The 1902 reorganization centralized French West African power in the governor general

Evidence

The purpose of the I 902 reorganization was to increase the governor general’s freedom of action in three ways. The decree relieved him of the responsibility of directly administering Senegal, provided him with the right to establish a centralized bureaucracy to supervise the territorial administrations, and authorized him to set aside a portion of each member colony’s revenues; this contribution was to cover the federation’s new operating costs, and help subsidize a federal program of public works designed to improve communication between the various territories. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 154

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the exact mechanisms by which the federation centralized authority: budget extraction, bureaucracy creation, and removal of direct Senegal administration.