Niger and Colonial Rule

Niger and Nigerian society has faced significant changes in the course of its history. Through its history of colonization and subsequent independence, Niger has experienced political, social, and economic changes. The French colony of Niger was created in various forms from 1900 to 1960, and it included regions in present-day Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad. It began being called the “Colonie du Niger” in 1922. French control over some areas of Niger began in the 1980s, and continued until Niger gained its independence on August 3, 1960.

Before its colonial rule, Niger was a prominent area of trans-Saharan trade, with various empires thriving under these conditions. From roughly 600-1591, one of the largest Islamic empires in history, the Songhai Empire, ruled the area. In the mid-fourteenth century, the Hausa Kingdom came to power, beginning as seven distinct states and eventually becoming a more centrally consolidated group.[1]

The independence of Niger was birthed during one of the larger political waves in African history. In the late 1950's, the political environment in French West Africa and Niger was changing, and began encouraging independence movements and uplifting local governance and self-determination. The Nigerien Progressive Party was founded in May 1946 and sought to unite different types of Nigerien people in a movement towards independence.[2] In December of 1958, Niger became an autonomous state under looser French control, and then in 1960 achieved full independence.[3] For the first fourteen years of its independence, Niger was governed by a single-party civilian regime, until economic conditions brought on by a devastating drought and claims of corruption caused a coup that overthrew the civilian leadership. Since then, Niger has experienced a mix of civilian and military rule, and its rocky colonial past has caused stable governance to remain problematic.

Corrupt government regimes and lack of stable government processes has dealt a devastating blow to economic and social development in the country. Niger consistently ranks among the lowest-ranked countries on the United Nation’s Human Development Index. There is little social strife in the country due to colonial power-drawn national boundaries, but the difficulty of the country to function independently remains clear.

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[1] “Kingdoms of Africa,” African Kingdoms, last modified 2005, accessed March 2, 2016, http://www.africankingdoms.com/.

[2] “History of Niger,” History World, accessed March 2, 2016, http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad04.

[3] Ibid.

Bibliography

“Kingdoms of Africa.” African Kingdoms. Last modified 2005. Accessed March 2, 2016, http://www.africankingdoms.com/.

“History of Niger.” History World. Accessed March 2, 2016. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad04.