Most discussions of post-WWII are about its effects on Europe but we never really touch on what happened to Africa postwar. I know that battles were fought in Africa in Libya and Egypt but I had never thought about what the lingering effects were on the region. Not just Libya and Egypt were affected but also many countries in Western Africa who were ruled by colonial powers directly involved in the war.
As colonial subjects, the people of French West Africa contributed an enormous amount of manpower and resources to France’s war effort. While this support was involuntary, the Africans expected some sort of recognition for their support. Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French (a provisional government that was in power while French was occupied by the Nazis), did conduct the Brazzaville Conference in 1944 which concluded with the Brazzaville Declaration stating that the French Empire would remain united but that semi-autonomous assemblies would be established in the colonies and that colonial citizens would have the same rights as French citizens. However, the Brazzaville Declaration was not widely enforced and it was probably a result of the actions of a provisional government versus a legitimate authority and the unwillingness of French citizens living in Africa to cooperate. Later the Algerian War would highlight the French’s complete disrespect for colonial rights.
An important thing to realize is that the war did not end in 1945 for the French West Africans. When true equality to French citizens did not come, independence movements sprang up all around the region. WWII veterans were especially helpful to these movements because by fighting alongside Europeans in the war they realized that there was no such thing as racial superiority and that the imperial powers could be brought down. Even when the demanded rights were given to the veterans in 1955, the independence movements continued to surge on. Ultimately these movements would prove to be successful for continental Africa over the course of the late 1950’s and 1960’s with France only retaining the East African island of Reunion and various Caribbean islands like Guadeloupe and Martinique under their territorial control.
Before these readings I always thought the war itself ended in 1945 but now I realize many groups such as Colonial veterans had to fight for over another decade to receive the recognition they deserved. Additionally the reason there was so many independence movements was because they never received the recognition from the French so they took it upon themselves to have the rights they believed (rightfully so) that they deserved.
Though the French lost control of the area, at the very least the death toll was not as high as it could have been.
Christopher Jackson
It’s interesting to think about the effects (or lack of) that the Brazzaville Declaration had on France’s colonies. Do you think a more legitimate French leader would have done the same thing? Would it had been more effective in uniting the Empire? It seemed like France had nearly thrown in the towel with their colonies towards the end and had little care about if they maintained them or not, considering how much work they had to do on the ground in France.
How much longer do you think the effects of the war took place, not only in Africa, but around the world? These veterans, like Matt said did deserve this recognition they were lobbying for. Do we realize how large of an impact they had in the colonial effort after returning home?
Do you think the lack of enforcement of the Brazzaville doctrine led to the anti-colonial movements that we see following the war? Or do you think the movements would have still taken place without the anger from the lack of recognition?
Do you believe that if France took a more accepting look at its colonies that they would still have had control or was these movements unavoidable?
I agree that this is a chapter of history that is often neglected, much like the people who lived in these African colonies. Do you think that if there had been some sense of compensation for the veterans, either in simple recognition, some form of payment, or purposeful elevation of status, the veterans would have led the charge for freedom? And if they had received these things and not pushed for freedom, would the efforts already set in motion by colonial resentment have been effective? Or was this something that was inevitable and this change would only shift the timeline of events but not actually change them?