Published
by Just-Web Research Institute [2nd January, 2020]
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF FRENCH COMMUNITY
BY
DEEDENWII, BARITURE
N.
(ND, D.cl)
+2347012543482
and +2349050517580
INTRODUCTION
The French Community (French: Communauté
française) was an association of former French colonies, mostly from Africa. In 1958 it
replaced the French Union, which had itself succeeded the French colonial empire in 1946.
The Community had a short lifespan because, while the
Africans did not refuse it, they refrained from giving it real life. Under the
appearance of equality, the constitution of the Community restricted the
sovereignty of the twelve new African states, and reaffirmed the preeminence of
France, by placing in the domaine commun fundamental sectors such as foreign
affairs, defense, the currency, economic policies and control of raw materials
all sectors that a genuine state wishes to control.
BACKGROUND
OF FRENCH COMMUNITY
French Community,
French La Communauté,
association of states created in 1958 by the constitution of the Fifth French Republic to replace the French Union (itself the successor of the former
French colonial empire) in dealing with matters of foreign policy, defense, currency and economic
policy, and higher
education. By the late 1970s the association was
defunct. Although the relevant articles of the constitution were not abrogated, they were no longer applied, and the Community fell into oblivion.
The constitution of the Fifth
Republic, which created the French Community, was a
consequence of the war in Algeria. Under the 1946 French
Union there was said to be no French
colonies, but metropolitan France, the overseas departments, and the overseas
territories would instead constitute a single French Union, or just one France.
In reality, the colonies had little power, with all power remaining centralized
in the French Parliament.
On January 31, 1956, an enabling law changed
the system, abandoning assimilation in favor of autonomy, to allow territories
to develop their own local government and eventually gain their independence.
This was an attempt to quell the concerns over Algerian independence.[2] However, this did not stop the demands
for independence. The 1 million French colonists in Algeria were determined to
resist any possible Algerian independence, and they made massive demonstrations
in Algiers on 13 May 1958. The trouble, which
threatened to become a civil war, provoked a political crisis in France and caused the end of the Fourth
Republic. General Charles
de Gaulle was recalled to power and a new
constitution was written. Initially De Gaulle seemed to confirm the Algerian
settlers' hopes that he would help them, ending a speech to them with the cry
"Vive l'Algérie francaise !", but privately he indicated that he
did not have any intention of maintaining control of 9 million Algerians for
the benefit of one million settlers. This attitude was manifest in the new
constitution, which provided for the right of the overseas territories to
request complete independence.
On 28 September 1958 a referendum was held
throughout the French Union and the new constitution was approved, by universal
suffrage, in all of the territories except French
Guinea, which voted instead for the option of complete
independence. Under this new constitution, the French Union was replaced by the
French Community and France was now a federation of states with their own
self-government.
The
territorial assemblies of the remaining overseas territories were then allowed
four months, dating from the promulgation of the constitution, i.e. until 4
February 1959, to select one of the following options in accordance with
articles 76 and 91 of the constitution:
2.
Become a state of the French Community.
Only Gabon sought to become an overseas
department, but was dissuaded from doing so by the French government.[4] The overseas territories of the Comoro
Islands, French
Polynesia, French
Somaliland, New
Caledonia, and St
Pierre and Miquelon opted to maintain their status,
while Chad, French
Dahomey, French
Sudan, Ivory
Coast, Madagascar, Mauritania, Middle
Congo, Niger, Senegal, Ubangi-Shari, and Upper
Volta chose to become states of the French
Community, some of them changing their names in the process.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF FRENCH COMMUNITY
French community main
aims where to
1. Contribute to the
articulation of a mobilizing vision statement and directions that would garner
the support of the entire Canadian Francophonie. There appears to be fertile ground for this initiative among the
Francophonie and most of its representatives. As a spokesperson for all
governments, the MCCF has a unique perspective and influence, which could
result in a decisive contribution to a mobilizing vision statement with
relevance for the future. This statement would be accompanied by broad
strategic directions, which could serve to underlie an array of strategic plans
developed by various stakeholders. Moreover, the 2006/2009 strategic plan to be
adopted by the MCCF in October should prove to be a fertile source of
inspiration in the effort to formulate this vision statement.
2. Actively promote
the Canadian Francophonie and communicate its current and future relevance at
high-media events: In response to the deeply held aspirations expressed by the communities
and the strategic need for a strongly articulated position, the MCCF will mark
its “switch to the offensive” by raising the profile of the Francophonie, using
highimpact events of interest to be held this year and the next four years: the
implementation of the Québec’s new policy on the Canadian Francophonie (2006).
Before these events, the MCCF will develop a communication plan with a
specific “game plan,” that will include catchy themes and messages connecting
with the issues and challenges, and with various audiences, forums,
partnerships, means and resources.
3.
Exercise
leadership in matters of youth and immigration, through large-scale, concrete
projects with multiple spinoff effects: Two key areas perceived
as fundamental to the future emerged from the consultations, i.e., youth and
immigration. Both these areas have direct bearing on the major issues of
Francophone demography and identity. They also have ramifications for a wide
range of activity sectors: early childhood services, new technologies and
French content, intake and integration, etc. The MCCF will take the initiative
of priorising the youth niche, which is central to the agendas of all
governments and communities. Its leadership will consist in finding ways to get
Francophone youth engaged in their future as Francophones. This would result in
projects that offer solutions to demographic and identity issues, thereby
attracting new synergies.
