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Sub Saharan Africa
Benin |
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Country information
HISTORY
In 1472 the Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit the country. The hinterland was developed as a source of slaves. By 1700, some 20,000 slaves were being exported annually. After long resisting attempts at colonisation, the south became a French protectorate in 1893 while the north was added incrementally between 1895 and 1898. In 1904, present day Benin, then known as Dahomey, became part of the French West African Federation. Dahomey played a key role in the administration of the region, providing educated staff to other parts of the French African empire. It became independent on 1 August 1960.
After independence, civilian government did not survive for long. A power struggle developed between the 3 traditional centres of authority – Abomey in the south-west, Porto Novo in the south-east and Bariba in the north-east. The early years of independence were marked by a series of military coups between 1963 and 1970. A short-lived experiment from 1970 to 1972 with a rotating civilian Presidency, each President representing the 3 traditional power centres, was cut short in October 1972 when the military, led by Major Mathieu Kerekou, took over again. The triumvirate were jailed and later exiled.
Major Kerekou immediately declared Dahomey a Marxist-Leninist state. The country was renamed the Peoples Republic of Benin. Banks and other institutions were nationalised, and a single ruling party, the Parti de la Revolution Populaire du Benin, (PRPB) was established. Thus began 17 years of one-party rule and military dictatorship.
