France federated its West African colonies to decentralize rule and rationalize economic development
Evidence
A second reason for federating the West African territories was to facilitate what the French called their mise en valeur-a term best translated as “rational economic development.” In France, policy priorities were shifting from continued expansion to the organization and development of the existing colonies. Most of the West African territories were poor and many were landlocked. Administered as autonomous colonies rather than a single unit, Paris argued, they would never prosper. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 91
Categorization
- DEFINE: Defines the key French colonial term ‘mise en valeur’ as rational economic development.
- SEED: The logic of federation-for-development resonates with modern arguments for regional economic integration of poor landlocked states.
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 91
- XREF: connects to: France deliberately built rival West African blocs to counter Nigeria’s regional lead — Fanny Pigeaud_ Ndongo Samba Sylla, Africa’s Last Colonial Currency, 289; France granted sub-Saharan colonies conditional independence to keep control. — Fanny Pigeaud_ Ndongo Samba Sylla, Africa’s Last Colonial Currency, 85; French planners hoped to make West Africa a cotton plantation for metropolitan self-sufficiency (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- French planners hoped to make West Africa a cotton plantation for metropolitan self-sufficiency
#expands(0.60) - France granted sub-Saharan colonies conditional independence to keep control.
#expands(0.50) — Fanny Pigeaud_ Ndongo Samba Sylla, Africa’s Last Colonial Currency, 85 - An overvalued CFA franc was engineered to reorient colonial trade toward France
#expands(0.50) - De Gaulle’s 1958 referendum forced African colonies to choose association or severance
#qualifies(0.40) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 933