Republic of Dahomey
Benin, 1958–1975. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Republic of Dahomey, simply known as Dahomey, was established on 4 December 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. On 1 August 1960, it attained full independence from France. These rivals were Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin, who held sway in the southern and central regions of the country, Sourou-Migan Apithy, who dominated the southeast, and Hubert Maga, whose power base was located in the north. In 1975, the country was renamed Benin after the Bight of Benin.
Seat of power: Porto-Novo
Rulers
Hubert Maga
President of Dahomey, 1960–1963
When Dahomey gained its independence from France on August 1, 1960, Maga was appointed to the presidency, and was officially elected to that post on December 11. In 1951, Maga was elected to the French National Assembly, where he served in various positions, including premier from 1959 to 1960.
Portrait of Hubert Maga: State of Israel Press Office, Public domain, file
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Christophe Soglo
President of Dahomey, 1963–1967
He was a Beninese military officer and political leader. After Benin achieved independence in 1960, Soglo was given the rank of colonel in the army and became its chief of staff under President Hubert Maga. A veteran of the French Army, he saw himself as a Dahomeyan Charles de Gaulle, banning all political activity with the stated aim of stabilising the country.
Portrait of Christophe Soglo: Voice of America, Public domain, file
Sourou-Migan Apithy
President of Dahomey, 1964–1965
He served as the 2nd President of Dahomey between 25 January 1964 and 27 November 1965, when he was overthrown by Christophe Soglo after infighting among the members of the government. He was also the prime minister of Dahomey (Benin) from 1957 to 1958. He returned to Cotonou after the 1970 coup, when he became a member of the Presidential Triumvirate during the early 1970s.
Portrait of Sourou-Migan Apithy: unknown, Présence Congolaise, Public domain, file
Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin
President of Dahomey, 1965–1965
He served as president of the National Assembly of Dahomey from April 1959 to November 1960 and as prime minister and vice president of Dahomey from 1964 to 1965. Ahomadégbé became president of the Presidential Council, which was a system that rotated the office between three leading political figures: Ahomadégbé, Hubert Maga, and Sourou-Migan Apithy. On October 26, 1972, he was overthrown in a coup d'état led by Mathieu Kérékou.
Portrait of Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin: European Communities, Attribution, file
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Tahirou Congacou
President of Dahomey, 1965–1965
He served as President of the National Assembly from 1964 to 1965, and in that capacity served as acting President of Benin from 29 November 1965 to 22 December 1965. On 29 November 1965, General Christophe Soglo forcibly removed Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin's mandate.
Alphonse Alley
President of Dahomey, 1967–1968
Alphonse Amadou Alley was a Beninese army officer and political figure. Kouandété launched another coup against Soglo on December 17, but he was forced to hand power to Alley two days later. On July 17, 1968, Alley was forced to hand power to Emile Zinsou, a veteran politician.
Maurice Kouandété
President of Dahomey, 1967–1967
On 17 December 1967 Kouandété led a military coup and toppled President Christophe Soglo. He handed power to Alphonse Alley two days later, and forced him to retire in 1968 in favor of Kouandété's choice, Emile Derlin Zinsou.
Jean-Baptiste Hachème
President of Dahomey, 1967–1967
He was a Beninese military officer and politician. He served under various government positions, including briefly the office of Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee.
Émile Derlin Zinsou
President of Dahomey, 1968–1969
He was a Beninese politician and physician who was the President of Dahomey from 17 July 1968 until 10 December 1969, supported by the military regime that took power in 1967. He studied medicine at the Dakar Medical College and qualified as a doctor.
Portrait of Émile Derlin Zinsou: Martha Hellwig, Public domain, file
Paul-Émile de Souza
President of Dahomey, 1969–1970
He was chairman of the Directory of Dahomey from December 13, 1969, to May 7, 1970. For the most part de Souza tried to stay out of politics if he could and led the parachutist unit at Ouidah.
Maurice Kouandété
President of Dahomey, 1969–1969
Kouandété launched another coup against Zinsou on 10 December 1969. The military did not recognise Kouandété as legitimate, and the elections that followed paved the way toward a Presidential Council form of government.
Hubert Maga
President of Dahomey, 1970–1972
These three agreed to form a Presidential Council after violence marred the 1970 elections. Maga peacefully handed power to Ahomadégbé on May 7, 1972.
Portrait of Hubert Maga: State of Israel Press Office, Public domain, file
Mathieu Kérékou
President of Dahomey, 1972–1975
On 26 October 1972, Lt. Col. Mathieu Kérékou overthrew the ruling triumvirate and became president. On 30 November 1974, he announced that the country was officially Marxist, under control of the Military Council of the Revolution (CMR), which nationalized the petroleum industry and banks. On 30 November 1975, he renamed the country the People's Republic of Benin.
Portrait of Mathieu Kérékou: Ricardo Stuckert/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br, file
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Culture
- Upon independence, Maga became the first president of Dahomey.
- Following the 1965 coup, Colonel Christophe Soglo became president. Civilian rule was in fact restored in 1968, but the tumult of the preceding years meant that the army remained a key player in Dahomeyan politics, with civilian presidents beholden to their military backers.
- In October 1972, a coup (the fifth in the country's history) led by Mathieu Kérékou removed a civilian government (which had been headed by a triumvirate consisting of Ahomadégbé, Apithy and Maga).
- Kérékou would go on to proclaim his support for Marxism-Leninism, declaring the end of the Republic of Dahomey and the establishment of the People's Republic of Benin on 30 November 1975.
Picture
Hubert Coutoucou Maga was a politician from Dahomey, now known as Benin.
Image: State of Israel Press Office, Public domain, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.