ORGANS OF FRENCH COMMUNITY
By early 1959, the members of the French Community were as follows: The
French Republic, which was "one and indivisible". All the inhabitants
were French citizens and participated with the election of the president of the
republic and of the French
Parliament. It consisted of:
2.
Algeria
and Sahara. These areas, considered an integral part of
France, were divided into departments, 13 in Algeria and 2 in Sahara. All the
inhabitants were French citizens, but the Muslims preserved their own juridical
status. All sent representatives to the French assemblies and elected
municipalities.
3.
The overseas departments. Their
administration and legislation were in principle those of the metropole, but
each of them could receive an individual constitution.
4.
The overseas territories. They had their own
individual organisation with a territorial assembly elected by universal
suffrage; the assembly appointed a governing council, its president being the
governor appointed by the central power. The French Southern and Antarctic
Territories, with no permanent population, were administered directly from
Paris.
5.
The member states, which were initially:
Although there was only one citizenships
of the Community, the territories that became Community member states
did not form part of the French Republic, and were granted broad autonomy. They
had their own constitutions and could create unions among themselves. The
Community's jurisdiction as a whole was limited to foreign policy, defence, the
currency, a common economic and financial policy and policy on strategic
matters and, except for special agreements, control of justice, higher
education, external and public transport and
telecommunications. Agreements of Association could also be made by the
Community with other states. Associated with the Community were the United Nations trust territories of French
Cameroun and French
Togoland, and the Anglo-French condominium of
the New
Hebrides.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF FRENCH COMMUNITY
The most distinctive and
persistent feature of French colonialism was assimilation. Assimilation is a
product of the egalitarian and Universalist ideas of Descartes and the French Revolution:
all men are equal; therefore all men should have equal rights and duties and
benefit from the same institutions.
The French community effort was to make the colony pay its own way led
to their pushing the productivity of groundnuts and cotton where suitable.
Extraction of valuable resources was also emphasized. Taxes forced the population into the cash economy.
After World War II France's overseas colonies in Africa became overseas
territories. Their inhabitants became eligible for French citizenship. They
also received the right to organize political parties and have representation
in the French legislature.
When given the choice of complete independence or self-governance as
members of the new French Community (France and its former colonies), which was
intended for common defense, foreign policy, education, and other common
matters, all elected to join the community except French Guinea, which became
independent Guinea in October 1958. With the establishment of the French
Community, French West Africa was no more.
The autonomous states of French Sudan, Senegal, Upper Volta, and Dahomey
united into the Federation of Mali, named for the ancient African Mali Empire,
in 1958. Upper Volta and Dahomey withdrew before the federation became
operational in January 1960. By August 1960, when Senegal withdrew, the
federation was defunct.
Postwar nationalism and the example of the newly independent English
colonies, led by Ghana in 1957, produced a strong impulse toward independence
in French West Africa. Between August and November 1960, Dahomey, Niger, Upper
Volta, Côte d'Ivoire,
Senegal, Mali, and Mauretania
gained their independence.
PROSPECT AND CHALLENGES OF FRENCH COMMUNITY
In 2005, the number of Francophones in Ontario increased
for the first time in decades due to immigration. This chapter examines key
issues surrounding this development. It begins by considering the implications
of Francophone immigration for Canada’s national identity, particularly in
Northern Ontario. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) identified Sudbury
as a privileged destination for Francophone immigrants outside of Quebec as
part of a strategic plan for the implementation of Section 41 of the official
Languages Act. Despite this fact, few resources were allocated by CIC to
Francophone service providers to cope with the triple task of attracting, retaining,
and integrating these immigrants. In addition, CIC has not granted official
recognition to the Contact Interculturel Francophone de Sudbury (CIFS), an
organization that has been providing services to Francophone newcomers and
promoting the métissage of Franco-Ontarian culture. Instead, CIC has favoured a
“bilingual” agency, the Sudbury Multicultural and Folks Arts Association
(SMFAA). Franco-Ontarians have consistently opposed “bilingual” institutional
arrangements, as they often result in unequal access to services. This chapter
provides suggestions to overcome these difficulties.
Among the states, the Community as assumed
originally functioned only during 1959 when six sessions of the executive
council were held in various capitals. Immediately after the sixth session,
held in Dakar during December, President de Gaulle
agreed to Mali's claim for national sovereignty, thus
beginning the process of all of the states being granted independence during
1960. On 4 June 1960, articles 85 and 86 were amended by Constitutional
Act No. 60-525, allowing the member states to become fully independent, either
still as members of the Community or not. This amendment also allowed for a
state that was already fully independent to join the Community without losing
its independence. By 1961, only the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo,
Gabon, the Malagasy Republic and Senegal still belonged to the Community. The
constitutional bodies no longer continued to function and the term 'president
of the community' disappeared from official statements. It seemed that the only
remaining differences between those states that were members of the community,
and those that had left it, was the fact that the diplomatic representatives in
Paris of the former had the title high
commissioner, and those of the latter 'ambassador'. Moreover, the second
title tended to be used in all cases without distinction.
Although the French Community had almost
ceased to exist as an institution by the early 1960s, the remaining members
never formally withdrew and the relevant articles were not eliminated from the
French Constitution until they were finally abrogated by Constitutional Act
number 95-880 of 4 August 1995.
CONCLUSION
French Community, is
an association of states created in 1958 by the constitution of the Fifth French Republic to replace the French Union in dealing with matters of foreign policy, defense, currency and economic
policy, and higher
education. By the late 1970s the association was
defunct. Although the relevant articles of the constitution were not abrogated, they were no longer applied, and the Community fell into oblivion.
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