Postwar revolts pushed French administrators toward respecting African institutions.

Evidence

Recent revolts, then, coupled with Diagne’s rising influence and the growing conservative climate in Paris, had only confirmed Clozel’s lifelong belief that the French had to respect preexisting African institutions if they wished to avoid future rebellions, much less accomplish anything constructive in West Africa. These developments would also lead to a similar conclusion by a new generation of leadership in Dakar-a generation that, for the most part, did not share Clozel’s interest in African history. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 623