [French Army removes Cameroon and Mali soldiers]
- 01:06
Still, these rebellions were a major wake-up call for France.
- 01:10
The flag of the Algerian Communist Party had the word…pain
- 01:13
…on it, which means…bread.
- 01:15
It’s kind of a giveaway that your colonial government is failing if one of the rebels’ [Waiter gives IOU to customer]
- 01:21
key promises is… actually feeding people.
- 01:23
In the end, France decided to break up with its colonies…or, more accurately, decided
- 01:28
to let them break up with France.
- 01:30
By popular election, a man named Charles De Gaulle became President in 1959. [Charles saluting]
- 01:35
De Gaulle was a lefty politician who had previously served as commander-in-chief of the Free French
- 01:40
forces.
- 01:41
Maybe feeling grateful for the sacrifices of the Free French Africans, or perhaps just
- 01:46
wanting to avoid another war, De Gaulle drew up plans to let West Africa go free.
- 01:51
It was like a freedom free-for all.
- 01:53
Mali…
- 01:54
Cameroon…
- 01:54
Togo…
- 01:55
Senegal…
- 01:56
Benin…
- 01:57
Niger…
- 01:57
Chad…
- 01:58
The Ivory Coast…
- 01:59
All became independent in 1960 and 1961, almost entirely without bloodshed or conflict. [African cities highlighted on map]
- 02:04
The French were definitely not total saints while this was going down.
- 02:09
They did jerky stuff… like loot all government buildings and take key infrastructure assets, [French looting government buildings]
- 02:14
such as power generators, on their way out.
- 02:16
But on the whole, this process was much healthier for everyone than violent rebellions. [Doctor in consultation with patient]
- 02:22
Imagine that…
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